Review

Giacomo Puccini
Three Famous Puccini Arias:

Arranged by Arthur Frackenpohl


Delevan, NY, United States
Publisher: Kendor Music
Date of Publication: 2012
URL: http://www.kendormusic.com

Primary Genre: Brass Ensemble - 2 brass

For years, trombonists have performed famous lieder from the vocal repertoire, particularly those by Brahms, Schubert, and Mahler. Now, Arthur Frackenpohl has arranged three of Giacomo Puccini’s most famous opera arias for trombone and piano as well. A work for intermediate players, the arias are in friendly keys, in bass clef throughout, and they stay predominantly in the middle register with a range of just over an octave and a half, B-flat to g1. For those reasons, they could just as easily be performed on bass trombone or euphonium.

The first aria in the set is Quando Me’n Vo’ (a.k.a. Musetta’s Waltz) from “La Bohème.”
Arranged in B-flat Major, there are multiple rallentandi and grace notes for the performer to interpret. The slow 6/8 meter O Mio Babbino Caro from “Gianni Schicchi,” is set in the key of F Major. This is truly one of Puccini’s most lovely melodies and should be played as cantabile as possible. Nessun Dorma from “Turandot,” perhaps the most well-known of the three arias, appears here in the key of E-flat Major. This particular aria contains fermatas that require interpretation as it builds to the final, emotional finish.

These arias are a good way to introduce this beautiful music to younger brass players who may not be familiar with it. All three allow students to play expressively while focusing on tone and phrasing. It is highly recommended that students listen to recordings of these arias by great singers from different eras. It is also suggested that students find translations of the lyrics and use that information when interpreting these works.

-Eric High
St. Norbert College