SUNDAY, August 2, 2020
Siegfried-Idyl: 1870
There are two versions of this, and until recently I did not know this. So please listen to a bit of both and pick a preference.
One version is for a very small group, only strings and winds…
There are only two horns and one trumpet. Essentially there are five string players: two violins, viola, cello and double bass. Then there are: flute, oboe, two clarinets, bassoon. It’s a very intimate sound.
The other version is for 35 players…
The larger version came later, and until recently it was the only version I had heard.
A special present…
This was written as a Christmas present to Cosima, Wagner’s second wife, who was Liszt’s daughter. Later this theme became part of an opera, the 3nd part of The Ring. Composers never let good ideas go to waste,
Version I: The small ensemble…
Instruments:
Flute, oboe, two clarinets, bassoon, two horns, trumpet, two violins, viola, cello and double bass.
This version seems to be more preferred now, but the above recording was done may decades ago by Klemperer. I only found this recording last week. It’s growing on me.
Version II: Almost full orchestra…
Wagner expanded the orchestration to 35 players to make the piece more marketable. The piece is commonly played today by orchestras with more than one player on each string part. Perhaps this was made to appeal more to the average listener, but I like it better. To me it has more drama, wider contrasts. My understanding it that there are not more instruments, just more people playing those instruments, but that makes a big difference because in climaxes the brass players can play out more, and to me it feels as though the string players can sort of lean into the big parts more. So the large ensemble is my preference by far, although I also like the smaller version.
Listening to each of these was very pleasant. I liked the soft peaceful sound of the music.
The second one had a fuller sound and is the one I prefer.
I will not pick a preference. I like each in its own right for the character it brings. I like hearing the individual voices of the instruments as one does in small ensembles, and I like the richness of the whole in the larger orchestra. I enjoy hearing possibilities of one and the same music, or even variations thereof.
In my case, when a small ensemble plays a certain piece of music it sounds much more intimate and clean and depending on the time of the piece works much better than a large ensemble. In the case of this piece I prefer the smaller ensemble. The large 35 person band was also great and much more bombastic but I much less prefer that kind of playing. This is a great piece