Gordon Cherry has been running Cherry Classics for over 20 years. He is a leading professional Trombonist in North America, having performed as Principal Trombonist of the Vancouver Symphony, and the CBC Radio Orchestra. As well, Gordon has taught hundreds of Brass students for over 30 years at the University of British Columbia and many international leading music festivals.Details
Below are the program notes for Illusion for Alto Sax, Bass Trombone & Piano by Elizabeth Raum.
Illusion, is a general commentary to the fact that life is mysterious and generally, uncertain, constantly shifting. We try to influence what happens but usually, outside forces determine the direction of our lives. Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between illusion and reality, and, in fact, often people much prefer illusion to reality.
Mv. 1 - Illusion starts out with an obscure time signature and is constantly shifting tonalities so for a while, you aren’t quite sure where you are. Life is full of such deceptions.
Mv. 2 - Fill the Wine Cup is a series of drinking songs with a lot of gayety and rollicking humour as the party gets more raucous, but eventually things get a little blurry and bombastic and the party winds down. The trombone, due to its ability to imitate drunken reeling with glissandos, is often cast in this role.
M. 3 - Destiny seems to march on and on, with mankind hoping to control their future, but the implication is that fate is more powerful than one can control.
M. 4 - The ultimate illusion: a Political Debate. The trombone starts out as the first candidate, and the alto sax is the other. The music is circus-like as befits many heated debates.
Illusion was commissioned by Lucas Kaspar and JD Little. There are editions for Trumpet and Bass Trombone and Trumpet and Tuba, all accompanied by Piano.
The work of about 10 minutes in length is appropriate for advanced performers and may also be performed on a Trombone with an f-attachment.
