Fig. 4
The printed music is available in a number of editions though the actual notes remain the same in trombone and piano parts. The one published by Durand is the original and American editions by Master Music and Elkan-Vogel are simply reprints. Editions by Brass Wind and Marc Reift come with treble clef parts, the former with interesting editorial modifications by former BBC Symphony Principal Trombone, Chris Mowat, the latter by John Mortimer but also with an additional version for brass band accompaniment beautifully arranged by James Gourlay. Arrangements for band of piano accompaniments are not always successful but this one intelligently demonstrates knowledge and respect of Saint-Saën’s fine orchestration skills and deserves more frequent performance.
For such a popular piece there are strangely not as many available recordings as one might expect, however, the ones listed below demonstrate a range of contrasts, which are well worthy of comparison.