Your Six Favourite Orchestrations

[Richard Barrett]

Favourite orchestrations...

Berio Rendering springs to mind immediately, though ti's an orchestration of a piece that doesn't really exist (Schubert's tenth symphony). While Berio does more than produce a "performing version of the sketches", he also produces something that in its Schubert moments sounds more Schubertian than Newbould's scholarly reconstruction of the work. Of course Berio orchestrated many preexistent pieces, as has been mentioned.

Heinz Holliger orchestrated two late Liszt piano pieces (Nuages gris and Unstern!) both of which are very beautiful.

As for Pictures... isn't it better to have Mussorgsky and Ravel than arguing for one or the other?

[Jonathan]

Nuages gris[/I] and Unstern!) both of which are very beautiful.

Heinz Holliger also orchestrated La lugubre gondola and entitled it The Black Gondola - it is very well done as well.

Apologies for the error in quoting that - not entirely sure what I did wrong!

[BBMmk2]

Lorin Maazel's Der Ring Des Nibelungen Ohne worte

[Jonathan]

Heinz Holliger also orchestrated La lugubre gondola and entitled it The Black Gondola - it is very well done as well.

Apologies for the error in quoting that - not entirely sure what I did wrong!

Actually, it might have been Adams. I'll have to check...

I did check and it is Adams - my apologies for the confusion!

[Richard Barrett]

And what about Uri Caine's jazz(ish) reimaginings of Mahler? (and others)

[Pulcinella]

After hearing YP Tortelier's orchestration of Ravel's Piano Trio last night (R3 concert) I'm tempted to start a new thread entitled 'Least favourite orchestrations'.

I just didn't think it worked at all, and wonder why he bothered.
Did anyone else hear it?
If so, what did you think?

[cloughie]

Trawling a bit on old threads, but I couldn't resist putting a real 'cat' amongst the pigeons :big grin:

Kenton: Wagner. Just puts a smile on my face. https://youtu.be/2rPmzqYIPrE

Yes fun isn't it! Should be on CD but isn't!

[cloughie]

Lorin Maazel's Der Ring Des Nibelungen Ohne worte

There are also some Puccini opera excerpts for Orchestra, one by Kostelanetz and one by Kunzel ane the Cincinatti Pops.

[BBMmk2]

Tongue in cheek here, my transcription for concert band of the "First Movement from Mahler's Sixth Symphony"! :)

[Nick Armstrong]

After hearing YP Tortelier's orchestration of Ravel's Piano Trio last night (R3 concert) I'm tempted to start a new thread entitled 'Least favourite orchestrations'.

I just didn't think it worked at all, and wonder why he bothered.
Did anyone else hear it?
If so, what did you think?

I did - noticed it was coming up, and recorded it. The opening of the first (flutes) and third movements worked nicely, but overall yes, I was disappointed too. The denser / louder sections were pretty much rendered nonsensical by the full orchestration, I thought. The main advantage: it has one running back desperately to hear the original trio.

[Pulcinella]

I did - noticed it was coming up, and recorded it. The opening of the first (flutes) and third movements worked nicely, but overall yes, I was disappointed too. The denser / louder sections were pretty much rendered nonsensical by the full orchestration, I thought. The main advantage: it has one running back desperately to hear the original trio.

Perhaps my 'at all' was a bit too damning, but yes, it made me think of (and long for) the original most of the time too: what a wonderful work it is in its own right, without 'embellishment'. And of course Ravel was such a brilliant orchestrator himself that I kept wondering what he would have done had he chosen to orchestrate it.

[Dave2002]

Just listened to it. I wonder if it was the performance which let it down - though that's sad as it was conducted by its own arranger. A chamber group would have been more flexible I think - so would have been able to bring out more. I thought the pacing was wrong in quite a few places. Another conductor might have made more of this, or perhaps the orchestra didn't respond to it well enough.

I may try it again - parts were good, but did not have the excitement of some chamber groups.