Review

Gabriel Pierné
Three Pieces:

Arranged by Ralph Sauer


Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2010
URL: http://www.cherryclassics.com

Primary Genre: Solo Tenor Trombone - with piano

When a trombonist wishes to perform transcriptions of solos written for other instruments, the task of finding repertoire can be potentially daunting due to technically demanding melodic lines that may not transfer well to trombone. With this set of Three Pieces by Gabriel Pierné, Ralph Sauer offers up three transcriptions that play quite easily on our instrument. The set includes, “Serenade, Op.7.,” “Piece in F minor” (originally “Piece in G minor” for solo oboe) and “March of the Tin Soldiers” (from his piano collection, Album for My Little Friends).

Although these pieces were not originally written as a set, their dates of composition are quite close, ranging from 1881-1887, early in the composer’s career. Each piece is simple in melodic and harmonic content and is light and lively in character, giving the trombonist an opportunity to demonstrate the delicate side of the instrument. Sauer does an excellent job preserving the nuances of each piece in his transcribing practices. One minor criticism would be the editing of the slurs in the “March.” Sauer replaced a few series of two-note slurs with larger, over-arching slurs, but the resulting smooth line takes away from the march-like feel intended by the composer.

The set mostly incorporates tenor clef with a collective range of F-c2. The “March of the Tin Soldiers” stands out as being the most difficult due to range and technique. A highly accomplished high school student could play the entire set, but it is most suitable to an undergraduate college student who could perform the set in its entirety or select one or two pieces to perform between larger works on a recital. This set of pieces serves as an accessible and appropriate introduction to solo transcriptions. 

-Cory Mixdorf
Georgia State University