Review

Johann Sebastian Bach
Passacaglia and Fugue: BWV582:

Arranged by Ralph Sauer


Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2006
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Score and parts

Primary Genre: Trombone Ensembles - 8 trombones

The C minor Passacaglia, written in the style of Buxtehude, date of composition unknown, was originally composed for cembalo with pedals, and later arranged for the organ. Therefore it does not depend on a rich variety of registrations to express its elaborate harmonic and contrapuntal textures, and perhaps out of all Bach’s large-scale organ works, is best suited to an arrangement of this sort.

This is a virtuoso transcription, written for the Eastman Trombone Choir; all parts are quite demanding. Tessitura for 1st part is high, topping out at d-flat2; 8th part goes down to CC. Tempo of quarter=63 is a little broader than would be usual on the organ, but any faster and it would surely become unplayable. The work comprises 20 variations followed by a double fugue; the first subject is derived from the passacaglia. Much of the passagework is comprised of 16th notes, requiring a high level of precision in execution.  Ornamentation is kept to a minimum, mostly essential trills. Parts are produced with clarity and well-placed page turns. Ralph Sauer has done an exemplary job of teasing out Bach’s counterpoint and gathering this masterpiece into the trombone fold. It requires work to prepare, but once mastered should be wonderfully satisfying. Organists customarily insert a short extemporized cadenza where indicated by Bach’s placement of a fermata over the Neapolitan chord at the end of the fugue. The first trombonist might consider doing the same, if there is anything at all left after 286 measures of extremely taxing playing.

-Keith Davies Jones
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada