Review

Igor Stravinsky
Les cinq doigts:

Arranged by Damiano Drei

Trumpet and trombone

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

Score

Primary Genre: Brass Ensemble - 2 brass

Les cinq doigts, or “the five fingers” was originally written for piano in 1921. These easy melodies were composed for beginning pianists to perform, allowing the five fingers of a performer to fundamentally stay in one position during each movement. Damiano Drei has taken six of the original eight movements and arranged them as a b-flat trumpet and tenor trombone duet.

Despite their simple nature, each movement carries a distinctly Stravinsky style sound, which to me makes the piece more compelling and entertaining. These duets are not serious nor showstoppers by any means, but they can provide a nice balance of simplicity within a recital program. From a technical perspective, managing breath control poses a challenge, as the original piano composition did not account for the performer's need to breathe. Though Mr. Drei has provided breath marks, some phrases may be just out of reach. The trumpet line carries the bulk of the melodic material and is generally more active than the trombone line, which is assigned a more accompanimental role. These are a delight to read and perform, and would make a seamless addition to a joint recital program for students or professionals.

Les cinq doigts was donated for review by Cherry Classics Music and is available at www.CherryClassics.com.  Written-pitch instrument ranges: b-flat trumpet – d1 to e2, trombone – G to a1.