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Gavin Higgins: The Book of Miracles for trombone & orchestra [Printed Music]
£80.00
In stock
Catalogue Number
NMP1314
For Trombone and Orchestra
119-page A4 wire-bound Score
Duration: c.25 mins
ISMN No: 979-0-708219-64-4
The Book of Miracles is a recently discovered 16th Century German manuscript made up of 167 surviving sheets, depicting in vivid detail miraculous signs, natural catastrophes and Christian myths. Bookended with depictions of biblical events – including stories from the Old Testament and the Book of Revelation – and overflowing with striking images of comets, fantastical beasts, miracles, celestial apparitions and other astronomical events, the manuscript is both an exceptional and unique work of renaissance art but also a comprehensive record of natural and supernatural phenomenon from antiquity to middle of the 16th Century. This collection of visually arresting illustrations is steeped in European folklore – inextricable events are playfully depicted with chimerical and wondrous detail. These images are at once strikingly modern – existing somewhere outside of time – and yet inhabit a world of myth and superstition that are inevitably linked to Christian mythology. From these images I have drawn inspiration for the four movements of this concerto. The piece won an Ivor Novello Award in 2019.
FULL SCORE AND PARTS ALSO AVAILABLE FOR HIRE [NMP1313]
FOR DETAILS PLEASE CONTACT
NIMBUS MUSIC PUBLISHING
A PDF Version of this score is available upon request.
Manufacturer: Wyastone Estate Limited, Wyastone Leys, Monmouth, NP25 3SR
Email: sales@wyastone.co.uk
Reviews:
"English composer Gavin Higgins’ lyrically impressive trombone concerto The Book of Miracles was written for the BBC Symphony Orchestra’s principal trombonist, Helen Vollam, and premiered in 2019. With a narrative of four musically rich, vividly imaginative movements, it was inspired by a 16th-century manuscript depicting celestial imagery, phenomena and fantastical creatures.
A trombone concerto is a rare beast, and attracting Vollam to Brisbane was a triumph. With a fine instrument that offered a deep, burnished tone, her playing was exemplary, riveting to hear and watch. Her use of glissandi for phrasing and varied dynamics was rock solid, while lip trills were perfectly delivered. A virtuosic cadenza in the Eclipse movement was breathtaking.
With large orchestral resources, including triple wind, the score uses an abundance of brass and metallic percussion, with many polyphonic sections. Minasi offered visionary support throughout, encouraging the orchestra in the vocalised interactions between the trombone section and soloist. Their back-and-forth conversations were fascinating and delightfully playful." Suzannah Conway, Limelight (April, 2026)