TromboneChat

I notice that Christian Lindbergh is active now as a conductor.  Is he de-emphasizing his playing?

I think he both play and conduct. There is some trombone tips in his web site. Interesting what a player of that caliber have to say about trombone playing.

Leif

C. Lindberg is not playing nearly as much these days. Mostly the L. Mozart concerto or Helicon Wasp (maybe a few other short pieces that he can conduct while playing) as soloist in conjunction with a much larger program where he conducts, especially his own compositions.

This trend in his career started to really take off around 2010, and quite frankly makes a lot of career sense. He loves composing, so he can heavily promote his own music, and it's no secret that conductors make significantly more money and have significantly more fans than most classical musicians, even soloists. People want to see the Seiji Ozawas and James Depreists when they head to the symphony.

I think the competition is tough today. He is the most successful world wide soloist on trombone ever, and even though there are some very good soloists NOW to compete with him, I don't think it is possible for anybody else to repeat what he has done.

The point is he also made his career at the rigth time. Numerous recordings of all old and new works while people still bought music on vinyl and cd, and no Internet in the beginning. No youtube, no spotify with others about as good as him. No real competition. He soon had a lot of major virtuous solo work written for him to be performed all over the world and then Internet come at a time when he already had made a name of himself.

Before Christian Lindbergh I often heard people say that trombone is nice, but "it isn't a good solo instrument". It was the talk when I studied. There were soloists but not of his kind. I never hear a trombone is not a good soloinstrument said today.

He is that HUGE difference on how people look at our instrument today. An enormous pioneer of the modern trombone and the music of our time.

Now?

I think he wants to do something else at this state in his life. Conducting and composing is possible at a world class level as long as he lives if he gets a good start at that career. A world class virtuous on trombone has a best before date. Not that he has passed that border, but I think he is wise and do that change in his career before the day comes. I'm sure he will continue and do concerts but not going worldwide and knocking people of their feet with motorbikes concertos and other virtuous unbelievable stuff that is about as tough as is possible. Can he do that at 60? Probably. At 70? Maybe. At 80? I doubt that. Composing and conducting after 80? No problem.

/Tom

I always like to think his success as a soloist was due to his initial experience playing  Dixieland with his mates. Certainly you can pick that in his vibrato and non-classical tone.

QuoteI'm sure he will continue and do concerts but not going worldwide and knocking people of their feet with motorbikes concertos and other virtuous unbelievable stuff that is about as tough as is possible. Can he do that at 60? Probably. At 70? Maybe. At 80? I doubt that. Composing and conducting after 80? No problem.
I am no pro but I certainly agree with your summary of what happens to a trombone player in the later years. Guess I'll have to start working more on my arranging.

20 years ago I caught him in a masterclass. He was asked what he did in his spare time. Hotel gyms were too dangerous to fill his days with because the exercise equipment was always for body builders. Walking on the street was dangerous because of poor walking conditions and safety concerns in strange cities.

He took up yoga-- difficult yoga. He demonstrated some really rough poses he could do in street clothes. He spent his time in hotel rooms doing yoga.

After the master class he grabbed his horns, was ushered to a waiting vehicle, placed in the vehicle, and escorted to his next appearance.

Now, to my way of thinking, living in a small room doing exercise and then being transported looked to a casual observer like being a prisoner awaiting trial.
I did not want to be Christian Lindberg when I grew up.

But he was being whisked off in that car to pound beers and pisco sours and chat it up with musicians all night.

I imagine

It was 2PM on a day about -35 degree Celsius in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Think of North Dakota, USA, but about 300 miles north of that. Or think of Vladisvostok, Siberia if you have a firm mental image of what life in a USSR gulag would be like.

I dimly recall an internet outrage here when Lindberg was spotted smoking cigarettes at an ITA conference he was a guest at. No, Lindberg does not party, or even think of it...he does yoga.
Promoting a positive image to the kiddies and all that.

Yes, I know you jest, Harrison, but life in Regina, Canada was not to jest at. It was/is grim. Think of Siberia...but without the single tree every 25 miles. ( Or "versts" if you read a lot of Chekov and Dostoyevsky in good older translations.......)

That's dark, man.

I wasn't joking though. Maybe in as bleak a place as that, and after a masterclass where the kids wanted to know what he did for fun besides freezing to death up North (rather than do the correct thing and invite him out for beers, pisco sours, and whiskey, to which he'd say yes), he was going back to the hotel (I would too), but the man likes pisco sours, beers, and cigarettes. Guaranteed.

Regina, the Queen City, Pile 'o Bones, Paris of the Prairies.

Great place to come from.

We were in Moose Jaw last Nov. It seemed like a lovely town. A nice old downtown with historical buildings, a nice central park. Art gallery. Inexpensive housing. For a moment, I could see retiring there. Then a cold front moved in and put an end to that nonsense.

Quote from: savio on Aug 12, 2017, 04:49AMI think he both play and conduct. There is some trombone tips in his web site. Interesting what a player of that caliber have to say about trombone playing.

Leif

There is an announcement in the most recent ITA Journal that Christian will be premiering his 100th commission for trombone and orchestra, by Per Egland, in September where he will be both conducting and playing...

Quote from: Graham Martin on Aug 12, 2017, 05:39PMI always like to think his success as a soloist was due to his initial experience playing  Dixieland with his mates. Certainly you can pick that in his vibrato and non-classical tone.

Nothing wrong with dixieland music. He do like jazz music.

I know people here like to comment his tone. I don't think he has a bad tone at all. It is not a non classical tone. Trombone players sound different.

The talk about his tone as I remember began to be a question when the competition hardened. When Alessi made his solo records. They sound very different.

Before Christian there were also some other good players known over here. I name the ones I think are most known; such players as Jay Friedman, Denis Wick, Ralph Souer, Branimir Slokar and Michel Biquet. They had done a couple of records each, but mostly the standard repertoire. I bought them and listened. My favourite album was (and still is) by Miles Andesson (at this forum). He played on a small bore trombone. I bought them when I was in U,S in 1988. He was giving both his albums away for free from his web page a couple of years ago. Don't know if they are still available though. He did the concertos with a most  beautiful sound from a small bore you can think of. I guess thats  non classical then. I still love those two records he made.

When Alessi came into the picture he had another concept. I think it was in comparison to Alessi that the question about Lindberghs sound came up first time. Alessi has this huge mellow sonorous sound, not at all the same sound as Lindbergh has, but I don't think Lindbergh has a NON classical sound (whatever that is) and not a bad sound. The music Lindbergh did was so convincing and played with such affection that I forgot he played a trombone. It was all about music, and he could do music of anything, so esspressive. His performance goes beyond tone and he is a complete entertainer.

I think he has a sound that fits what ever he is playing. I don't even think of tone when he is playing, it's pure music.

/Tom

He is a kind of pioneer. His musicality, his hard work to become an full time soloist, his fantastic trombone skills. I bet there will be long time before we see anything like him. Conducting is also performing. He have a personality that is just smelling "creativity, and "hard work"

That said there is so many good trombonists out there. Just think about all the people that works in professional symphony orchestras out in the world. How many is it? Many thousands....  They have musicality, they have technique, they have a mind to get where they are. And then add all the freelancers, jazz bands, the high level military bands. There is so many amazing trombonists out there.

How many of them are here in the forum? I'm afraid the truth is there isn't so many of these musician. At least not active ones. We are a blend of everything and that is good. Lets be thankful for the ones we have.

Back to topic, Tom, I didn't know some criticize Lindberghs tone? But you know it is blowing hard on the top. They are in an exposed position. Anything they do or say is exposed. So it is and so it always will be. And in fact so it should be. We all have our opinion, but it should be in respect of the human behind the trombone. In fact I think we trombonists are good in that way. I had a look in the trumpet forum...say no more...

I think Lindbergh have done nearly everything that is possible on trombone, not strange he is widen his creativity in other fields. I think creativity is a key word in his career...

Well, back to my long bass trombone notes....my day is on the top of the mountain if I just get some of them sound nice. 

Leif

Miles Anderson's recordings are still available here:

http://www.trom-bown.com/%28trom-bown%29/Home.html

In the early 1970's I took lessons from him when he was principal in San Francisco.  To the best of my recollection, he was playing a Bach 36 during our lessons.  The album covers look like they could be a Bach 36 to me, but they could also be something smaller.

Quote from: bonesmarsh on Aug 13, 2017, 08:03AMIt was 2PM on a day about -35 degree Celsius in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Think of North Dakota, USA, but about 300 miles north of that. Or think of Vladisvostok, Siberia if you have a firm mental image of what life in a USSR gulag would be like.

I dimly recall an internet outrage here when Lindberg was spotted smoking cigarettes at an ITA conference he was a guest at. No, Lindberg does not party, or even think of it...he does yoga.
Promoting a positive image to the kiddies and all that.

Yes, I know you jest, Harrison, but life in Regina, Canada was not to jest at. It was/is grim. Think of Siberia...but without the single tree every 25 miles. ( Or "versts" if you read a lot of Chekov and Dostoyevsky in good older translations.......)

Lindberg not only does yoga and smokes. He runs marathons also. (This is very useful for wind players).
 In addition, he plays the trombone 6 hours every day. This is a hard physical work. Composition and conducting are much easier physically. It's a sensible decision to switch to composition and conduct at his age. Although he is unlikely to become an outstanding composer ang conductor.  (IMHO)

Quote from: SilverBone on Aug 15, 2017, 01:44AMMiles Anderson's recordings are still available here:

http://www.trom-bown.com/%28trom-bown%29/Home.html

In the early 1970's I took lessons from him when he was principal in San Francisco.  To the best of my recollection, he was playing a Bach 36 during our lessons.  The album covers look like they could be a Bach 36 to me, but they could also be something smaller.

.525 bore horn is much better suited for solo work and principal than .547 bore horn. (IMHO)
547 always sounded like euphonium to my ears.
The best trombone sound in my life I heard from Viktor Batashov on Bach 36. He was the winner of the competition in Geneva Switzerland in 1958. Now he is professor of Moscow conservatory.

Quote from: bonesmarsh on Aug 13, 2017, 08:03AM

Yes, I know you jest, Harrison, but life in Regina, Canada was not to jest at. It was/is grim. Think of Siberia...but without the single tree every 25 miles. (

This Regina, Canada?

Ahahahaha

'Christian Lindbergh, Musician.'

He's much, much more than 'Christian Lindbergh, trombonist'.

He's reached out to people, made music, and should be an inspiration to us all...he's not someone to be 'compared' to other wanna-be soloists.

They have to measured by Lindbergh's legacy and accomplishments.

Yes....wanna-be soloists....as many of our trombone heros are just great trombone technicians....not musical soloists.

We've all heard soloists that sound like they're just showing off and proceed to put us to sleep in the end.

You have to be a real musician, like Lindbergh or Dave Taylor for example, to be a great soloist. Total technical command of the instrument is necessary....and then you add 'ingredient X'.

'Ingredient X' is what Lindbergh has given the trombone world (along with Dave Taylor, IMHO). Some extra magic in the music and presentation...some magic for the audience... something relevant.

May he continue to have a long and productive life!

Can we at least spell the poor guy's name korrecktly please?

Yes, Dan Hine, THAT Regina, Sask.

Point of clarification, Dan: the photo you included is famous for a bit of history. In the 1930s, during the Great Depression, local unemployed men were conscripted to dig the lake you see here in the photo with hand shovels, as a form of slave labour. If you wanted to collect "Relief", AKA The Dole, you had to work.

A local bridge was built over the lake, known as Wascana, Lake. It stands as the world record holder for the longest span of bridge over the shortest width of running water. The bridge is some 1/2 mile long, and spans water a width of 3 feet. There is a small causeway opened under the bridge ( Victoria Bridge) to allow a trickle of water to keep the water in a sort of current. Just enough current to prevent algae.

Quite an engineering feat, considering that the lake is at most some 18" deep. Yes, the lake is an optical illusion, and a shopping cart deposited there, or bicycle on a kick-stand, is visible from the shore.

As a young infantryman myself training on arctic conditions ( I didn't kid about the Siberia aspect) we had to pull sleds with snowshoes and then walk in circles on the "lake" to replicate the steppes of central Asia, our likely enemy being then Russia. It was a bit of a joke.....we could have trained for arctic warfare anywhere, as there was a clear path from Texas to Vladisvostok out our back doors.
But the lake was used, because there was a navy base in the photo where the officers could drink, while the infantry made tea in a blizzard in tents, from the man-powered sleds.

A navy in the prairie. Yes. The training buildings are known as "Stone Frigates"...and the walkways inside are known as "decks." Madness.

The trees and the lake are strictly for tourists, and maintained at a huge expense.
But, yes, Dan...in the center of the photo you supplied was Darke Hall, where I caught the Lindberg masterclass-- if you know where to look it is clearly shown in the photo.

Quote from: harrison.t.reed on Sep 25, 2017, 10:24AMCan we at least spell the poor guy's name korrecktly please?
Sorry.  No disrespect intended.  I am a fan.

Quote from: bonesmarsh on Sep 25, 2017, 03:49PMYes, Dan Hine, THAT Regina, Sask.



Thanks for the history lesson.  Still doesn't seem that grim.

Quote from: Dan Hine on Sep 25, 2017, 08:47PMThanks for the history lesson.  Still doesn't seem that grim.

Regina facts:


Regina typically has 201 days a year when the minimum temperature is at 0 °C or below. It also averages 322 days of sunshine/year.

The city’s murder rate is the highest in Canada among large cities. Last year, there were eight homicides in Regina (up from five in 2014) for a rate of 3.30 per 100,000 of population.

Ok....

Quote from: Ellrod on Sep 25, 2017, 10:36PMRegina facts:

The city’s murder rate is the highest in Canada among large cities. Last year, there were eight homicides in Regina (up from five in 2014) for a rate of 3.30 per 100,000 of population.

And Canada has a high instance of Police suicides as well if a news feed story I read a while back is true..

Must've been too depressing to want to hang out after the master class. I get it now.

Quote from: harrison.t.reed on Sep 26, 2017, 05:01AMMust've been too depressing to want to hang out after the master class. I get it now.

I don't know.  Sounds warmer than Fairbanks, AK and with fewer homicides.  And more sunlight.  

Quote from: Dan Hine on Sep 26, 2017, 09:39AMI don't know.  Sounds warmer than Fairbanks, AK and with fewer homicides.  And more sunlight.  

Yeah but you probably can't picture;

"Vladisvostok, Siberia if you have a firm mental image of what life in a USSR gulag would be like."

So I guess we will just never know which is worse 

Maybe we should just ask Christian Lindberg and be done with it.

I was talking about the denizens

I was talking about the denizens