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Johannes Brahms, Ballade in D major, Op. 10, No. 2 - version for French horn, double bass and piano (instrumentation by Božo Paradžik)
The two lyrical framing sections enclose a considerably larger central section that itself follows a ternary design, resulting in a symmetrical five-part structure. The principal theme appears in D major in the exposition but returns in B major in the recapitulation. This interplay between the tonal spheres of D minor/D major and B minor/B major is a defining feature of the cycle, and Ballade No. 2 represents one of the clearest manifestations of this structural principle.
Johann Jacob Brahms, the father of one of the greatest composers of all time, was a versatile musician who played several instruments. However, the two instruments most closely associated with him throughout his life were the horn and the double bass.
Today is a special day, as it marks exactly 220 years since Johann Jacob Brahms was born. I have chosen this anniversary to share with the world the final result of a project that has occupied me for several years: my instrumentation of Johannes Brahms’s Four Ballades, Op. 10, for horn, double bass, and piano.
With this instrumentation, I have brought together the two principal instruments of the composer’s father within a unique chamber ensemble, using music that Johannes Brahms originally composed for solo piano in 1853. I like to imagine that Johann Jacob Brahms would have been delighted to hear his two instruments reunited in his son’s music, as you can hear them today. My instrumentation of the Four Ballades, Op. 10, is dedicated to his memory.
It had also been a long-standing dream of mine to perform and record a project with Radovan Vlatković, widely regarded as one of the world's greatest horn players. The combination of his extraordinary musicality, complete mastery of the instrument, and a sound of exceptional beauty-difficult to describe in words-made him the ideal partner for the premiere recording of these pieces. His artistry, sensitivity, and profound musical insight have brought this project to life in a way I could scarcely have imagined.
I hope that many horn players, double bassists, and pianists will discover and come to love these four remarkable miniatures, and that Brahms’s new “Horn–Double Bass–Piano Trio” will find its place in the chamber music repertoire.
The PDF music has already been published and is available through the online shop on my website: https://www.bozoparadzik.com/shop/shop-noten/146-brahms-op-10-four-ballades-horn-bass-piano.html