Day 202: Horn players love Richard Strauss
36yearsago.com
Vienna 1971—A Student Journal
A year of music, study, travel, sightseeing &
friends.
Day
202 — Horn players love Richard Strauss
20-February-1972
(Sonntag–Sun.)
TRANSCRIPT
Decided to not bother trying to practice today. So I
am doing a lot of reading and some catch-up work in
the languages and guitar.
Saw a fantastic concert of the Wiener Symphoniker.
I’m beginning to think that perhaps it might be a
better orchestra than the Philharmonik. The brasses
are excellent.
Played a “new work”—so, so. Tchaikovsky D-minor with
violinist Mamiya...excellent violinist; and Richard
Strauss’ Ein
Heldenleben. My musical genius shines
through, ha! Really enjoyable.
REFLECTIONS
Concerts
cure burn out. I guess
I’m tired of the strenuous practicing of the last
week and instead take it easy, including a concert at
night. Unfortunately, I don’t have much detail on the
concert itself. There is not enough info to determine
the violinist. I think the first name was Mamiya.
I would love to go back to Vienna now, over 36 years
later, and try and recreate some of my concert going
of this year. Hopefully, this time, I might be able
afford a seat as an adult.
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. The Vienna
Philharmonic is an incredible orchestra and has
always been world class. With the brasses playing
Viennese brass instruments, for example, the Viennese
F Horn, the sound of the brasses is sometimes
different than the brass sound of the double horns of
an American orchestra—for example, the sound of the
renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra brass section
under Sir George Solti. Tonight, I’m really
appreciating the Vienna orchestras and brasses
tremendously.
Richard
Strauss’s brass. If you’re
a brass player, and especially a horn player, you
know that Richard Strauss writes some amazingly
difficult and incredible sounding horn parts that
cover the entire horn range. That is probably why my
reaction to the brasses tonight stands out as
impressive. That and the eight horns in the section,
the “Wagner” tubas, and extended brass section. What
a sound!
Ein
Heldenleben on YouTube. Here are
some very interesting YouTube Ein
Heldenleben links. By
the way, these videos increase music sales. If I am
reminded of a work by seeing one of these videos, I
am more inclined to purchase a couple of CDs of
Strauss’ music because of the videos. The fidelity on
streaming can’t compare to a CD and so you buy the
product, or purchase from iTunes or Amazon at higher
bit rates.
Ein Heldenleben
(Hero’s Life) in
Wikipedia
Here is Sir Simon Rattle conducting
the Berlin Philharmonic
Here is the gorgeous horn solo
in
Ein
Heldenleben
Here is a horn lesson on the
opening horn in
Ein Heldenleben
by Greg Cass
John
- - - -
