For the last week or two I’ve been beavering away on producing an arrangement of Dvorak’s New World Symphony (#9 in E minor) for the Charnwood Training Band. We don’t have the range of instruments in the original, we can’t cope with all the complexities and we certainly can’t attempt a single piece that lasts over 40 minutes, so I’ve had to make quite a few cuts, simplifications and, in certain places, fresh bits of composition reflecting my own experiences of the USA and the 100+ years of US history since Dvorak penned his masterpiece.

It still needs to be road-tested with the band but, thanks to MuseScore, I now have a preview version that you can listen to:

If, like me, you know and love the original are there any key things you think I have missed and what would you cut out in order to make room for them?