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This series of articles expands on notes taken by Nicholas Smith in lessons with Roland Berger in 1977. To this point, the notes are all from the first lesson! This article continues in his second lesson.
Throughout the second lesson I noticed there was a horn case behind Prof. Berger’s chair and I wondered if it was his and if he might actually play during this last lesson. We began by spending about 20 – 25 minutes working on a few of the more important passages of Ein Heldenleben. I was very interested in how much and where he would use an assistant in this piece since it was so long. He said he would use an assistant mostly when his part was doubled in other parts. Below are two examples where all eight horns are in unison or at the octave.
Examples where using an assistant would be prudent in Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben
(Reh. Nos. 10 & 30)
He seemed satisfied with my rendition of the opening passage and, since I had never played 1st horn in a performance, I asked him to show me where he used his assistant at the end of the piece. Below is his recommended areas of using an assistant from number 107 to the end of the piece.
Horn “solo” passage from Number 107 from Ein Heldenleben
Bracketed notes of the passage are to be performed by the Assistant
As an aside, Smith pointed out those same locations to me in my lessons with him, and I used those concepts when I performed first on Heldenleben at the Brevard Music center, at the end of a long all-Strauss concert that included Don Juan and excerpts from Salome! The series continues next time with The Long Call
