Sometimes the idea for creating a work can “catch” the composer in the most unexpected situations and places, like splashing in the hot springs of Reykjavik in the middle of winter. It was there, in 1986, that the world-renowned trombonist Chirstian Lindberg and Jan Sandström, one of Sweden’s most prominent composers of contemporary academic music, met. The composer was inspired by Lindberg’s stories about his travels and most unexpected experiences. The wild nature reserve of Florida, the unique and picturesque Australia, the enchanting beauty of French Provence and the Catholic procession in one of its towns, Grimaud. And how to combine all this in one work? “You are a world traveller! A modern Odysseus! The trombone is your mean of travel!” – said composer to Lindberg. The Concerto for trombone and orchestra No. 1 Motorbike Odyssey is an allusion to Homer’s epic The Odyssey. The protagonist of Sandström’s opus is a modern-day Odysseus, wandering the world with his trombone, and Motorbike Odyssey is a long journey through many different places, encountering various obstacles, discoveries and trials. The five movements of the concerto are performed attacca (without interruptions).

The technically demanding solo part is performed by German trombonist Frederic Belli, a member of the Southwest Radio Symphony Orchestra of Baden-Baden and Freiburg, together with the Lithuanian National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vilmantas Kaliūnas.