Mark Eager Conductor

Mark was appointed Principal Trombone in February 1993 working with Principal Conductor Tadaaki Otaka. Mark along with Paul Archibald (Principal Trumpet) began to establish some fine standards and the brass section started getting noticed. The BBCNOW then appointed Mark Wigglesworth as Music Director and again Mark worked closely alongside him to meet his exacting demands. As well as the BBC Proms, important performances in New York, Amsterdam and Tokyo all heralded a new era for the orchestra.

As with all the BBC Orchestras the repertoire covered is astounding, from the classics to avant garde contemporary works with almost everything being recorded. This has given Mark prolific practical experience in all genres of music and in all settings from the Royal Albert Hall to Film Studios.

In 1995 Mark was asked if he would like to record some concerti with the orchestra. The first was the ‘Concerto for Trombone and Ten Winds’ by Jean Francaix a wonderful piece that amply showed Mark’s musical and technical virtuosity. This was a World Premiere recording conducted by Adrian Leaper.

In 1997 Mark was invited to Lithuania to perform Michael Nyman’s Concerto with the Lithuanian State Symphony Orchestra (Guest Conductor: Gregory Rose) to be broadcast live on Television and Radio. This was a real challenge as the piece (written for Christian Lindberg) is certainly one of the hardest in the repertoire and no one other than Lindberg had previously played it. Mark received a standing ovation and many curtain calls for his ‘…brilliant and commanding display’ (Lithuanian News).

In 1998 the BBC asked composer John Pickard, following success at the Proms with ‘The Flight of Icarus,’ to write a concerto for Mark to Premiere at the St. David’s Festival. John produced a beautiful work called ‘The Spindle of Necessity’ exploring the trombone’s tonal qualities which worked superbly in the resonant acoustic of St. David’s Cathedral, conducted by Martyn Brabbins.

1998 saw Mark featured as part of the ‘Altogether NOW’ television series, pairing soloists of the BBCNOW with guest celebrities. In this Mark played a beautiful arrangement of ‘Panis Angelicus’ for Trombone, Strings and the Choristers of Llandaff Cathedral and shared the stage with world renowned flautist James Galway and conductor Grant Llewellyn.

As the BBC approached the digital age they were looking for ideas to fill their new BBC Choice channel. Mark was asked to put together two ten minute solo trombone programmes for TV, something unprecedented thus far in the sphere of the classical trombone.

The first programme was filled by the Paul Hindemith Sonata, the second by three short pieces: Londonderry Air, Blue Moon and Bernstein’s Elegy for Mippy II. Accompanied by Chris Williams typically the second ‘lighter’ programme was particularly enjoyed by viewers who wrote in asking for more.

The incredibly difficult ‘Fratres’ by Arvo Part arranged for Trombone and Strings was the next concerto for the Swansea Festival 2001 where Mark amazed many with his technical wizardry. The BBCNOW was conducted by Petri Sakari.

Mark’s favourite concerto is the Takemitsu Fantasma/Cantos II which really treats the trombone as a musical instrument. “Takemitsu is only interested in tonal colours and to be able to recreate this piece with Tadaaki Otaka conducting was a true highlight”. Two performances of this were given in the superb St. David’s Hall, Cardiff and the Brangwyn Hall, Swansea. Both were recorded and broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

In 2003 Alun Hoddinott having heard Mark perform many times, offered to write him a ‘substantial concerto’ to sit alongside the smaller ‘Ritornelli’, composed for LSO trombonist Denis Wick and the London Sinfonietta in 1974.

In May 2004 Mark Premiered this new ‘Concerto’ in two concerts and broadcasts for BBC Radio 3. The piece is certainly a tour de force, pushing the player to the limits in many technical aspects, whilst still retaining the musical and tonal qualities of the instrument.