Beschreibung
Composer's autograph, handwritten score from 1903 was used as a source and reference for my chamber music instrumentation of Adagietto from Gustav Mahler's 5th Symphony. Therefore, all slight discrapancies from the known orchestral version are also a true "Urtext".
There isn't much chamber music literature for viola and double bass as a trio with piano, so this is now quite an accomplishment. Viola and double bass make together a beautifully sounding combination and sound smoother than the much more popular combination of strings, violin & cello. Eternal beauty of this Mahler's famous movement has became now available for this rare combination of instruments.
I've needed to invest into the creation process of this instrumentation all of my experience: 14 years of former career as an orchestra musician, combined it with even longer experience as a chamber musician and soloist. I am delighted and cannot find proper words to describe how happy I am that such a celebrity like Wolfram Christ joined us and interpreted the viola part. Wolfram's finest musicianship as a chamber musician, more than 20 years in Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, countless appearences as a soloist with Berlin Philharmonic and many other orchestras, but also his experience with Mahler's 5th symphony as a conductor (Wolfram's main musical activity at the moment), was an immense contribution for my dream to come true.
PDF music of this is now available from the online shop of my website, here is the link:
https://www.bozoparadzik.com/shop/shop-noten/144-brahms-op-117-no-1-intermezzo-in-e-major-cello-piano-2.html
Untested, experimental parts for cello (instead of double bass) and other double bass scordaturas are also included. The tuning used here by myself is high C tuning (in fourths, with C as top string).
Endless thanks besides Wolfram goes also to Maria Sofianska, my long-time musical partner, not only for her as-always fantastic piano playing, but also for her help in optimising the piano part. Also my big thanks to collegues from the music conservatory in Lucerne, HSLU-Musik, Isabel Charisius (viola) and Ivo Haag (piano), for a luxury to have been able to try early versions of the instrumentation with such fantastic musicians. Thank you all so much!
Recorded in Müllheim im Breisgau (D) on August 8th, 2024