Klarinet Archive - Posting 000234.txt from 2009/02

From: Jonathan Cohler <cohler@-----.org>
Subj: RE: [kl] Brahms quintet
Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:26:54 -0500

At 10:31 PM +0000 2/10/09, Matthew Lloyd wrote:
>Did you ever explain why it was obvious Brahms approved?
>
>And was it a scientific explanation?
>
>Matthew
>

No science here. Just history, logic and some common sense...

Brahms worked closely with Muhlfeld for the last 7 years of his life,
performing with him on many occasions and attending his performances
and rehearsals on many others. The Quintet was premiered on a
concert with the Trio in which Brahms played the piano part.

The private premiere took place on November 24, 1891 at the Court of
Meiningen (where Muhlfeld was the Court Music Director and principal
clarinetist of the orchestra) with Muhlfeld, Joachim, Robert Hausmann
(cellist of the Joachim quartet) and two other players from the Court
orchestra. Brahms played the Trio with Muhlfeld and Hausmann on this
same concert. Shortly after, on December 10 (in an open dress
rehearsal) and again on December 12, Muhlfeld repeated the
performances of both works, but this time with the full Joachim
Quartet on their concert series at the Berlin Singakademie.

Brahms was enamored of Muhlfeld's playing and OBVIOUSLY directly
involved in all the rehearsals and all the concerts where the work
was initially performed. He was so close to Muhlfeld that he actually
gave the manuscripts for the two Sonatas along with the performing
rights fees to Muhlfeld as a gift.

He wrote to Clara Schumann at the end of July 1891:

"You cannot imagine what a clarinetist this Muhlfeld of Meiningen is.
He is the best wind player I have ever known. Admittedly, for various
reasons, this art has declined generally very much. The wind players
in the orchestra in Vienna and some other locations are solid and
very good, but in their solo playing one takes no real pleasure."

After the open dress rehearsal of the Trio and Quintet on December
10, 1891, he wrote to his friend and music critic Eduard Hanslick:

"Joachim has relinquished the virginity of his Quartet to my newest
works. Hitherto, he has zealously protected the virgin sanctum, but
now, despite my protestations to the contrary, he insists that I
penetrate it with clarinet and piano, with trio and quintet. It will
happen on the 12th of December with the Meiningen clarinetist. Tell
Mandyczewski (or let him read) that the quintet 'Adagio con sordini'
was played as often and long as the clarinetist could endure"

Brahms extremely close association with Muhlfeld from the works'
births until his death, coupled with his constant and effusive praise
for Muhlfeld's playing in general and his interpretation of Brahms
work in particular, lead one to the likely conclusion that Brahms
"obviously approved" of the clarinet switch in the Adagio--which one
SHOULD do. :-)

Best,
--
Jonathan Cohler
Artistic & General Director
International Woodwind Festival
http://iwwf.org/
cohler@-----.org

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