Review

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
December - Christmas: from The Seasons, Op. 37 for brass quintet

Arranged by Justin Chiang

2 b-flat trumpets, horn in F, trombone, tuba

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

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Brass Ensemble - 5 brass

This is one of a set of pieces for piano that Tchaikovsky wrote in 1875. The arrangement is for a ‘standard’ brass quintet of 2 trumpets in B-flat, horn in F, trombone, and tuba. It’s marked Tempo di Valse, dotted half-note at 60/min. The first section and coda are in A-flat and the middle section in E. The whole piece is informed by a joyful and infectious melodic inspiration.

The 3 upper parts are technically quite demanding, and the lower parts have few measures of rest. Trumpets are in B-flat, 1st tops out at d3 and 2nd at b-flat2; horn goes up to g2. The trombone part is given in bass clef, topping out at a-flat1. This arrangement is considered ‘suitable for advanced performers’.

Justin Chiang is a musician with the Royal Canadian Navy, currently based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and performing on trombone, euphonium and tuba.