Review

Edward Elgar
Nimrod from Enigma Variations Op.36: for brass ensemble

Arranged by Jim Tempest

4 trumpets, 2 horns, 3 trombones, euphonium, and tuba

Vancouver, BC, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2013
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

score and parts

Primary Genre: Brass Ensemble - 6+ brass (choir)

This arrangement is a wonderful opportunity for brass players to perform the entirety of Elgar’s famous Nimrod variation. The arranger writes the following in the program notes: “Nimrod, the ninth variation from Elgar's masterpiece Op.36, ‘Enigma Variations’ (1898-1899), is possibly the most recognized work in the classical repertoire. Jim Tempest's arrangement for moderately advanced performers is scored for an 11-part brass ensemble of: 4 trumpets, 2 horns, 3 trombones, euphonium, and tuba. Included are substitute horn parts for trumpet 3 and euphonium; this part may also be performed on trombone.
 
The flexibility of parts maximizes accessibility and allows for various combinations of instruments to perform the work. Most members of the ensemble will enjoy playing the melody at some point in the arrangement as it is seamlessly handed off between voices. Included is a piccolo trumpet part that covers the violin and flute melodies from the original score, extending to c3. While the length of the arrangement is exactly the same as Elgar’s original, Tempest does not include the composer’s intricate dynamic shaping. Therefore, much of the dynamic interpretation is left to the performers.
 
Most college students will find this arrangement accessible. The challenge will be to sustain the soft lyrical lines as effectively as the stringed instruments do in the original. Tempest’s arrangement will work beautifully as an expressive selection on a college-level brass ensemble concert program.

-Sarah Paradis
Boise State University