Review

Igor Stravinsky
Danse Infernale: from the Firebird

Arranged by Steven Eckert

piccolo trumpet, 3 b-flat trumpets, 4 horns in F, 3 tenor trombones (2 in tenor clef), 1 bass trombone, 2 euphoniums, 2 tubas, timpani, slapstick, triangle, tambourine, cymbals, bass drum, tam-tam, glockenspiel, xylophone, marimba

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2024
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts

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

Igor Stravinsky’s ballet The Firebird (L'Oiseau de feu), was premiered in 1910 at Théâtre de l'Opéra in Paris by Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. Scored for a large symphony orchestra, the work has gone on to become a standard in both the symphonic and ballet repertoire. Arranger Steven Eckert has set the Danse Infernal for a large brass ensemble. The specific instrumentation for brass ensemble expands the typical orchestral brass instrumentation and includes the following: Piccolo Trumpet in B-flat, 3 Trumpets in B-flat, 4 Horns in F, 3 Tenor Trombones, Bass Trombone, 2 Euphoniums, 2 Tubas, Timpani, Percussion (Slapstick, Triangle, Tambourine, Cymbals, Bass Drum, and Tam-tam), and Mallet Instruments (Glockenspiel, Xylophone, and Marimba).

The Infernal Dance of All Kashchei's Subjects (typically known simply as the Danse Infernal) is well known for its aggressive offbeat accents and syncopations, rapid chromatic runs, and dramatic, sudden shifts in dynamic texture that depict the demonic dance of the sorcerer Kashchei. In adapting Stravinsky's dense orchestral score for a brass and percussion ensemble, arranger Steven Eckert thoughtfully transferred high-register woodwind flourishes to upper brass and mallet percussion, dividing those parts up in a balanced way so that the brass playing is virtuosic in moments, but not overly taxing. The added low brass voices (the brass ensemble arrangement adds an additional tenor trombone, two euphoniums, and tuba) allow the arranger to add some significant and fun challenges to the scoring for all low brass. Though the instrumentation is more in line with an orchestral brass ensemble, the virtuosic demands are reminiscent of the style of writing in the British Brass Band tradition. The Trombone 1 part adds additional glissandi (transferred from the bassoon) and interestingly sets them at different pitch levels. These famous moments of glissandi are also set “con sordino” and will require quickly getting in the mute and executing a glissando with a little subtle trickery, as the first set of glissandi are written from e1 up to a1 and down to e-flat1, which is not playable within one partial. The Trombone 3 parts hews more closely to the original orchestral bass trombone part, and in this arrangement the bass trombone is scored substantially lower with a significant amount of pedal tones, extending down to a Pedal E.

I highly recommend acquiring Steven Eckert’s arrangement of Danse Infernale for an upcoming brass ensemble performance. It serves as an outstanding bridge between core orchestral literature and the large brass ensemble medium, giving the brass and percussion sections a compelling, virtuosic vehicle to demonstrate artistic nuance, dynamic range, and ensemble cohesion.