 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Susan Eileen
Date: 2007-07-23 17:00
The background:
Brahms' Sonata Op. 20 No. 1 was orchestrated by Luciano Berio in 1986. Was performed and recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra w/ James Campbell, Clarinet.
The question:
I have score and a recording but -- where would one go to get copies of the orchestra parts?
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Author: Jack Kissinger
Date: 2007-07-23 19:15
The publisher is Universal Edition and the music is available to rent. Start here:
http://www.uemusic.at/truman/en_templates/en_composer.php3
You'll have to do some drilling down. Choose "Berio Luciano" from the list of composers. On his page, choose "List of Works" from the menu on the left side. On the second page of his works, you will find the work listed under "Op. 120 ......"
Now the bad news. The U.S. distributor is European American Music Distributors, LLC. As treasurer for a community orchestra, I can tell you that they are probably the most expensive distributor we deal with. For rental information and performance rights, you can find contact information at:
http://www.eamdllc.com/
Best regards,
jnk
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2007-07-23 20:30
At ClarinetFest, John Reeks played a "strun" version of the Sonata. It is re-scored for string quartet and clarinet. Pretty nice. It is available under "Old Wine In New Bottles."
The recording includes the Schumann Fantasy Pieces, and both Brahms Op. 120 Sonatas.
Supposedly, the CD includes software to print the sting parts, but I was not able to verify this. The Amazon site doesn't mention it, and it was not availabe for sale in the Yamaha boot at ClarinetFest.
Bob Phillips
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2007-07-23 21:00
I dunno... to my ears, the Brahms and Schumann just don't work well for strings. Lots of pedal and sustain effects don't transfer well, and it ends up sounding really busy.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: Ralph Katz
Date: 2007-07-24 00:22
If it was Liszt, it might be boring no matter what instruments it was arranged for, but will be the listener's opinion.
Brahms was a purist - he was offended when his Horn Trio, written for a natural horn, was performed on a valve horn. Likewise, he would probably be offended by these arrangements, which might be both a bad reason and a good reason to perform them.
Being a clarinetist, I think the Sonatas lose something when played on Viola. But my string-playing friends don't think that at all. On the other hand, I have heard many clarinet performances of these Sonatas that were dull as dishwater, and some viola performances that really got me tapping my foot.
So, I think a poor performance of the composer's original instrumentation is inferior to a well-played re-arrangement.
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Author: Susan Eileen
Date: 2007-07-24 00:55
Thanks for the info on finding the parts. Will give it a try.
and then regarding the rest
I didn't pass judgement until I listen to the London Symphony Orchestra with James Campbell on clarinet. The best word I could come up with is sublime.
Also, beg to differ with you about Brahms being a purist. In reading the information that came with the CD - - - "Brahms recomposed his clarinet sonatas as violin sonatas and was happy to authorise the substitution of the viola for the clarinet in the Clarinet Trios. Nor did Brahms believe his own original works need to be fixed forever in a single medium; he routinely made piano duets or piano sollo arragements of his orchestral and large chamber works for the purpose of domestic performance. . . . . . .'
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Author: Ed
Date: 2007-07-24 02:08
"Brahms was a purist - he was offended when his Horn Trio, written for a natural horn, was performed on a valve horn. Likewise, he would probably be offended by these arrangements, which might be both a bad reason and a good reason to perform them."
Many years ago, a trombonist I knew (who is now a pretty accomplished up and coming conductor) performed the Brahms horn Trio on trombone and did a brilliant job. He had posters made up with a silhouette of Brahms walking along, adding a thought balloon with the words "hmmm, maybe I should have written that trio for trombone instead"
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Author: crnichols
Date: 2007-07-24 11:50
The concept of the transcription has been around for quite some time. Prior to the widespread availability, it was how music was often heard, and how people became familiar with it.
I don't understand why certain people are so opposed to this concept. I would much rather hear a program with a good transcription of a fine work than a program with a mediocre work in it's original context.
Christopher Nichols, D.M.A.
Assistant Professor of Clarinet
University of Delaware
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Author: Lelia Loban ★2017
Date: 2007-07-24 13:57
Alex wrote,
>>I dunno... to my ears, the Brahms and Schumann just don't work well for strings. Lots of pedal and sustain effects don't transfer well, and it ends up sounding really busy.
>>
I agree with you in preferring the original versions of these pieces. Brahms himself wrote alternate versions of the sonatas for viola and piano and for violin and piano (with the piano part revised for the violin version). It seems to me that if he'd wanted to modify even further by orchestrating, he'd have orchestrated. He didn't.
Re. the pedal, some of the editions, particularly Peters, add a great deal of pedalling beyond the very sparse pedal markings Brahms wrote. I think most pianists use way too much pedal in these sonatas. Listen to Joel Rosen in the set of Decca recordings with Reginald Kell, for instance. He's whomping up and down on that right pedal as if the piano might quit making a noise if he didn't keep pumping. (In fairness, although that piano has been tuned, it's in desperate need of regulating and I think he's pedalling too much to try to stop the old wreck from clanking. Odd, because most major record companies give a pianist a choice of instruments for a studio recording and I can't imagine any pianist in his right mind choosing that one!) I think a clarinet player would do well to supply the pianist with one of the scores (Henle, for instance) that doesn't add extra pedal markings and then encourage the pianist to quit riding the clutch.
Lelia
http://www.scoreexchange.com/profiles/Lelia_Loban
To hear the audio, click on the "Scorch Plug-In" box above the score.
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2007-07-24 14:17
Bob Phillips wrote:
> At ClarinetFest, John Reeks played a "strun" version of the
> Sonata. It is re-scored for string quartet and clarinet.
> Pretty nice. It is available under "Old Wine In New Bottles."
I listened to John's rendition of both pieces at Clarinetfest. While the Schumann was pretty convincing to my ears - if I had never heard the Fantasiestuck before I would have assumed that it was written that way from the bgeginning- but the Brahms just didn't sound like Brahms. Brahms REALLY knew how to write for strings and to ole' potato ears here the compexity and fabric of Brahms was lacking in the accompaniment to John. I think it sounds immensely better on piano.
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Author: Bob Phillips
Date: 2007-07-24 15:46
A few months ago, I started a thread that didn't go very far --something to do with "being so over piano envy."
This all came back to me at ClarinetFest with the ubiquitous piano clanging along with almost every performance. With this intense exposure, I suddenly realized how much better duos written for piano and clarinet sound than those cobbled together using the piano as a (percussive) condensation (reduction) of something more complex.
Things like Weber Grand Duo Concertant, the Brahms Op. 120, the Schumann Fantasy Pieces, Muczynski's Time Pieces, ... all interweave the colors of the piano and clarinet to produce a sweet combination.
In contrast, I found myself shouting (in my head): "Could you make a crescendo on that note?"
This train of thought tells me that there are sublime combinations of piano and clarinet. It does not tell me if derailing that train to take a sublime duo and spread the pianist's 10 fingers (and thumping right foot) over an alternate set of instruments can be a good thing. I think it can be a good thing. I'll pick up the Reeks recording --and hope that the string part transcriptions are there with it.
In the meantime, I encourage performances where all parties on the stage interweave their playing, where the principal performer is much more than "accompanied."
Bob Phillips
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Author: joeyscl
Date: 2007-08-02 21:52
"Supposedly, the CD includes software to print the sting parts, but I was not able to verify this. The Amazon site doesn't mention it, and it was not availabe for sale in the Yamaha boot at ClarinetFest."
err... yes it was! Except I didn't like the string version at all!
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Author: Garret
Date: 2007-08-04 05:55
I also heard the version of the Brahms Sonata Op.120 transcribed for flute. It totally missed the mark, IMHO. Since the flute can't play very loud in the lower register it lacked the impact the clarinet has.
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Author: DavidBlumberg
Date: 2007-08-04 12:07
"Supposedly, the CD includes software to print the sting parts, but I was not able to verify this. The Amazon site doesn't mention it, and it was not availabe for sale in the Yamaha boot at ClarinetFest."
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Yes, it absolutely does. I got an ad for it from John and that was on it. Enhanced CD's are starting to be used. I have an enhanced CD from 1999 with Leister, Prinz, Brunner, and de Peyer titled "Romanza" which has the scores also. DG was doing that for a short period.
That DG recording doesn't run on XP, but in Vista I can do a windows 98 emulation so that it runs once again on my computer.
http://www.SkypeClarinetLessons.com
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Author: grifffinity
Date: 2007-08-04 17:31
Quote:
I also heard the version of the Brahms Sonata Op.120 transcribed for flute.
I was just up at Manchester Chamber Music Festival in VT and was chatting with pianist Ron Levy. He mentioned that he just recorded Op. 120 #2 with a horn player from the Met Orchestra.
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Author: grifffinity
Date: 2007-08-04 19:11
DavidBlumberg wrote:
> Was it Landsman he recorded it with?
>
No, Scott Brubaker. It seems an original recording was made by them a few years ago and is now out of print. From our recent conversation it sounded as if the two have now made a new recording of the Brahms.
Link to Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Sonatas-Horn-Piano-Johannes/dp/B00000DUX5/ref=sr_1_3/103-9318552-3869428?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1186254613&sr=1-3
Post Edited (2007-08-04 19:13)
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