Hello Klaus, even the middle part of the Long Call (the
A-minor section) is quite easy on the hand horn, but not
written for the hand horn. Wagner had a good mentor for this
solo: first class horn player & conductor Hans Richter,
former best student of Wilhelm Kleinecke at the Vienna
Conservatory & first horn of the State Opera in Vienna & the
Vienna Philharmonic for three years, later the first real
travelling great maestro, who conducted over 4700
performances in his life of 73 years. His father was a horn
player also, his cousin & his nephew were also horn players
with the Vienna Philharmonic.
Hans Richter played the Long Call near to the window of
Wagners working studio in Triebschen/Switzerland, early
morning of Wagners 50th birthday. As his personal secretary
& assistant, he knew that Wagner was working on this
particular scene that morning. So when his horn sounded,
Wagner had a day dream that his Waldweben scene become a
live event that moment. As Richter was a typical
F-horn-player, the solo is right written for the F-horn,
even it is performed today on the Bb-side with a possible
exception in the middle part & the up & down passage before
the last climb, which can be played on the F-side, even to
have a bit of relax & changing the timbre also, as Siegfried
tries out several moods to "blow-up" something really
different from the Waldvoegelein (bird). And he is not
talking with the bird anymore as before when trying the reed
flute unsuccessfully. He is really bored about the missing
success then. So he takes up the horn & really blows out
something new to him finally, the Fafner dragon, which he
did not expect: "Ich kam hierher um das Fuerchten zu lerned
!"("I came here to learn about fright !") Mime had warned
him about the terrible dragon. And Siegfried sings: "Nun
lasst mich sehn, wen jetzt sie mir lockt, ob das mir ein
lieber Gesell ?" (Let me see, whom it could lure this time,
if a lovely fellow ?) Quite ironically question as the heroe
is quite sure about himself & his strength. And he
continues: "Ha, ha ! Da haette mein Lied mir was Liebes
erblasen. Du waerst mir ein sauberer Gesell !" (ha, ha !
Thus my lied had blown up something Lovely. You were me a
neat fellow !). Hey, to wake up a dragon from his deep
sleep, yes, this requires something exciting & no
whispering. And if the middle part is written in piano, it
is a piano solistico & must be much carrying (not loud, but
from the character & musical pressure - if you understand
what I like to express with this). The end, the climax must
sound over all the orchestra which is engaged in the wurms
(dragons) uproar at that place.
Gratulation to Anamia Eriksson to the excellent & super
clean performance.
To answer Klaus again: most players have the music of the
Long Call before them, when they play the call from memory.
It is some kind of "fetish" or "talisman" only, but it is
good for the concentration as so many things might happen on
stage. I remember playing it at the Berlin State Opera,
where I arrived very late as the plane was delayed. So I had
to find my place quickly. And it was just one leg high & the
other down, right between the beam lights, a small monitor
to my left, very bad sight to the Siegfried. You have to be
ready to play every signal when Siegfried brings the horn to
his lips. There was no time to see the Siegfried Singer
before (it was Siegfried Jerusalem), to just talk the action
through. Well you have to follow the conductor after he
enters with the wagnertubas for the wurm-motif & nothing
should stop you them. The conductor has to follow you. If
you follow the conductor, you are lost definitely. You need
all concentration for your playing. So it is quite good
having the music there with the mark, where the tuben come
in etc.
Or Sawallisch´s last Siegfried here in Munich. My colleague
Siegfried Machata was on stage ready to play the call, - no,
he was below stage with a monitor, it was the old
production. Sawallisch gave the cue right after a little
pause after the clarinet climb. Nothing, nothing again, so
he gave the desperate last cue to me, unexpected. Had not
breathed, because shocked for what had happen. Nobody knew
what ? And why ? So I played the first signal. Audience
laughted, because Siegfried had put the horn down and put it
right on his lips, when I should make the pause after the
first fermata. So I continued with the second signal.
Laughter again, as Siegfried had put down the horn again.
Sawallisch completely desperate. So the third signal came in
from stage & I could stop myself within a tenth of a second,
otherwise we would have played in "stereo". Siegfried
Machata continued with a flawless Long Call as usual.
What had happen ? Siegfried ran out of the range of the
camera so the other Siegfried could not see, if the singer
Siegfried put his horn at his lips. The conductor was not
visible on the TV monitor thuis to help clearing the
situation. I tell you, that was dangerous exciting. You
cannot imagine our both laughter at the next intermission.
When we TV recorded the whole ring, I made an exception from
my Siegfried routine inspecting the site during the
intermission after act one. I had better done it. When I
arrived to play the Long Call, the whole place was
surrounded by thick blankets, changing the acoustical
environment dramatically. Now you go ! You have no idea how
it will sound, no chance to test it in any way. You just
have the one single chance, to adjust your playing after the
very first "shot". It worked.
That´s the fate of every travelling orchestra, when they
arrive in the new hall, doing a last short rehearsal, are
pleased or disappointed with the acoustics, but get the
surprise when the hall is filled with the audience. And then
you start the concert with R.Strauss Don Juan.
The last production by David Alden & Zubin Mehta here in
Munich, had me stand infront of a big battery of beam lights
really burning my ass. And I could barely see Siegfried on
stage as the opposite side had a battery of about 20.000 W
beam lights. I had to adjust the intonation from solo to
solo as the horn not only got hot by my exhaust throughthe
horn but also from the beamers in the back & from the front
& I had to watch Zubins activity too. I remember one
performance, when I held the last echo La (written e2) much
longer than usual with a never ending diminuendo, so Zubin
made a very questioning grimass (may-be he thought I got
stuck !?) followed by a broad smile when I finally ended
after twenty or so seconds. Yes, and he managed to come in
in time that particular performance & we reached the climax
together without all the usual waging.
Do you know, what one of the three greatest Bayreuth
primadonnas said about von Karajan ? "When he got lost due
to conducting from memory, he just gripped to the clouds &
waited for a single high not to synchronize himself with the
orchestra again ...."
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-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Klaus Bjerre
Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 10:50 AM
To: The Horn List
Subject: Re: [Hornlist] Video - Siegfried Horn Call
--- Graham Jarvis <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Hi listers
> I just came across this video on the Swedish Royal Opera
House
> homepage and thought it might be of interest. The text
gives some
> background to the Long Call in its context. The hornplayer
is Annamia
> Eriksson. I heard her give a recital of music for Horn and
harp during the summer and was very impressed.
>
http://www.hovkapellet.com/sv/artiklar/visa_artikel.do?origi
nal_id=34
Very well played!
For my taste it is a bit on the fast side, tempowise. And it
clearly has been played from memory-only a lot of times
since the music last was on the stand. The interpretation is
quite free.
But then the sound is very alive, bright and projecting. And
the intonation is earpleasingly good.
Interesting, that the F side slides are so meticulously
emptied. I dont think they are used at all in this
performance.
Also interesting, that the main lobby (not the entry hall)
of the Stockholm opera is so similar in its period
expression to its equivalent in the old opera of Copenhagen
(still in function mainly as a ballet stage).
Is the horn used for this performance an Alexander 103? I
did not get a good look at the change valve, but the very
well carrying sound pointed my ears in that direction.
Speaking in F-notation:
With a very long stretch of virtuous hand horn technique
this piece might be played on a natural horn, but I do not
think, that Wagner intended that.
Still it sounds very much like a piece for hand horn except
for the repeated A-minor to F-major section. I can hear,
what is possible on a hand horn, and that section sounds a
bit strange to me, if I put on my hand horn ears.
Ranting, but I enjoyed the link. And I have heard the
performance 5 or 6 times. Comparing it to the manuscript
available from Hanss site.
Klaus Smedegaard Bjerre
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