Review

Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei's Suite: for 12-part Brass Ensemble, Timpani & Percussion

Arranged by James Haynor

12-part Brass Ensemble, Timpani & Percussion Brass Choir 4 B-flat trumpets, flugelhorn, 2 F horns, 2 trombones, 2 tubas, timpani, snare dum, bass drum

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2022
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts.

Primary Genre: Brass Ensemble - 6+ brass (choir)

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) was a celebrated Russian composer, pianist, and conductor and was commonly regarded as among the great virtuoso pianists of his time. Sergei's Suite, spanning approximately thirteen minutes and skillfully arranged by James Haynor, includes excerpts from three of the composer’s most well-known compositions, beginning with the exciting Second Movement, Allegro molto, from the Symphony No.2; a setting of the touching and celebrated Vocalise, and concluding with the powerful Prelude in C-sharp minor. 

The Suite is scored for 4 B-flat trumpets, flugelhorn, 2 F horns, 2 trombones, euphonium, 2 tubas, timpani, and percussion. The challenging, but rewarding and playful arrangement features soloistic moments in a variety of parts throughout but is well-paced with reasonable range demands and adequate rest for all players. Trumpet 1 ascends to a² on several occasions, and reaches one b², but is generally written in the treble clef staff. The flugelhorn part presents no significant range issues, yet does include some beautiful lyrical solo writing in the Vocalise. Horn 1 ascends no higher than a written f² and is generally written in the staff; however, the part contains a low passage in the Prelude which descends to a written f-sharp below the treble clef staff. Horn 1 also features lovely extended lyrical playing in the Vocalise. The trombone parts are written quite conservatively in the bass clef staff and present no range challenges, the highest notated pitch being a single d¹. The euphonium part is similarly conservative in range, largely in the bass clef staff, and ascends no higher than f¹. The tuba parts present no challenges in the upper register, but do feature significant and sustained low playing with passages down to BB-flat in tuba 1 and down to a low pedal FF in tuba 2. Percussion scoring is minimal for timpani, snare drum, and bass drum, and the arrangement will likely function well in the absence of percussion; however, the inclusion of these parts adds nice coloristic effects to the arrangement.

This fine work is highly recommended for inclusion in your brass ensemble library. The exciting work, featuring three of Rachmaninoff’s most well-known compositions, will make for a rousing musical journey for the audience and is well worth the time invested in preparing for performance.