Day of Judgement
Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff, arr. Ben Tordoff
Composed:
1892 Arranged:
2023 Grouping:
lsSSAAACTTTBBbc Duration:
03:30
Rachmaninoff's Preclude in C# minor was published under many different titles in different regions, perhaps the most ominous of which was "Day of Judgement". Composed when he was just 19 it became such a firm favourite that he got a bit bored of being asked to play it wherever he performed. Still, it was popular for good reason. The forbidding three bass notes that set the foundations of the piece are like tolling bells with echos in the upper parts. The faster middle section sets a tone of restless fear before the slow tolling returns. From a climatic ffff the piece ends in a melancholy quiet. Day of Judgement indeed.
This arrangement sets the original piano score across 12 or more saxes. For those lucky enough to have access to those rarest of instruments, this version takes advantage of both sopranissimo and the full depths of a contrabass with low A. An optional C-melody part means that all readily available saxes can join in.
© 2023 Ben Tordoff
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