orchestra

Based on the Spiritual song, "Sinner, Please Don't Let This Harvest Pass" Theme and variations woven by solo trumpet into the orchestral texture. The work closes with an "unanswered question" final phrase.

Excerpt (finale section) Paul Neebe, trumpet; Slovak Radio Symphony, David Wiley, conductor

"Robert Parris’s CONCERTO FOR TROMBONE was regarded with amazement by CRI’s composer-directors, who would have thought it unplayable if they had not heard a tape of the premiËre played by Robert Gutter. The present recording was made by still another remarkable instrumentalist, Roman Siwek, who was brought into the picture by the Polish orchestra when it became certain that Mr. Gutter would through no fault of his own be unable to make the session. Listening to Siwek’s stunning, not to say apocalyptic performance, CRI’s officials were still more amazed..."

These remarks are excerpted from the liner notes for the original LP recording in 1968, which were written by Carter Harman, then the Executive Vice-President of CRI. Robert Gutter was the soloist in the premiËre in September of 1964 at the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. The orchestra was the (now defunct) Washington Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Ivan Romanenko.