Christian Lindberg
Christian Lindberg was voted one of the top five brass players of the 20th century. To date, the only person to have a successful career as a full-time international trombone soloist, Lindberg has premiered over 200 works, including over 70 new concerti.Growing up in Stockholm, it was here that he learnt to play the baritone horn before taking up the trombone at the age of 16. By the age of 18 he had a professional position in a local orchestra and at 19 he decided to become a full-time soloist.
He initially worked with pianist and college friend Roland Pontinen and local composer Jan Sandstrom and early fame came with the notorius "Motorbike Concerto" which involves all the sounds of a motorbike from revving, gear changes, skidding and a complete story told through the trombone.
Very early in his solo career he was heard by Robert von Barr who owns the Swedish record label "BIS". Initially commissioning him for an impressive three album deal to cover the most challenging music in the repertoire, Lindberg has gone on to produce over 60 solo CDs.
His technique is second to none. For example, his performance of the solo violin part of Winter from Vivaldi's Four Seasons requires amazing speed, accuracy, stamina, flexibility and range. By contrast, he brings huge sensitivity to items such as Julietta's Farewell from his arrangement of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet.
He is best known for his performance of avant-garde and other theatrical works, achieving a marvellous audience rapport. Famous theatrical repertoire includes Berio's Sequenza V, Sandstrom's Motorbike Concerto, Hogberg's Kit Bones and his own solo composition So be do be.
Tone-wise he has developed in the European tradition of a rather narrow sound, often with a fast vibrato. This is the most striking difference between Lindberg's playing and the American and British virtuosi.
Since approximately 1999 he has started to branch out into both some conducting and composing with reasonably warm reviews.
