WIND-BAND FLU

This CD presents two works composed for Harmonie. What this term primarily meant was not a genre, but rather, an ensemble: a wind band, which, roughly speaking, from the second half of the 18th century typically consisted of oboes, clarinets, horns and bassoons (although its instrumentation frequently underwent modification). In the 1780s, Europe, in particular the Austro-Hungarian Empire, witnessed the spread of a veritable wind-band-flu epidemic, with the years from 1780 to 1800 now indeed being regarded as the heyday of music for such ensembles. Works for wind band were frequently composed for five, six or eight winds. With the founding of the Imperial Wind Band in 1782, which, at the instance of Emperor Joseph II, brought together Vienna's leading wind soloists, the octet established itself as the standard instrumentation. The fame of the Imperial Wind Band rapidly spread beyond Austria's borders. As far away as Kiel in North Germany, the writer on musical topics, C.F. Cramer, wrote excitedly of hearing the Imperial Wind Band for the first time: This society, comprised of eight persons, is sufficient to produce an entirely full-voiced concert, in which they present, of all things, works solely intended for the human voice, such as: choruses, duets, trios, and even arias from the best operas. In the shortest of periods, comparable ensembles were founded at numerous European courts, resulting in a dramatic increase in the demand for works for this instrumentation, leading to the composition of works for wind band by the highest echelon of composers, including Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. Nevertheless, as the number of original compositions for Harmonie failed even to approach a sufficient level, there appeared a virtual avalanche of arrangements to fill this need, primarily based on ballet and operatic music. These arrangements/transcriptions brilliantly succeeded in uniting three in fact opposing demands: those for entertainment, virtuosity and chamber music.
The 'trade' in arrangements for wind band was a lucrative one. And even W.A. Mozart was intent on taking advantage of the opportunities it offered, although it was entirely clear to him that producing such transcriptions was a time-consuming project, as is documented in a letter to his father dated 20 July 1782, in which he refers to an arrangement for wind band of music from his Singspiel, 'The Abduction from the Seraglio: [...] this is no mean task; by Sunday in eight days' time, my Opera must be finished in a version for wind-band – otherwise someone else could get it done before me and in my stead come away with all the profit. [...] You can't imagine how difficult it is to arrange such music for wind ensemble, if you want it to sound like it is written for winds, without any of its effect being lost. The more recent Mozart literature has come to the conclusion that Mozart himself ultimately gave up his plan, and never actually penned wind-band music based on his 'Abduction' (an opinion incidentally not shared, e.g., by Dutch musicologist Bastiaan Blomhert, who is convinced that the Donaueschingen Harmoniemusik, or Donaueschingen Wind Band Music, from 'The Abduction' is indeed from Mozart's hand – with this PentaTone recording 5186 088, one can come to one's own conclusion). The transcription based on Mozart's 'Don Giovanni' on this CD is the work of one Joseph Triebensee, son of the principal oboist of the Imperial Wind Band. Triebensee's arrangement one of this work's (then as now) most beloved scenes, 'Là ci darem da mano,' in which the bassoon and oboe respectively are assigned the roles of Don Giovanni and his adored Zerlina, typifies such instrumental versions: a virtually complete agreement between woodwind idiom and vocal line is achieved, whilst a contrabass, supplemented to the doubled winds, lends support to the harmonic fundament.
The wind-band music from Gioachino Rossini's 'Il barbiere di Siviglia' was transcribed by clarinettist Wenzel Sedlak, who, following the refounding of the wind ensemble at the court of Prince Liechtenstein, was director of music there from 1812 (Triebensee had occupied this position from 1794 to 1808). After 1800, arrangements constituted the lion's share of the Harmonie repertoire, such that the Harmoniemusik for an opera was sometimes composed even before the actual opera's première! successful operas, especially the comic ones, were particularly popular with arrangers, interpreters and public. This naturally included Rossini's 'Il barbiere di Siviglia' – notwithstanding the work's total failure at its world première. The exuberance of this music, e.g., in the fascinating overture ( featuring the Rossini crescendo at its best), in the renowned Barbiere aria, 'Largo al factotum,' or the threatening irony of 'La calunnia,' is faithfully transformed in Sedlak's arrangement, in which the Harmonie, supplemented with two trumpets and – once again – a contrabass, is exploited in all its virtuosic potential.

top