Wagner (Wright): Siegfried Idyll, arr. for clarinet choir

Code: JP2138
ISMN: 979-0-3019-0396-4

Originally entitled 'Tribschen Idyll', Siegfried Idyll was composed in Tribschen in 1870 as a birthday present for Cosima, Wagner's wife. The Idyll is a labor of love, a sumptuous piece of music that expressed Wagner's paternal and romantic love in a tender and unforgettable way.

Most of the Idyll's themes are found in the opera Siegfried, but Wagner did not simply transfer themes from one work to another. The first melody is heard in Act III of the opera, but it actually originated in a string quartet written six years earlier. Similarly, the German folk lullaby, 'Schlaf, Kindchen, Schalfe', was assumed to refer to the Wagners' baby Siegfried, but it was actually linked to the older daughter Eva. These and other musical references, whose meaning remained unknown to the outside world for many years, reveal the Idyll's levels of personal significance for both Richard and Cosima Wagner.

This arrangement for clarinet choir by William Wright is scored for E-flat soprano clarinets 1-2 (with alternate part for B-flat clarinet in place of E-flat Clarinet 2), B-flat clarinets 1-4, Alto Clarinet (or Basset Horn) 1-2, Bass Clarinet, Contra Alto Clarinet, Contrabass Clarinet, and String Bass. The set includes a full score, 2 stands for B-flat Clarinets 1-4 and for Bass Clarinet, and 1 stand for each of the other parts. If extra parts are needed, contact Jeanne, Inc.

Duration: approximately 20 minutes (depending on tempo selected).

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