Back with a new CD after the success of Holst/Grainger/Schmidt in 1999, The Staff Band of the Norwegian Armed Forces present a disc with solo concertos by Norwegian composer Trygve Madsen.
Modern melodic music
The solo concertos of Madsen allow the Staff Band to bring some of their own finest soloists in front of the band for this recording. The title Sketches of Norway is of course a reference to Miles’ legendary Sketches of Spain, and rightly labels Trygve Madsen as a composer with a wide and generous set of references. His music is melodically modern, with roots in jazz and recent French and Russian contemporary music.
Great band, great soloists
The Staff Band of the Norwegian Armed Forces presents a line-up of fantastic soloists, prize-winners in national and international competitions. Playing with their colleagues under the baton of the young conductor Bjørn Sagstad, the soloists makes performances of great value to the symphonic band fan and the more overall music lover alike.
– Trygve Madsen is not only a good composer, but he is a ‘natural’ born Brass-composer. [Ifor James / Professor of Music – Freiburg in Br]
– Trygve Madsen’s beautiful melodic structures and brilliant instrumental techniques are characteristic for his compositions. His various pieces for brass-instruments have already become standard repertoire and especially his Tuba-sonata is so popular, that it is played by most tubaists all over the world. [Michael Lind / Tubaist in Stocholm’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra]