by Donal Bannister (BBC National Orchestra of Wales)
Bremen Marvellous! there is a whole tradition of instruments and e styles of playing that w d. re have largely igno Last year I wrote an article entitled ‘One Size Fits All’ attempting to explain how we have arrived at the universal orchestral trombone used throughout the world today. Then in March this year I presented a recital at RWCMD in which I used four different instruments, performing Ropartz’ Piece in E minor on my antique Courtois, and the Hindemith Sonata on my Krüspe. In June the BBCNOW section visited three manufacturers in Bremen to try trombones of traditional German design, but with the advantages of modern ergonomics and mechanical reliability. The weekend was a revelation. The traditional design typically has a dual bore slide, though not always, and a big bell flare made of very thin brass, and often with a decorative nickel silver rim, called the kranz. The sound is very mellow at all dynamics except the loudest, when it can sizzle. It was important to remember that we were not looking to replace our usual instruments, but to find something quite different. First, we visited the gentle Hans Kromat at his workshop in the village of Wilstedt. His is a small outfit making just 60 instruments a year, all to order, 14
(amongst his clients is Stefan Schultz of the Berlin Philharmonic). We were immediately struck by the warmth of sound, great responsiveness, and the quiet chorales in Brahms’ Second Symphony felt effortless. In addition the craftsmanship was superb and visually the instruments were very beautiful. The alto was sensational! Next we went to the Thein company, run by brothers Heinrich and Max. A much bigger operation, with eighteen employees, they a make a great variety of instruments, from exact copies of old trombones, to modern universal instruments. Max immediately displayed his expertise as he guided us through the permutations, explaining how tiny adjustments can make subtle differences. For example, the addition or removal of the decorative snakes can make a difference, and using their own mouthpieces proved to be crucial. Darren immediately loved the bass trombones – “twice the sound for half the effort”. Imagine a 6’4” Duracell bunny, playing the bass trombone. Phil struggled to find a Thein that suited him, but right at the end of the visit, Max hit on a combination that I liked very much; a bell section designed for the New York Philharmonic section, with a ‘soloist’ slide. It has a series of nodules on each leg of the outer slide that Max insisted were critical to the sound. It may all be smoke and mirrors
but playing the solos from Mahler Third Symphony, it felt tremendous. We finished at the Herbert Lätzsch workshop where we were met by Dutch trombonist Ben Cruiming, and where the low brass of the Netherlands Symphony Orchestra were also present choosing a set of classical trombones. Now run by Lätzsch’s nephew, Hermann Neinaber, we were simply left in a room with lots of instruments and invited to help ourselves. Once again, Darren loved the basses, and this time Phil immediately found “possibly the best trombone I’ve ever played”, so he said. The instrument I liked was surprisingly small; making an implausibly warm, mellow sound, and the blend and dynamic range of the three together was stunning. A heroic passage from Bruckner Eighth resulted in spontaneous giggling! Afterwards, Hermann and his wife very kindly took us all out for dinner. Seven hours of trombone playing, and the beer never tasted so good! It strikes me that since the introduction of large bore instruments to the UK, we have been influenced primarily by the USA. Turn our gaze east, and there is a whole tradition of instruments and styles of playing that we have largely ignored. Time for a change?
Seven hours of trombone playing, beer never tasted so good!