Title

Brass Quintet No. 2, Op. 6 in Eb major

I: Allegro Risoluto

II: Tema Con Variozioni

III: Allegro Vivace

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Composed

ca. 1905

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Composer

Victor Ewald (1860 – 1935)

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Composer Information

Victor Ewald was not a musician by trade, he followed in his family’s tradition and became a professor at the Institute of Civil Engineering in St. Petersburg. But he also was an accomplished amateur musician and enjoyed playing cello at string quartet performances, eventually befriending composers such as Modest Mussorgsky and Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov. but an engineer and teacher who had music as his avocation. In the Russia of the 19th Century, many musicians, including the greatest, were "amateurs," having another profession in addition to their art. Belayev published this Symphony for Brass in 1912.

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Publisher

G. Schirmer

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Duration

17:00

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Difficulty

1 +

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Ranking Position

5

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Discography

Romantic Age Brass by New York Brass Quintet, Robert Nagel, Allan Dean, Toby Hanks, Paul Ingraham & John Swallow: Mentor Music Inc, 2007.

Sounds of St. Petersburg by Stockholm Chamber Brass: BIS, 1994.

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Types of Instruments/Mutes

No mutes required.

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Final Considerations

The first movement is a wonderful melodious waltz, followed by a fanfare that leads to a spirited ending. The second movement is a set of variations on a solemn theme of three notes, which is set in many different styles, keys and textures. The third movement is a spirited Allegro and treats the listener to virtuosity, especially in the trumpet parts requiring more advanced players. This is a serious work of great intensity and lyricism reminiscent of Schubert and Brahms, grade level 1 should be taken with a grain of salt.