Brahms Op.120 Clarinet and Piano Sonatas

[Alde]

Which one is easier technically for the pianist No.1 in F Minor or No.2 in E Flat Major?

[schubertiad]

The e flat, no question. I played both these sonatas on clarinet with an amateur pianist friend. The second sonata was absolutely no problem for him to sightread through, but the first movement of the first gave him absolute fits, even after a lot of practice.

[dnephi]

You should play it with viola- it's a better piece.  Brahms even set some precedence in transcription while doing so.

[richard black]

I've played them both, many times, and I'd say there isn't much in it. Most of the time they're both perfectly playable but each has the odd bar which is never entirely safe no matter how hard you practise.

[prongated]

The second sonata was absolutely no problem for him to sightread through, but the first movement of the first gave him absolute fits, even after a lot of practice.

...your 'amateur' friend must be brilliant...third and fourth movement I pretty much failed to sightread in the rehearsal...ended up accompanying it for free

[schubertiad]

Yeah, this guy is an absolute freak. He hasn't practised the piano in years (he doesn't even own one), but when he does play he can sit down and play practically anything. My twin, older brother, dad and i have cobbled together our own string quartet, and he sightread through the brahms piano quintet, trout quintet, schumann quintet and mozart g minor quartet, never having even heard half of them.
I've got a recording back in england of us doing the first brahms clarinet sonata actually. When i go back i might try to dig it out and post it up.

[michael_langlois]

Since it seems pertinent, here is a recording from April of me playing the f minor with a clarinetist friend of mine (the first two movements).

[michael_langlois]

And the second two movements...