Elias Faingersh show - Trombonemagic

"Talented Swedish musician Elias Faingersh’s electric trombone was truly the festivals leading instrument. One of the first concerts was taking place in the Benyaminov’s House garden and had a huge success. Countertenors Oleg Ryabez (Russia) and Brian Azawa (USA), together with Elias Faingersh amazed the audience with a various and uncommon repertory, performing solo, duets and all together as an improvised band…” - Chas-daily Riga Latvia

"Most exiting part of the program was premier of "Hamlet-Drama for Trombone and Orchestra" by V. Borisova-Ollas and Elias Faingersh directed by Lars Rudolfsson.
Orchestra part was tight and full of feeling. But still perfect for Hamlet played by Elias Faingersh to be in center.
Solo Trombone part made the strongest impression. With the help of live electronics (loopmashines) could Faingersh play and record layer after layer to create polyphonic structure.
In the "Ghost" scene he made a fascinating atmosphere with winding melody, oldstyle church bells sounds of the waves which culminated into powerful explosion.
If the rain didn't interrupted the concert we would get to hear Hamlets solo-trombone recite about live and death.
I'm still trying to imagine how could it been like!
MSO, please give Hamlet another chance, INDOORS! - Sydsvenskan

….It was creative and enjoyable; I wished more than ones that our brass
teachers and students were here... Thank you Elias! You made our minds to lift
up and showed that there is still a lot what can be done! - Kultusmockan

Yes, if trombonist's name is Elias Faingersh, the concert is going to be a very special
journey indeed....

.... His musicality is superb; his technical ability is enormous; even verbally this artist is something extraordinary.

The music Elias Faingersh performed is entirely his own. He started the concert with an acoustical piece and very soon introduced whole scale of expressions, from softest natural romantic pianissimos to powerful explosions.

He is full of rhythm and when he played "Steitl Bone" it was like listening to a fiddler playing wedding dance: you want to dance and you can't help it!” - Gunilla Boström

If you think that you've seen and heard everything but hadn't been at Grönborgs Saturday night you are wrong.
Have you missed Elias Faingersh you've missed a world-class artist.
He is alone on stage with he's trombone and loop machine. That's it.
He needs nothing else to carry through his musical pieces that amaze us, make us tremble with pleasure and sometimes laugh out loud….

…We have witnessed an unique artist and he received well deserved standing ovations (even from away taked musicians from other bands) he gets called in again and again. - Dagbladet, Sundsvall

….It was creative and enjoyable; I wished more than ones that our brass
teachers and students were here... Thank you Elias! You made our minds to lift
up and showed that there is still a lot what can be done! - Kultur Smockan

(Among the guests of the show : HM Queen of Denmark, Crown Princess of Sweden, Premier minister of Denmark, Harry Belafonte, Roger More)

….a trombone solo on stage slowly uncovers H.C. Andersen’s musical universe for us. … according to absolute majority of the public it was the highest point of the show! What a genius sparkle of the H.C. Andersen’s most intimate nerve! - Berlingske Tiderne

“Solo piece on H.C. Andersen’s favourite novel “Ugly Duckling” performed by Russian born Elias Faingersh. With touching lonely cry addressed to the sky, public, orchestra. Plying on different parts of trombone he receives orchestra’s cruel response.
Than trombone became whole and got plugged in to a set of loop machine and effect processor.
Powerful sounds filled up the hall, Majestic bird lifting to the sky; we can hear wind in the tree crowns, two seconds of silence and than explosions of Applause.” - ”Gaseta” Russia

Swedish trombonist, composer, and performing artist Elias Faingersh has produced a recording of his own compositions for solo trombone pulling from his life experiences and electric machinery that expands the ears and challenges the mind. This is especially impressive since all of the selections on this CD were recorded live in a studio without any overdubs.

Hailing from Malmoe, Sweden, Elias studied undergraduate trombone at the Malmoe College of Music with Anders Hansson and Jane Martensson. He then pursued his graduate degree at the Manhattan School of Music School while studying with Per Brevig. Currently Mr. Faingersh’s time is split between performing solo concerts and writing music for theater shows.

The opening selection on this CD, Steitl Bone, is for unaccompanied trombone and was written in honor of his grandparents wedding. The 60-year-old story behind this piece goes like this: At the time of their wedding they were very poor and couldn't afford to hire a band, but had just enough money for one trumpet player who played for some 16 hours during the celebration! Elias doesn’t perform for that duration but does present a fun, danceable piece based on traditional Jewish folk music that uses an amazing multitude of circular breathing, flutter tonguing, singing, multiphonics and yelling. With all of the different sounds and effects produced in this piece the listener can simply sit back and imagine the wedding through this amazing performance.

The next four selections on this recording use electronic equipment. Wanting to know how this music is possible without any overdubbing, I contacted Elias for an explanation. On the record he uses a Lexicon MPX 100 effect processor and Lexicon "Jamman" loop machine. A signal from the trombone microphone goes into the effect processor, which can produce echoes, delays, and other changes. It then goes into a loop machine, which makes a loop from any incoming sounds (trombone or singing). He operates the equipment from the floor using MIDI foot controllers. It must be a sight to see because the pulsing rhythms and constantly changing timbres are amazing.

Elias Faingersh is obviously a talented and creative trombonist who has explored his own musical personality to produce these compositions. This CD is not the typical recording of mainstream trombone music. It is quite unique and may not be appreciated by all listeners, however this reviewer enjoyed it more with each listening. Perhaps the full effect of Mr. Faingersh’s performance would be best realized at one of his live concerts. Based on this recording, if he is playing in your area, don’t miss it. - Online Trombone Journal