Hi chaps,

I was just randomly buying sheet music a couple of weeks ago and I picked up a copy of Telemann's Concerto in G Major for viola and orchestra - the Schirmer's Library edition by William Primrose. I listened to the piece on CD when I got home and found the slow movements very simple and lovely, so when I looked at the music I was gutted to find that Primrose has added a lot of ornamentation as he sees fit, rather than just suggesting it and leaving it up to the violist themself. I don't want to just do Primrose's interpretation of this piece, so I'm annoyed - his version seems very twiddly, and I would struggle to play it and anyway I prefer my music to sound simple and elegant!

Bah!! Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Can anyone suggest a good edition? I can't even pick out Telemann's original melody in the first movement, so it's difficult to try to work around.

Thanks

Toni

Is that the one that has two movements on the G7 list?

The recommended edition is Barenreiter, which will be urtext so no ornaments. I have an edition, can't remember who publishes it (d'oh) but it's pale blue, and as far as I recall is also urtext.

OK, I went to have a look and, amazingly, I found it!

The copy I have is indeed the Barenreiter edition, and has no editorial ornaments.

It does appear to have a mistake in the allegro, I have a note typex'd out then re-written, but my edition was printed well over a decade ago so it may have been corrected subsequently.

(There is, or was, a bit of the allegro played by me on the recordings site, though it wasn't the best ever performance )

Barenreiter is generally a good bet for getting what was actually written rather than what some editor thinks is good. My admittedly slender experience with Schirmer has led me to avoid their editions as those I have had have never been the best. I am biased I admit as I just think the Barenreiter editions are gorgeous and would be tempted to buy their editions of stuff for instruments I don't even play just because they're sooooooooooooo pretty!

Great, thanks Sarah! I didn't realise it was on the Grade 7 list I'm really loving the 3rd movement though, and that seems a bit simpler than the others. Fast movements scare me!!

I didn't know that editions of music could vary so much! I usually go for Barenreiters if there is a choice though because, er, I think the covers look smarter

They're SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO purty.......... and the paper is cream... what's not to like?

Most of the allegro is not as bad as it looks - falls under the fingers reasonably well.

I have fingerings and stuff all over movements 3 and 4 but I don't remember them at all

I think it's the first two that are (together) a G7 piece.

It's a lovely piece!

I have the Barenreiter urtext edition. It is a good, clear edition. You can add your own ornamentation and cadenza(s) if you want.

The version I have was published in 2002. I know that Barenreiter published an earlier edition which is a bit different in places. The newer edition has the viola part identical to the version in the full score (it wasn't in the earlier edition) so if you ever decide to play it with an orchestra you won't have to change anything.

If you do decide to get the Barenreiter edition (2002), there is a mistake in the viola part of the Andante (3rd movement).

You can play this work at many different levels. At least one movement has appeared on the grade 6 syllabus in the past. The complete concerto is on the diploma list.

I played the last two movements at the forum concert in Woodford last year.

Great, thanks, I'll get that version then! It's a shame that I'll have to buy the same concerto twice but it sounds like one of those standard repertoire pieces that will last you the rest of your life so it'll be an investment.

I wish I had paid more attention to the violas at Woodford last year.....I can remember you playing something, and I really enjoyed it, but couldn't remember what it was. I definitely will pay more attention this year though!

My daughter's just played movements 1 & 2 for her TG grade 6 viola today - they recommend the Barenreiter BA 5878a edition. She started using her teacher's old version which was an older Barenreiter ed. and that had more ornamentation in it. She preferred the more modern edition when we got it for her.

That's funny, they're G7 in ABRSM... I know, because I almost did them, but then I played them really badly so I did a Bach piece instead.

Yes, but as purpleviola said,

I guess once you get to this level and are playing "proper" pieces rather than simplified versions, a lot of pieces can be set at anything from G 6 - 8 and the examiner will just expect you to get rather more out of it at the higher level.

I think there have been quite a few pieces in the past that have been set for different levels, particularly between Trinity and ABRSM.
As a useful coincidence - daughter also played the Vaughan Williams Fantasia on Greensleeves. I was having trouble finding a copy but then I spotted that it was on the ABRSM G6 cello syllabus. It's produced in a viola/cello edition and once I realised that, it was easy to find, as the music shops had it in their ABRSM cello section rather than with TG stuff!