Niels Marthinsen

In The Shadow Of The Bat

In The Shadow Of The Bat - Concerto for Three Trombones and Orchestra by Niels Marthinsen (2009).

Programme note:

In the Shadow of the Bat is a triple concertofor three trombones and orchestra, inspired by Batman and his enemies The Joker, Two-Face, and The Penguin.

A central idea of modern versions of the Batman myth is that the batman is created by the fantastic villains thathe fights, and they are created by him - and that Batman is driven by revenge and hate, barely held in check by an intense sense of justice. Batman represents 'the dark side' while the villains are hyper-imaginative, colourful, creative caracters who happen to be completely insane.

The rivalry between soloists and orchestra is anything but friendly: The three soloists represent one villain each, the orchestra 'is' the batman - and whilethe villains take centre stage during most of the concerto, they are eventually overwhelmed by the sheer power of the orchestra and sent where they belong: The lunatic's asylum.

The concerto begins with the creation of thebatman: An eight year old boy persuades his parents to leave an opera performance before it is over; outside in an alley they are shot and killed by a criminal while the boy watches. And he decides that all criminals must bepunished!

Then follows the Villaineuos Fugue: a multi-part fugue-like exposition of villain motives and stylistic environments. It is the exposition of the joker (alto trombone), two-face (tenor trombone), and the penguin (bass trombone). And after a brief and very slow interlude where the three criminals form an alliance and make their plans, the Toccata of Crime begins: Bright, fast moving, highly energetic, expansive, and colourful music, stilldominated by the soloists. But later the orchestra moves to centre stage with slow, omnious, swooping bat-music that climaxes as the soloists are defeated by the orchestra.

In the Shadow of the Bat is commissioned