Composer: Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
Duration: 3 minutes
Price: £9
Grade: 7-8
Instrumentation: Brass Trio: Trumpet, Trombone, Tuba

Brahms wrote his 21 Hungarian Dances for 2 pianists, to entertain his friends at parties. This arrangement begins with the 5th Dance, which has become one of the most well-known classical melodies amongst audiences performed in hundreds of different orchestrated versions. I think it works spectacularly well on brass with both the heavy apassionato phrases and the light and sparkly staccatos. I have gone on to further choose more themes from Brahms’ collection that suit the trio. In the middle is a gorgeous slow theme for the trombone. The piece ends with a fast and fiery finish to make it a perfect concert item. Enjoy the lockdown recording below!

Quarantine Brass Performance:

Sample Scores: