This trombone fail will make you laugh and then immediately feel awful for laughing

7 October 2020, 11:10

What happens when your trombone just totally gives up on you during one of the most famous trombone lines in history?

Ravel's Bolero is a belter. A great piece but also one full of virtuoso challenges for all involved, as the music slowly unfolds with moments of exposed solos throughout the orchestra. 

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In the middle of the symphonic masterpiece, the orchestra parts to give space for a partially fiendish trombone solo. And this is the starting point for this, particularly excruciating tale. Just listen to what happened above.

We can’t even begin to contemplate what was going through this poor trombonist’s head while this was going on. All we can do is laugh, then gently sigh, then reflect on the true toe-curling horror.

Music is all about giving it a go. As this vignette shows, it doesn't always come off as we wish, but hey, that's how live performance works. And you know what? We've all probably been there too, in our own experiences. So we smile, but also say bravo!