Flight of the Bumblebee for a marimba and 4 mallets is crazier than you’re expecting

13 November 2017, 14:40 | Updated: 17 January 2018, 16:32

Rimsky-Korsakov’s notoriously fiendish piece sounds absolutely mad in this one-man arrangement for marimba and four mallets.

This percussionist has created an insanely speedy and technically awesome arrangement of ‘Flight of the Bumblebee’.

Claudio Santangelo shows off his lateral skills by playing the interlude with four mallets (two in each hand), while seamlessly sliding up and down the keys of his marimba. 

It’s also fun to bear in mind while watching this that Rimsky-Korsakov wrote the interlude for a full orchestra… and this guy plays it by himself, on just *one* percussion instrument.

For more marimba arrangements, follow Claudio on Facebook here.

Now, watch this very talented 9-year-old play the tune on a flute at 210pm: