Review

Gustav Mahler
Chorale from “Symphony No.2”:

Arranged by Randall Malmstrom


Vancouver, BC, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2014
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 8 trombones

Randall Malmstrom transcribed the famous brass chorale excerpt from the fifth movement of Gustav Mahler’s second symphony for trombone octet. Scored for six tenor and two bass trombones arranged in two quartets, this version preserves much of the texture and orchestral space of the original. The highest tenor trombone parts ascend to d2 with optional passages up to f2, while the lowest bass trombone part descends to FF with an optional DD-flat on the final chord.
 
There is one seriously abrupt modulation in the middle of this arrangement that does not follow the original version. Instead of resolving the cadence from a dominant G major triad to a tonic C major triad, it resolves the dominant G major triad to a D-flat major triad. In the opinion of this reviewer, this resolution back to D-flat major is a bit awkward and unnecessary.
 
Aside from that modulation, this is a wonderfully written arrangement of a great work from the orchestral repertoire. The engraving is well spaced and edited. Other than a few instances of extreme register, the parts are not particularly difficult and should be manageable by most college level trombone choirs. Randall Malmstrom’s transcription of the Mahler second symphony Chorale could provide the perfect opportunity to expose young trombonists to a transcendent work of orchestral music while refining a great variety of fundamental ensemble skills.

-Greg Strohman
Dickinson College