Il tabarro Reduced Orchestration
Il tabarro
Giacomo Puccini
Reduced Orchestration / Chamber Arrangement: violin, bassoon, harp, keyboard (piano / pipe organ), percussion
This reduced orchestration (or, more accurately, ‘chamber arrangement’) of Puccini’s Il tabarro was originally conceived for 4 players (violin, bassoon, harp, keyboard), with harp and bassoon doubling with a modest amount of percussion. It was performed in this way by Mid Wales Opera with 12 performances across Wales during Oct/Nov 2021.
For most productions a separate player for Timpani/Percussion may be desirable, increasing the number of musicians to five players. Percussion requirements: triangle, woodblock, snare drum, cymbal(s), glockenspiel, tam-tam, bass drum (some of these instruments may be considered ‘optional’).
The piano part should be played from a high quality keyboard such as a Yamaha Clavinova, which is played mostly as a piano with one section requiring a pipe organ (street organ) sound.
Puccini also asks for miscellaneous onstage musical effects such as foghorns and car horns. At one point later on in the score an off-stage trumpet is required – this can be played from the keyboard with a ‘trumpet sound’, or it can be pre-recorded (as was done for the Mid Wales Opera production).
For more background on Il tabarro and the creation of this chamber arrangement please visit here.
Score and parts have rehearsal numbers and bar numbers.
Music director Jonathan Lyness’s reductions of operatic scores are miracles of jewelled compression”
The score becomes a sombre prelude to the inevitable murder in music director Jonathan Lyness’ cleverly compressed orchestration. Accompanied by a dark-hued quartet of violin, bassoon, harp and piano”
The music is intelligently arranged for four musicians, led by musical director Jonathan Lyness from keyboard”
For more information or to hire this L’heure espagnole reduced orchestration, please contact us