Review

Anton Bruckner
Symphony No.9 Coda from Movement I:

Arranged by Randall Malmstrom

8-part Trombone Ensemble: 1 alto, 5 tenor, 2 bass trombones

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

Score and parts.

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 8 trombones

Randall Malmstrom has made an exciting arrangement of the coda of the first movement of Bruckner's Ninth Symphony, the composer's last symphony, left incomplete at his death. The arrangement calls for 8 trombones [ATTT TTBB] and is about 82 measures long. This music is a good choice for transcription, as it projects a long and continuous increase in intensity, a musical environment well suited for trombone choir.

The arrangement begins pp and mysterious and builds from that level over 21 bars to ff with the first appearance of the entire group. The volume decreases and the music changes in style to a brief chorale, half note = 40. The intensity of the music grows; quarter note triplets alternate with upbeats in paired sixteenth notes, culminating again in a fff pattern covering the octave. This pattern simplifies into double-dotted quarters followed by sixteenths, literally pounding on the closing D minor chord and ending in ff octaves on D.

I have a few questions concerning this arrangement. Comparing it with Bruckner’s orchestral score, I find brief passages with what appear to be typographical errors in the first [alto] part. It appears to relate to the first flute part in the score, with a downward sequence of e-flat-g-flat-f. In Mr. Malmstrom’s arrangement, the top trombone plays g natural-g flat-f. Similar sequences take place early in the coda – I suspect the initial note in the first part should be moved from g to e- flat, which would be easier to play.

Apart from that small concern, this is a fine and worthy addition both to the trombone choir repertoire and to the small but growing library of Bruckner transcriptions. A fine job, Mr. Malmstrom!

 

Philip Brink, Instructor of Trombone [retired]

Mahidol University College of Music

Thailand Philharmonic Orchestra, Low Brass Principal [retired]