We owe a debt of gratitude to the clarinettist Richard Mühlfeld for making the elderly Brahms so interested in his instrument. In the 1890s the composer wrote the Trio op. 114, the Quintet op. 115 and the Sonatas op. 120 - three gems in the clarinet chamber music repertoire. Brahms also provided a part for viola as an alternative to the clarinet. The revision of our edition of the viola version of opus 120 is based on the musical text of the New Brahms Complete Edition and in many respects contains significant improvements: we were able to consult the autograph for the first time - the newly set piano score now contains the viola part - and viola players can benefit from fingerings and bowings by Tabea Zimmermann in the solo part. / Alto Et Piano

Vieuxtemps is nowadays considered to be the foremost exponent of the Franco-Belgian violin school. Following a concert by the 14-year old 'wunderkind? in 1834, none other than Robert Schumann said: 'With Henri one can safely close one's eyes. His playing is like a flower, at the same time both fragrant and bright.? Vieuxtemps was also an excellent viola player and alongside numerous works for violin, also wrote several compositions for its relative. The Sonata op. 36, published in 1862, is one of the gems of viola literature with its oscillation between expressive maestoso, elegiac barcarola and scherzando passages. Our edition is the first ever Urtext edition. / Alto

To complement the 'Sassmannshaus Early Start on the Viola? method, Bärenreiter offer a selection of recital pieces tailored to this educational concept. This edition presents 14 pieces covering a wide stylistic spectrum, giving viola players a rich body of appealing concert pieces to choose from.The works are arranged in increasing order of difficulty, the cornerstones being two works by Georg Eduard Goltermann- his technically simple 'Andante religioso? and his demanding 'Adagio? and 'Tarantella?. Works by Kalliwoda, Fauré, Grieg, Dvorák, amongst others, are included.- 14 recital pieces presented in increasing order of difficulty- Wide range of styles includedThe editorKurt Sassmannshaus is a violinist and viola player, a professor of violin in Cincinnati (OH) and a promoter of violin teaching with projects in Germany, China and the United States. He continues the work of his father Egon Sassmannshaus, who set new standards with the Sassmannshaus string methods. / Alto Et Piano