# Beethoven Op 71



## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

Beethoven's Op 71 is a Wind Sextet (2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns) written in the 1790s when LvB was still in Bonn. Its very "prim and proper" classical period style so no "sound and fury" here but I really love this piece. I played one of the horn parts in a chamber music group during my university days. Its a great four movement piece and was later arranged for the standard wind quintet. Is anyone else familiar with this work?

1st movement






2nd, 3rd, and 4th movements


----------



## Guest (Jan 27, 2017)

Yes and I like it very much. I think it is much better than his earlier wind octet. I have two recordings but the one I like best is a wind group called Mozzafiato.


----------



## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Note in passing: Beethoven reworked his wind octet into a string quintet in 1795, an improvement I think. It was published as his Op. 4.


----------



## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Scharoun Ensemble Berlin (Members of the Berlin Philharmonic) are stunning is this work.


----------



## Heck148 (Oct 27, 2016)

Olias said:


> Beethoven's Op 71 is a Wind Sextet (2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 horns) written in the 1790s when LvB was still in Bonn. Its very "prim and proper" classical period style so no "sound and fury" here but I really love this piece. I played one of the horn parts in a chamber music group during my university days. Its a great four movement piece and was later arranged for the standard wind quintet. Is anyone else familiar with this work?


Love this piece...as a bassoonist, I love performing this work, one of the best...it's classical style, in 4 mvts, but it's gutsy too, as the young Beethoven genius begins to emerge...
Great slow mvt - wonderful bassoon solo, one of the best.
That said, I've always hated/disliked intensely the 5tet version...obviously written for a group that had a lame bassoon player...all the best bassoon parts are given to the horn or clarinet...the bassoon part is essentially the Bassoon II part of the 6tet...real PITA.
the original - WW 6tet rules!! 
My favorite recording never made it to CD, TMK - the NY WW 5tet plus friends -

I also have a fine recording of this work with the CzechPO woodwinds....great playing.

Glazer, Oppenheim[??] clars
Barrows, Buffington horns
Weisberg, Glickman = bassoons

They also made a great recording of LvB 8tet for Winds, and the Rondino


----------

