Double Bassist
Orpheus Publications
Spring 2004
“Discordia’s approach is thorough and clear. At first the bass part seems to follow the direction taken by the 1990 Reis & Erler edition, with solo tuning making life easier for accompanists already familiar with the work. However, Discordia editors Michael Hovnanian and David Cardon soon go their own way, sticking resolutely to Brahms’ octave voicings. Those few passages differing from the original are pointed out, with the respective Urtext excerpts shown in reference. Only the double-stop alteration of mvt. 1 mm. 118-125 appears clumsy, but the player, with all relevant information to hand, is free to make his or her own editorial choices. This is the key strength of Discordia’s approach: artistic calls are informed by the composer’s intentions, not the editors’, although the source material used in preparing this edition is not stated.”