Review


Hector Berlioz
March to the Scaffold: from Symphonie Phantastique

Arranged by Randall Malmstrom

6 tenors 2 bass trombones

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2018
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 8 trombones

In this imaginative and well-written arrangement for advanced players everyone has an interesting and challenging part. Given in the original key of g minor, it is scored for six tenor and two bass trombones. The four upper parts are in tenor clef. No mutes are required. Trombones 3 and 7 have most of the heavy lifting, the relentless triplet eighths in the first 16 measures. 3rd also have awkward grace notes and a tricky page turn. Trombone 1 goes up to e-flat² and 2nd to c². 5th part covers the greatest range, BB-flat-b-flat¹. 6th part is probably the least difficult, CC-e¹. Bass trombones 4 and 8 cover GG-g¹, ending fortissimo on the low G at the bottom of the final chilling G major chord. The arranger has given the title in a form of spelling used in some Eastern European countries and in Germany, but is not the authentic French that is usually seen.

Reviewer: Keith Davies Jones
Review Published June 19, 2023