Shostakovich Piano Concerto 1 with Trumpet

My Experimental Transcription arrangement of Dmitri Shostakovich's Concerto for Piano Trumpet and Strings (Piano Concerto 1) Opus 35 for Trumpet and 2 Pianos. Edited video of 2nd Rehersal of the piece in this configuration. Pianists Stefan Cassomenos and Robert Chamberlain with myself on Trumpet. Arrangement inspired by the Timofei Dokshizer arrangement of same.

The work converts The Shostakovich work, which is originally a Piano Concerto with accompanament by Trumpet and Strings, to something of a Double concerto with a very much expanded trumpet part, and the string orchestra parts placed into a second piano part.

The footage you see comes from three seperate shots:
Monday 12th March (First Rehearsal)
Monday 19th March (Second Rehearsal)
Wednesday 21st March (some "Pick up" shots of me playing the Trumpet part in my room at Mannix College)

The audio is from the work during the 2nd rehearsal on the 19th of March.


It could very easily be argued that the Opus35 Piano Concerto is the obvious choice to base a trumpet concerto transcription off. Not only is it an intriguing piece with an unique -- if brief - solo trumpet line alongside the piano part, but Shostakovich himself, when discussing the work with Yevgeny Makarov, a student, mentioned that when he started working on this piece he envisioned it as a trumpet concerto. As he progressed, he began imagining a piano part, which eventually ended up emerging in his score as the solo instrument. The trumpet was still there; but whereas the piece was originally going to spotlight the trumpet, with a supporting part from the piano and the string orchestra, the roles became reversed. (Moshevich 2004: 75, quoting Makarov, Y: 1993) (ITG Journal December 1992: 20) Yet the trumpet part, written for single solo Trumpet, still holds somewhat of a soloistic position in the original Shostakovich work. Although far to sparse to be considered a true double concerto,

Dokshizer's Transcription itself is a meaty 25 minute work with a String Orchestra, and abridged Piano part which still contains some soloistic moments of it's own, however the amount of material transferred into the trumpet part, and the subsequent removal of those parts from the piano part made it less of a Double concerto, instead, "(Dokshizer's) transcription of the Shostakovich Concerto Op.35, (transferred) many passages from the piano and string parts to the trumpet, making it a true Trumpet Concerto."
However, parts were unfortunately never published for Dokshizer's transcription and, quite apart from that, the only version ever performed required a String Orchestra, alongside the soloists, with a piano reduction for recitals never making it into the repertoire.

One of the ways the historical ways repertoire is extended is by transcription of existing repertoire of other instruments, and many famous examples of this practice exist in recordings, and in printed music. Sharing famous and difficult music between instruments was already an established tradition with examples From the likes of Rachmaninov's fully re-orchestrated version of Paganini's variations onto piano, to the relatively simple playing of whole works for another instrument with minimal changes in register and pitch, such as various transcriptions of "Flight of the Bumble Bee" for various wind instruments including Trumpet to even more simple approaches such as performances of Bach Solo String Suites onto winds. As such, transcribing music for other instruments into new works for different instruments is not a new concept. The usual instruments with transcriptions in their repertoire are the wind instruments, mostly due to the sparser repertoire of these instruments, however there are still examples of transcriptions for Keyboard and String instruments such as the aforementioned Rachmaninov. Generally it is practitioners of the instrument itself being transcribed to which instigate this sharing of repertoire between instruments, although often composers will dabble in re-orchestrations also. It is far to say in some respects that transcribing concertos is in a way akin to re-orchestration, the piece remaining with the composers initial concept, but with a new instrument taking the concerto role. The intent is therefore to share famous and difficult repertoire between instruments, with the majority of change being a mere re-orchestration of the work. In a way a transcription of a concerto could be seen in a similar light to the famous Ravel Orchestrations of Mossurgsky and similar works, thus it is fair to say that the transcription is a legitimate part of the repertoire and intended to share the composers work with new musicians and audiences.

Trent Hopkinson

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Concerto
• Trumpet
• Piano
• Shostakovich
• Op.35
• Arrangement

[lt180ml]

Good job--smart not to use the exact Dokshizer transcription, I've seen a copy of the handwritten original which was totally illegible. He does write an introduction saying, in effect, that he was compelled to transcribe the piano concerto because Shostakovich never wrote him his own despite much pestering.

[musicalaviator]

Personally I found some of the Dokshizer a little too bombastic in sections, especially such moments as trumpet playing the piano cadenza at the end of the movement - and the 'slide to high note' glissandos between the 'cavalry charge' in the coda. I felt the piano concerto wanted more delecate and poised transcribing for my like.

[ElaniTakira]

I'm just curious--what model is the trumpet that you use?

Great playing! Only minor mistakes, but it's a long piece and you did so well!

[musicalaviator]

Bach Strad 37G Bb.

[vinrob100]

very nice. The trumpet player needed some more practice... other wise it was very good. Is your name robert chamberlain? Because that is my name 2!! :). By the way, the trumpet playing gets much much better near the middle and the end. it would be very nice to mmet you. post a comment on my homepage! thx! :)

[liszard123]

Is is just me, or the trumpet flat?

[maestroanth]

prolobe dot come

dude you are jesus over me.

[sheret78]

great

[luzcalda76]

GReat performances

[maestroanth]

Honeslty dude, this, is a Shostakavoich fun piece, they executely w/o orchestra. OMG so such pretentious attitudes.

[maestroanth]

no offense, flatness is due to to recording. I have OMG perfect pitch which has nothing to do with this.

[themouseofevil]

It sounds great!  I think it would be a good idea for you to try the YouTube Symphony thing that just got started by Tan Dun

[themouseofevil]

He is the Trumpet player, not Robert Chamberlain (it says on the details of the video)

[icarrus4u]

Now to be a critic you must give some constructive feedback if you can... I think he sounds good! This is very hard to play.