Review

Gustav Mahler
Finale from Symphony No.2 "Resurrection":

Arranged by Jeremy Van Hoy

6 tenor, 2 bass trombones, optional organ

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2019
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 8 trombones

Jeremy Van Hoy is bass trombonist and arranger with the Denver Brass as well as bass trombonist with the Opera Colorado, Boulder Philharmonic, and Colorado Springs Philharmonic orchestras. His arrangement of the Finale from Mahler’s Symphony No.2 is both elegant and well implemented, meriting the attention and performance consideration of trombone ensemble directors.

The arrangement begins at the choral entrance, “Aufersteh’n,” and includes most musical content from the final third of the movement. Technical demands from the ensemble are minimal, though the musical challenges involved oblige a more advanced ensemble to overcome the musical tasks.  The outer parts are the most technically demanding and generally relate to pitch range. A strong embouchure is a necessity for the Trombone 1 part, which requires endurance to navigate a higher tessitura, f1 and higher. Trombone 8, or Bass Trombone 2 part, requires someone comfortable residing in the lower range of the instrument as most of the part is at, or below, the bass clef staff. Brief divisi parts are added in Trombone 6 and 8 parts toward the end.  Though measure numbers are indicated at the beginning of each staff and double barlines mark appropriate sections, judiciously placed rehearsal marks would have been a welcome addition.

The arrangement includes an optional organ part, but the organ should best be considered integral to the arrangement. The organ entrance during the final fifty measures allows for a slight respite for the performers, a welcome reinforcement for the ensemble, and a much-appreciated addition to the timbral palette at a most opportune time. The part is mostly chordal and supports the sustained dynamic required for a glorious ending. A recorded performance from the 2018 International Trombone Festival by the Cramer Choir can be heard on the Cherry Classics website.