Review

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Fantasy Overture from “Romeo and Juliet”: for eight trombones

Arranged by Alexa Kuberra

eight trombones

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

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 8 trombones

The well-known Shakespearean tragedy of Romeo and Juliet has been the subject of numerous composers including Tchaikovsky in 1869. Premiered in Moscow in 1870, Tchaikovsky revised the work several times. The Boston Symphony premiered the final revision in 1890. Tchaikovsky’s 20-minute narrative on the story of Romeo and Juliet is presented nearly in its entirety in this arrangement by Alexa Kuberra.

Written as an octet, the top six parts utilize tenor clef in varying frequency with a range extending to c2. The lower two parts extend to pedal AA. Like many arrangements of orchestral works, performers should listen to the original orchestral version to gain an understanding of style and pacing. Also, the long duration of this arrangement might lend itself to doubling to avoid fatigue in the upper parts. While the introduction of this work is quite idiomatic for trombone, the Allegro section is fast and quite technical, which will undoubtedly require accomplished players. Fantasy Overture captures much of what Tchaikovsky originally intended. Its performance will be well worth the effort for an advanced ensemble.