Waltz No. 2 (from Suite For Variety Stage Orchestra): Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts

Curnow's adaptation preserves the waltz's elegant melodic line while distributing it naturally across a young band's instrumentation. The Grade 3 level sits exactly where students have enough technical foundation to handle the piece's light classical character without feeling condescended to. Programming a Shostakovich waltz signals musical substance while the arrangement's accessibility keeps rehearsal time focused on musicianship rather than survival.

Elegant and sprightly, with the gentle sway of a waltz that never asks for drama or passion. The melodies float above light accompaniment figures, and the addition of guitar and accordion gives the orchestration a salon-like warmth that feels almost European, even nostalgic.

Young concert bands ready to tackle a short classical work with character and sophistication. Directors seeking to broaden students' exposure beyond twentieth-century band literature and marches will find this a natural fit for bands that have mastered foundational articulation and balance.

• Keep the tempo steady but never rigid; the waltz should breathe like a ballroom dance, not a march. A slight ebb and flow across phrases keeps the three-count feeling organic.
• Balance the saxophone, accordion, and guitar parts carefully in section rehearsals. These instruments carry color and character that the full band can easily overshadow if not highlighted individually.
• Clarinet and flute passages in the melody need clean, connected phrasing. Encourage students to think of singing the line rather than punctuating each note, especially during longer phrases.
• Watch the dynamic contour across the full 3 minutes and 45 seconds. Sustained forte passages lose impact without subtle internal shaping at the phrase level.

Pair this with other light classical or early twentieth-century works to create a concert that feels refined without being austere. It works beautifully as a mid-program contrast after brassier contemporary pieces, or as part of a "Russian Composers" thematic concert that might include selections from other Shostakovich or Prokofiev arrangements.

• Phrasing and breath control in lyrical contexts
• Balancing melody and accompaniment voices
• Maintaining steady tempo in waltz meter (3/4) with subtle expressive flexibility
• Ensemble balance across winds, saxophones, and guitar/accordion color parts