Review

Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky
Festival Coronation March:

Arranged by Steven Gamble

Brass choir: 11-part brass ensemble: E-flat trumpet, 2 B-flat trumpets, 4 F horns, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (triangle, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals)

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)

This was originally an orchestral work commissioned by the city of Moscow for the coronation of Tsar Alexander III in 1883. As in its immediate predecessor, 1812 Overture written the previous year, the score references the anthem God Save the Tsar. This appears in the trombone parts at mm81-87.

This arrangement is in E-flat. It is scored for 3 trumpets in B-flat, 4 F horns, 3 trombones (bass trombone not specified), tuba, timpani (E-flat, B-flat and C), and triangle, snare drum, cymbals and bass drum (3 players). Bass and tenor clefs are used in the first trombone part, which covers B-flat-c². Bass clef is used throughout the second part. It is not Tchaikovsky at his best, but this will certainly be an enjoyable piece to play. It is appropriate for advanced players. Steven Gamble was a founding member of the Chicago Chamber Brass and retired in 2021 as a trombonist with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra.