Review

Elizabeth Raum
Quartet for Brass:
2 b-flat trumpets, trombone, bass trombone

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2020
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

score and parts

Primary Genre: Brass Ensemble - 4 brass

The repertoire for mixed-brass chamber music is wide, varied, and ever-evolving. However, it seems like some configurations, like the brass quintet, receive more attention than others. Therefore, it’s nice to see this well-written, substantial piece for brass quartet composed by award-winning Canadian composer Elizabeth Raum. Raum enjoyed a long career as a professional oboist and is still active as a composer, with an impressive output across many genres. Her growing catalogue of works for brass are welcome additions to their respective repertoires, and her 1980 Quartet for Brass (first published in 2020) is no exception. Scored for two trumpets in B-flat, trombone, and bass trombone, this four-movement work deserves serious consideration when programming any concert for brass quartet.

The four movements—Prelude, Scherzo and Blues, Passacaglia and Fugue, and Rondo—present a variety of styles and challenges for the performers. Throughout the piece, Raum is generous with interesting parts, making sure all four players see both melodies and engaging accompaniments. Mixed meters occur at times and accidentals appear frequently in the parts; quick mute changes appear in the third movement. Given that and the demands of the individual parts, this piece is probably best performed by college-aged or professional players. The trombone part is mostly in bass clef, with some tenor clef, and extends up to b-flat1 (high B-flat). The bass trombone part is not terribly low, only descending as far as C.

Raum’s quartet would be a wonderful anchor piece for a chamber recital. It is a challenging, worthwhile piece by a noted composer that will be accessible to audiences as well. It is nice to see it get the typical Cherry Classics treatment, with easy-to-read parts and scores. My hope is that this new publication of Raum’s Quartet for Brass allows more audiences to enjoy this fine piece.