for trombone and sinfonietta
Smooth Newt (2023) is an instrumental work for trombone and sinfonietta based on my piece Salamander (2019) for trombone and electronics. A smooth newt is a small amphibian reptile of the salamander family. I have a cabin in the northern part of Jutland with a natural pond where salamanders live. In the springtime salamanders can occasionally be observed lazily sunning themselves in the water near the surface of the pond and then suddenly diving quickly down through the pondweed. I made no attempt to imitate the sounds of salamanders but the piece does start with a murky, dreamy section, where the ensemble follows, blurs and expands the melodies played by the soloist. This section is interrupted by a quick and lively section and finally returns to a palindrome version of the first section. Smooth Newt was commissioned by the Athelas Sinfonietta with support from the Danish Arts Foundation.
