Ian Bousfield gave the world premiere of the revised version of Francisco Coll’s trombone concerto Tapias on 17 September 2026, joining the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra and conductor Nuno Coelho at Stavanger Concert Hall.
A new Tapias for Ian Bousfield
Originally conceived in an earlier version, Tapias has now been substantially revisited by Francisco Coll for Ian Bousfield. The revised 15-minute concerto is cast in three movements and was commissioned for Bousfield by Stavanger Symfoniorkester, Orquestra Simfònica de les Illes Balears, the Zagreb Music Biennale, Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz and Sinfónica de Tenerife.
The title means “Walls”. Coll connects the work with graffiti, different kinds of dance music and the visual world of Jean-Michel Basquiat. As a trombonist himself, the composer has sought in the revision to bring the instrument’s lyrical and delicate character to the foreground, particularly in the new finale, conceived as a kind of lament.
World premiere in Stavanger
The premiere took place on 17 September 2026 at Fartein Valen, Stavanger Concert Hall. Nuno Coelho conducted the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra, with Bousfield as soloist. The programme placed Coll between Mozart’s Symphony No. 33 and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5.
The journey continues
Stavanger marked the beginning of the revised concerto’s international journey. Further performances with commissioning partners will bring Tapias to Spain and Germany during the 2026/27 season, continuing the collaboration between Ian Bousfield and Francisco Coll around a work conceived to reveal a particularly broad expressive range of the trombone.
