Wagner: Der Ring des Nibelungen, WWV 86 (Excerpts Arr. H. Behn for 2 Pianos)

Featuring

Cord Garben
Thomas Hoppe
Justus Zeyen
Richard Wagner

Did you know?

1/6

Recording & Production

The recording uses two Steingraeber E-272 concert grand pianos, and one of them features a special built-in damper pedal.

Album & Artwork

The album's cover art, "Wotan's Farewell," is an illustration by Arthur Rackham from his 1911 edition of "The Ring of the Nibelung."

Compositional Technique

Hermann Behn's arrangements for two pianos overcome the limits of a single piano by using two instruments and a new tonal arrangement, creating a 'symphonic piano' sound.

Composition History

Hermann Behn's extensive project, "Fifty Symphonic Movements from Richard Wagner's Master Dramas" for two pianos, was started in 1914 and comprised 1440 pages.

Interpretation

Behn's arrangements often require a 'broken' style of playing, with rapid arpeggiation of notes, leading to an intended inexactness and a rich tonal quality.

Composer Biography

Hermann Behn, the arranger of this album's music, largely stopped composing his own works around 1883 to focus on transcribing symphonic works for two pianos.