The Celestial Bear

The Celestial Bear (This piece for Solo Trombone was written for Byron Fulcher, Principal Trombone of the Philharmonia Orchestra. More precisely it was written on March 17, 2013 at Bucharest Airport, between flights, then kneaded into the finished article during the next two weeks. After blasting off with the motif of the piece, it is in three sections, the first fairly frantic and non-stop, the second ethereal. The mood is partly what gave the piece its title. We float in space, then sink into its depths before rising again. (Only during the writing of this section did I realise that the piece would suit Byron’s style of playing, so from then on it was with that very much in mind). The final section is, if anything, even more of a flurry than the first, turning its music upside down in places and building to a final helter-skelter before a last, extended return of the opening motif. Busy, then serene, then dramatic.)