Review

Pyotir Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Mélodie: from Souvenir d’un leiu cher, Op.42

Arranged by Cory Mixdorf

Trombone and piano

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2016
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and solo part

Primary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - with piano

Tchaikovsky wrote Mélodie for violin and piano and set it in E-flat major. Dr. Mixdorf has taken it down a fourth to B-flat and adapted the solo part for trombone. The solo part requires considerable agility, with fairly long passages in 16th notes and a few in 16th triplets. Other passages in eighth notes are not so taxing in themselves but are long enough to present breathing challenges.

There are textual errors in the score: the subtitle contains a misspelling; un leiu cher – should be un lieu cher. The trill starting in measure 37 on a1 should be notated with the small natural sign for a trill to b1 natural. This trill, on d3 in the violin original, continues for five measures, dropping an octave for one measure and dropping again. Apart from that gap in the trombone part the adaptation follows the original quite closely.

Mélodie is a lovely piece on any instrument. However, as a solo recital piece for trombone it is quite demanding. I would classify it as suitable for the most advanced performers at a high professional level. Anyone desiring to perform it should be prepared to spend a lot of time learning the fast moving 16th note passages and polishing them to a high level of ease and flow – challenging stuff!