Review

Richard Wagner
Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg:

Arranged by Randall Malmstrom

Brass Ensemble: 3 C trumpets, 4 F horns, 2 tenor trombones, bass trombone, tuba

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Publisher: Cherry Classics Music
Date of Publication: 2021

Score and parts.

Primary Genre: Brass Ensemble - 6+ brass (choir)

Die Meistersinger is a life affirming opera. Unlike many of Wagner's other operas and music dramas, Die Meistersinger contains no supernatural characters or magical events. In fact, one of the main characters is Hans Sachs (1494-1576), one of the most famous master singers. The opera premiered in 1868, and this Prelude has become one of Wagner's most popular concert pieces. This piece was used as Nazi propaganda, and it can be heard during the Leni Riefenstahl film, "Triumph of the Will," which was created for the 1934 Nazi Party Congress.

Randall Malmstrom has done an admirable job of setting the score for 3 trumpets, 4 horns, 2 tenor trombones, 1 bass trombone, and 1 tuba. The rich, multi- layered tapestry is handled adroitly. The score calls for some amount of technical mastery, particularly in the horns and tuba, in order to convey the intricate counterpoint carried by the strings and woodwinds in the original version. Malmstrom's admonition to "ad lib as needed," however, may cause some diffusion of the texture, which is already a treacherous endeavor. For example, the horns are required to negotiate sextuplets at quarter note equals 104.

The tenor trombone parts are in tenor clef, and some of the horn parts contain passages in bass clef. This arrangement calls for a mature ensemble, one that can convey both the power and intimacies of this masterpiece.