Review

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
The Nutcracker Suite:

Arranged by Ross Holcombe

2 trumpets, F horn, trombone, tuba

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2010 / 2020
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts.

Primary Genre: Brass Ensemble - 5 brass

Ross Holcombe's The Nutcracker Suite is a brass quintet arrangement of four well-known movements: March, Trepak, Arabian Dance, and Waltz of the Flowers from Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet. Cup and straight mutes are required in both trumpet parts; parts in C and B-flat are included. Horn, trombone and tuba parts all require mutes as well. Although the trumpet parts do not include passages that extend into the extreme high range (a² is the highest note in the first part), they do require strength, endurance, multiple tonguing and finesse as the parts interweave and share most of the technical demands of the transcription.

Musical opportunities are strong in all the parts including wide-ranging dynamic and articulation contrasts, complex rhythms, quick mute changes and few rests. There is room for everyone to show off. Most notably, the tuba part includes an extended cadenza in the Waltz of the Flowers in place of the original harp solo. This arrangement is suitable for performance by a professional level ensemble, perhaps as a seasonal encore.