New York Philharmonic Gives US Premiere of
Chick Corea’s Trombone Concerto
From top: Chick Corea (photo: Toshi Sakurai), Joseph Alessi (photo: Chris Lee)
The New York Philharmonic gives the US Premiere of Chick Corea’s Trombone Concerto, featuring Principal Trombone Joseph Alessi as soloist, on the May 25–27 subscription concerts at the Wu Tsai Theater, David Geffen Hall. The concerto — an NY Phil Co-Commission with the Gulbenkian Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, and the Orquestra sinfônica do estado de São Paulo — was the final composition by the late American jazz master Corea, who died in 2021. It was written especially for Alessi, who had approached the composer about writing the work after hearing a 2017 performance of Corea’s Brasilia at Birdland. Alessi performed in the world premiere in August 2021 with the Orquestra sinfônica do estado de São Paulo, conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero.
Consisting of four movements, the Trombone Concerto is inspired by Corea’s life in New York City, as well as his reflections on the COVID-19 pandemic. Before the work’s world premiere, Alessi said: “I dedicate these performances to the life and memory of Chick Corea, a musician of true genius and one of the kindest and most sincere people I have ever met.”
Renowned conductor Marin Alsop leads the Orchestra in these performances, which also feature Barber’s Symphony in One Movement and Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet Suite.
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