About this edition
Max Bruch's Concerto in E minor for Clarinet, Viola, and Orchestra, Op. 88, is one of the most unusual and affecting works in the late-Romantic concerto repertoire. Composed in 1911, when Bruch was in his early seventies, it pairs clarinet and viola as equal soloists — a combination almost without precedent — and channels the composer's late-career turn toward warmth, introspection, and long-breathed lyricism rather than virtuosic display. Written for his son, clarinetist Max Felix Bruch, and premiered with violist Willy Hess, the concerto stands as a deeply personal and often overlooked complement to the far more famous Violin Concerto No. 1, rewarding conductors and chamber-minded orchestras willing to look beyond Bruch's best-known works.
This edition reproduces the full orchestral score as published by Breitkopf & Härtel of Leipzig, the venerable German house that served as Bruch's principal publisher throughout his career and issued authoritative first editions of much of his output. Breitkopf & Härtel's engraving standards and editorial practices were the benchmark of German music publishing in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and their scores remain a trusted reference point for performers and scholars studying Bruch's music in a form closely reflecting the composer's own intentions.
About this edition:
- Full orchestral score (all instrumental parts shown in conductor's score format)
- Page size: 8.5 x 11 inches, printed for clarity and ease of study or rehearsal use
- Reproduced from a historical public domain edition
- Published by Purple 4R Publishing
Because this score comes from a historical edition that has entered the public domain, we're able to bring it back into print in a clean, accessible format — helping ensure that Bruch's rare and rewarding Double Concerto stays available to the conductors, performers, and scholars who continue to champion it.
