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Reduced orchestration of Fidelio by Beethoven

 

Our arrangement of Fidelio is scored for single wind, two horns and trumpet. The percussion and string parts are as the composer wrote them.

1(Picc),1,1,1 - 2,1,0,0, T Str

The offstage trumpet part is cued in the orchestral part.   You can view a few pages of the Full Score here.

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Comments from recent reviews...

"...  the orchestra is reduced to 13 players ... Far from missing the lushness of a full string sound, we could hear every nuance of Beethoven’s ingenuity in constructing melodies, harmonies and rhythmic device. Each time a single note caused a particularly felicitous change in harmony, that note was clearly signposted to us, without orchestral clutter to hide it – a true revelation of the music."

David Karlin, bachtrack.com, 13 September 2020 

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"... a reduced orchestra – 13 members of the Philharmonia, playing an arrangement by Francis Griffin... With only a string quintet, mostly single woodwind and brass, and timpani, the orchestra sounded lithe, details not usually heard now audible "

Fiona Maddocks The Guardian Sat 19 Sep 2020

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"Beethoven’s Fidelio... was always going to be something extraordinary. It turned out to be all the more so given the revelations of what you can hear in Beethoven’s score as arranged by Francis Griffin for an ensemble of 13 Philharmonia players "

David Nice The Arts Desk Saturday, 19 September 2020

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