Orchestrations of Chamber/Solo Music

[lordlance]

As someone not terribly fond of chamber or solo music, I do take joy in listening to them orchestrated (and controversially, bettered  ). Therefore I've decided to make a list of complete pieces that have been orchestrated.

My criteria for inclusion:

• No impartial orchestrations like Busoni's Berceuse élégiaque or Respighi's Cinq études-tableaux.
• No collection of sniglets and little pieces like Glazunov's Les Sylphides or Respighi's La Boutique fantasque.
• Instrumental pieces only. I am not interested in vocal music and that's just a personal preference.
• No "freely recomposed" music like Schoenberg's Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra or Berio's Rendering.
• I am not going to try to keep track of every arranger for every work because that would frankly stop being fun and become a chore (such as for Mussorgsky's Pictures of an Exhibition or for Bach's various doo-dads.)
• No transcriptions by the composers themselves as they tend to be well-known already.
• No MIDI performances. Only real orchestral performances.

In summary: I am looking for distinct orchestration of complete pieces only.

__________________________

The List: https://bit.ly/orchestrations

Notes:
1. I've decided to migrate to Notion because updating the list on here is significantly more inefficient than Notion. Another plus of using Notion is having the AI sort list alphabetically for me.

2. Those of you who wish to include things I exclude can create a Notion account and duplicate the list to make your own changes to it.

[DavidW]

Barber's Adagio

The Stokowski arrangements of some of Bach's works.

[lordlance]

Barber's Adagio

The Stokowski arrangements of some of Bach's works.

Posted updated. I forgot to add that I am sticking to complete works. I don't care for Bach but I have added a line. There are too many little keyboard pieces and things with Bach to try to list them all.

[Karl Henning]

Weinberg Piano Quintet
String Quartet 2 > Chamber Symphony 1
String Quartet 3 > Chamber Symphony 2
String Quartet 5 > Chamber Symphony 3

[San Antone]

Bartok Sonata for 2 pianos and Percussion, there is also a version with orchestra:

In 1940, at the suggestion of his publisher and agent, Heinsheimer, Bartók orchestrated the sonata as Concerto for Two Pianos, Percussion and Orchestra. The parts for the four soloists were essentially unchanged. (Wikipedia)

[lordlance]

Done. Thanks.

[Jo498]

I usually don't like these things. But there is e.g.

Beethoven, Sonata op.106 (by none less than Weingartner and AFAIK the only recording is still his from the 1930s!)

Schubert: Grand Duo D 812

A bunch of Russian composers made orchestral arrangements of Chopin pieces and also Schumann piano pieces for some ballet (I encountered this on the radio and found it abhorrent, so forgot details)

Berio orchestrated one of Brahms clarinet sonatas, made a work ("Rendering") with fragments of Schubert's 10th and orchestrated a dozen or so of early Mahler songs (the latter are very good, don't know the others).
Orchestrating lieder that were originally only with piano was quite frequently done in the late 19th and early 20th century. Abbado conducted a selection of Schubert song orchestrations for DG.

Someone (a Swede? or was it recorded by a Swedish orchestra) also orchestrated Brahms' B major trio op.8, and, I think, Eugene Goosens did the Handel variations

The Berg piano sonata has been orchestrated (and for chamber ensemble),

[lordlance]

I usually don't like these things. But there is e.g.

A bunch of Russian composers made orchestral arrangements of Chopin pieces and also Schumann piano pieces for some ballet (I encountered this on the radio and found it abhorrent, so forgot details)

Berio orchestrated one of Brahms clarinet sonatas, made a work ("Rendering") with fragments of Schubert's 10th and orchestrated a dozen or so of early Mahler songs (the latter are very good, don't know the others).
Orchestrating lieder that were originally only with piano was quite frequently done in the late 19th and early 20th century. Abbado conducted a selection of Schubert song orchestrations for DG.

Someone (a Swede? or was it recorded by a Swedish orchestra) also orchestrated Brahms' B major trio op.8, and, I think, Eugene Goosens did the Handel variations

The Berg piano sonata has been orchestrated (and for chamber ensemble),

I was looking for plain orchestrations so I am not including things like medleys (Les Sylphides) or "freely composed" pieces like Schoenberg's Concerto for String Quartet or Berio's Rendering.

[ritter]

Arnold Schoenberg arranged in 1929 his 2nd String Quartet (the one with a solo soprano part, from 1907-08) for string orchestra.

And Alban Berg arranged for string orchestra three movements of his Lyric Suite (originally for string quartet).

[DaveF]

Nielsen's Commotio (organ) has been orchestrated by Bo Holten.  It's perhaps my all-time favourite Nielsen, so I have no intention of listing to this travesty - especially as Mr Holten writes that the organ original is over-long, and that his effort might be called Nielsen's Symphony no.7.

I've often wondered - perhaps some of the composers on the forum can enlighten me - what is actually involved in arranging a string quartet for string orchestra.  Don't you just print 10 copies of each part?

And turning the subject of the thread on its head - didn't Webern down-size Schoenberg's first Chamber Symphony for piano trio?

[Karl Henning]

I've often wondered - perhaps some of the composers on the forum can enlighten me - what is actually involved in arranging a string quartet for string orchestra.  Don't you just print 10 copies of each part?

You also want to take thought for just what the double-basses double, and why.

[Karl Henning]

And turning the subject of the thread on its head - didn't Webern down-size Schoenberg's first Chamber Symphony for piano trio?

You're certainly right that he did arrange it, though I don't recall for just what ensemble, and you may well be right that it was piano trio.

[DavidW]

And turning the subject of the thread on its head - didn't Webern down-size Schoenberg's first Chamber Symphony for piano trio?

In spirit of that there is a piano trio transcription of Beethoven's 2nd symphony that I really like.

[DavidW]

There are too many little keyboard pieces and things with Bach to try to list them all.

I think the big one is the Art of Fugue which has been played by ensembles both large and small.

[Lisztianwagner]

Arnold Schoenberg arranged in 1929 his 2nd String Quartet (the one with a solo soprano part, from 1907-08) for string orchestra.

And Alban Berg arranged for string orchestra three movements of his Lyric Suite (originally for string quartet).

Wow, really?! I didn't know about that, I must absolutely have a listen to that arrangement, thanks for posting!

[ritter]

Also, Ferrucio Busoni arranged for orchestra (and expanded), as Berceuse élégiaque, the seventh of his Élégies for piano. A little jewel (the world première of which I understand was the last music conducted by Gustav Mahler).

[Symphonic Addict]

Ravel's orchestration of his Piano Trio and Introduction et Allegro for flute, clarinet, harp and string orchestra by Yan Pascal Tortelier and his String Quartet arranged for string orchestra by Barshai:

[ritter]

And how could I leave out Ravel's orchestration of four movements of his Le Tombeau de Couperin (originally for solo piano)? One of the composer's greatest achievements IMHO.

In a similar vein, Florent Schmitt arranged for piano and orchestra his J'entends dans le lointain... (the first piece of his Ombres for solo piano).

[Symphonic Addict]

Arrangements for string orchestra from Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14, Debussy's String Quartet and Korngold's String Sextet on this disc:

[Symphonic Addict]

A master orchestrator was Respighi. By him we have orchestrations from Rachmaninov's Five Études-tableaux, Ancient Airs and Dances Suites and Gli uccelli (from Baroque music), La Boutique fantasque (from Rossini's piano pieces), Vetrate di Chiesa (orchestration from Tre preludi sopra melodie gregoriane + San Gregorio Magno), among others.