The Sandman's Domain was inspired by Neil Gaiman's award-winning comic book series The Sandman. His ability to create highly imaginative worlds full of colourful characters was legendary and his narratives unfolded like hallucinatory dreams. When the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra proposed I write a new concerto for their principal trombonist, James Scott, I felt this was the ideal theme to explore. The trombone is a bold instrument capable of capturing a wide range of emotions: from tender lyricism to dramatic heroism. I thought it would be an exciting concept to have the soloist assigned the role of the mystical Sandman and take the audience onto a wondrous journey into his domain.
