Des pas sur la neige is the sixth piece in Debussy’s first book of Préludes, written between 1909 and 1910. The colour and voicing in this transcription doesn’t always play to the instrument’s strengths for such a delicate piano work. As an ensemble, it would be challenging to balance convincingly, particularly with the gradient of dynamics ranging from ppp to p, and there are moments where balancing would be easier if the bassoon and horn parts were swapped. Overall, this arrangement could be a challenging yet fun piece to add to a wind ensemble’s repertoire.
Katy Ovens
