Review

Antonín Dvořák
Song to the Moon from Rusalka:

Arranged by Cory Mixdorf


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

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 4 trombones

Song to the Moon is an arrangement of an aria from Antonín Dvořák’s opera Rusalka arranged by Cory Mixdorf for four trombones. The selection was originally composed as a profession of love by the sprite Rusalka, the opera’s leading soprano role. In the aria, Rusalka asks the moon to relay her feelings to the human prince. Dr. Mixdorf transposed the piece from its original G-flat major up a semitone and collapsed the orchestral lines into three or fewer voices with strong sensitivity given to the counterpoint and voicing.
 
The solo line of the aria is divided into sections and parsed out among the upper three voices. The orchestral parts are then placed throughout the bass trombone and two remaining tenors. The flowing nature of the triple meter in the orchestral part is generally retained in the accompanying tenor parts. Periodically, the bass trombone does not participate in these patterns and has more rests than other parts. Rhythm is fairly straightforward for skilled players, who are more accustomed to seeing thirty-second and sixty-fourth notes with small amounts of syncopation.
 
Musicians will find the greatest challenge with balance, articulation, texture, and the required flexibility. Because the solo line is divided among the three tenor trombones and the orchestration is collapsed into the narrower range of a trombone quartet, care will need to be given; the solo is not marked in the score, and there are moments where it could too easily be subsumed into the ensemble. Additionally, Dr. Mixdorf has retained the beautiful harp and string passages in his arrangement. Thus, sensitivity is needed to retain the amorous feel and placid lakeside setting of the scene. Careful articulation and keeping the dynamics understated go a long way to this end. Ultimately, this arrangement provides a showcase of advanced musicality for skilled musicians. Dvořák’s aria is a beautiful Romantic-era choice for any quartet’s repertoire.

-Andrew Farina
Detroit, MI