Richard Wagner

Tannhäuser

For 12 horns or more - score 47 p. & parts.

Richard Wagner's opera Tannhäuser is based on a 16th-century legend: knight Tannhäuser, out of remorse, leaves the cave of the goddess of love Venus and travels with a large group of pilgrims to Rome to ask the pope for forgiveness. The pope refuses, but thanks to St Elisabeth's willingness to sacrifice, the opera ends with his redemption. This concert paraphrase is based on the major pilgrim scenes; the count's hunting party serves as an interlude. Wagner's original instrumentation for 12 horns of the hunting scene forms the basis for this arrangement. The ensemble is divided into three quartets. The third quartet can be performed by four wagnertubas ad lib. The second quartet can be augmented in the concluding Pilgrims' chorus at will; the hunting music comes out best when played by a second 12-headed horn group back stage. In this form, the work was performed at its premiere in Amsterdam's Muziekgebouw aan het IJ in 2007.
In the world of horn and brass ensemble music from the 18th and 19th centuries, original high-quality ensemble repertoire appears to be scarce. Additionally, students and advanced amateurs are rarely given the opportunity to perform important Romantic symphonic works by Bruckner, Mahler etc. and Wagner's great operas in their original versions. Orchestral part studies with only the original parts, and above all, a lot of rest are not always inspiring. For this reason, throughout his extensive career as a horn pedagogue, Herman Jeurissen wrote a considerable number of arrangements. These include shorter compositions by the great masters, allowing for an accessible introduction to their style and writing.