One of the nicest organ recordings I’ve heard.

I’ve been aware of Charles Koechlin for a very long time, having played flute pieces of his for almost as long as I can remember. It’s only relatively recently however that his name seems to have been cropping up more in the CD catalogues, with fascinating and remarkable works such as the piano cycle Les Heures Persanes showing previously little known aspects of the composer. Organist Christian Schmitt has here recorded a representative sample of organ works by Koechlin, and as many of these are première recordings this disc will add considerably to our supply of Koechlinalea.

Koechlin himself was more of a pianist than an organist, and the conventional nature of earlier works such as the Choral in F minor develops into further extremes of contrapuntal extremity as evidenced by the later opus numbered Choral Final du Requiem, which pushes canonic techniques into a labyrinthine elegy. If you like Hindemith’s organ sonatas, then the three Sonatines which Koechlin wrote during 1928-29 occupy comparable melodic and harmonic territory. Koechlin’s fascination and deep study of Bach comes through strongly in the Finale of Sonatine III, and the first and second of these pieces contrast with the rest of the programme in also having lighter Pastorale movements. There is also a good deal of melodic charm in the Quatre Chorals, produced as a by-product of the composer’s own composition classes.

This programme contains what is apparently Koechlin’s last work, the eccentric Pièce pour orgue, Op. 226, which shows the composer exploring the essence of his own expressive palette in what the booklet notes describe as “sketchy textures.” More monumental is the extended Fugue Op.133 II originally written for “a symphonic string apparatus”, and with seemingly impossible chromatic lines. More gentle and improvisatory is the Adagio pour Grand-orgue Op.201, which nonetheless builds a remarkable structure in which one can become totally immersed.

The recently rebuilt 1950s Marktkirche organ is a tremendous instrument, and very well suited to this music. A more nasal French sound might arguably be more appropriate, but whether consciously or not the organ sound here points to the universality of Koechlin’s expressive world and to my ears is both appropriate and highly enjoyable. The CPO recording is very rich and deep even in plain stereo. As an SACD multi-channel experience it really is of demonstration quality. This is one of those inspiring releases which anyone keen on organ music and 20 ^th century repertoire should have around. The organ music of Charles Koechlin should hold no fears for anyone attracted by the romantic worlds of Widor and Duruflé, and indeed it often harks back to more ancient worlds in its sometimes antique style and use of the models of Bach. This organ sound is woodsmoke and nostalgia to me, and has restored my faith in its qualities as a truly expressive instrument. Superbly performed and produced with useful booklet notes, it is one of the nicest organ recordings I’ve heard for a long time.

-- Dominy Clements, MusicWeb International

Late Baroque composer Johann Joseph Fux (1660-1741) is most well-known for his treatise on counterpoint, Gradus ad Parnassum, which remains the most influential writing on the Palestrinian style of Renaissance polyphony. This new two-disc set features the complete recording of Fux’s “Concentus musico-instrumentalis in septem partittas, ut vulgo dicimus divisus,” which consists of a Serenade in three parts, a Sinfonia a 6, four Overtures, and a Sinfonia in three voices. The first Hofkapelle Graz was formed in 1564. Since that ensemble was established much has changed. The Neue Hofkapelle Graz combines the old and traditional ideas with new life. The ensemble is led by first violinist Lucia Froihofer and harpsichordist Michael Hell.

Includes cto(s) by Johann Friedrich Fasch. Ensemble: La Stravaganza Cologne. Soloists: Sergio Azzolini, Veronika Skuplik.

The sinfonia concertante was a popular genre from the final quarter of the 18th century into the first half of the 19th century. It was an outgrowth of the Baroque concerto a molti stromenti that pitted a group of soloists—sometimes quite disparate—against an accompanying orchestral body. The focus was upon the soloists, the orchestra being relegated to an accompanying role. Musicologist Barry Brook notes that the genre was largely populated by works in major keys; works that were “ relaxed, gracious and happy, rarely dramatic, never sombre or intense.”

Other characteristics of the sinfonia concertante include an increasing use of winds as soloists (as seen in this set) and the use of what I termed “disparate” soloists above; the example by Koželuch that is included in this three-CD set calls for four soloists: piano, trumpet, mandolin, and double bass. The French are generally credited with the establishment of the genre, with examples appearing in the repertoire of both the Concerts Spirituel and Concerts d’Amateurs. As the heading indicates, the sinfonia concertante quickly found its way to the German-speaking countries and eventually to England by way of works from the pens of Haydn and Pleyel.

The 10 works recorded here represent CD reissues of material taken in toto from vintage vinyl originally recorded and released in the late 1970s by Electrola. Collected and edited by German clarinetist Dieter Klöcker, the artistic director of Consortium Classicum, these compositions represent what Klöcker regards as the crème de la crème of the genre. The two well-known examples by Mozart for violin and viola and flute/clarinet, oboe, horn, and bassoon are omitted here for obvious reasons. At the time of the original release, many of the composers represented here were relatively, if not completely unknown to all, save a few members of the international musicological community. However, that has changed in the intervening quarter-century with several recordings of music by Crusell, Danzi, Winter, Abel, and Koželuch.

The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and Consortium Classicum were (and still are, for that matter) two of the finest ensembles active. Each is renowned for many traits, including razor-sharp ensemble, affluent tone and technique, and exceptional vitality—characteristics that abound in these sessions. This collaboration came about at a time when the period-instrument movement was beginning to test its legs, but the brightly paced and well-recorded compositions still abound in freshness and intelligence. They are further commended by astounding technical agility and there is abundant warmth when required. In sum, these exceptional interpretations of rare material are still unsurpassable and their position of undeniable prominence not likely to be challenged in my lifetime. Every aficionado of the Classical era should own this set, and at the special price offered by cpo, there’s no reason to avoid it.

Michael Carter, FANFARE

Alex Potter - praised by the press as "a rising star in the world of countertenors" - interprets sacred works by Telemann for cpo on this album. The setting of Psalm 6 continues to be thoroughly obliged to the tone of the sacred concertos of the seventeenth century associated with names such as Dietrich Buxtehude, Johann Rosenm�ller, and Johann Schelle. However, even though this psalm setting entitled "Ach, Herr strafe mich nicht" very much resembles similar works by older authors, it nevertheless displays a very special aura. Accompanied by two violins and basso continuo, an affectively nuanced narrative of a soul plagued by fear and hoping for the end of it's torments is heard. The Missa in B minor is similar in style to the music of the psalm; it is what is known as a Lutheran �short mass,� which with it's Kyrie and Gloria merely consists of two compositional complexes. All the numbers comprising "Me miserum" concern the faithful soul, which tells it's story, is aware of it's insufficiency but does not yield to despair, and therefore is able to register it's experience of faith. A sonata and two fugues round off the album.

One of Telemann's later works, this Passion oratorio was composed to a text by Karl Wilhelm Ramler. How it came to be set by both Carl Heinrich Graun in Berlin and Telemann in Hamburg, the results performed within weeks of each other, is a topic of great speculation that's pointedly covered in the historically oriented program notes. Telemann's work is scored for four soloists, chorus, and a small orchestra. Ramler assumed that everyone knew the story of the Crucifixion; the solos, accompagnatos, and chorales all comment on the story rather than giving a blow by blow account. As sectioned in this interpretation, Part I is devoted to events that took place in the Garden of Gethsemane and Part II to the horrors of Mount Golgotha. The overall tone is reverent and hopeful rather than morbid and grim, and the work is full of lovely arias, choruses, and chorales.


Telemann's use of obbligato wind instruments is thoroughly masterful, from the dulcet flutes in the alto aria "Ein Gebet um neue Stärke", to the transverse piccolos that delightfully chirp away in the soprano chorale "Singt dem göttlichen Propheten" near the beginning of Part II. A soulful horn solo is the focus of the Introduction (Lamento), while the same instrument is used in military fashion in the tenor aria "So stehet ein Berg Gottes". An expressive oboe d'amore accentuates the bass aria "Ihr weichgeschaffnen Seelen".


With one exception, a somewhat bland soprano, the soloists are marvelous, singing with great expression and conviction to fully convey the meaning of every word. The small chorus is divided 5/8/6/6, more lower voices than upper, which produces a lovely darkish timbre--and it sings with impeccable intonation and good diction. The orchestra, including the aforementioned soloists, has a lovely sound, and conductor Ludger Rémy finds the right pace for every passage. The recording is warm and intimate, with lots of space around the singers and instrumentalists. [10/16/2000]
--Rad Bennett, ClassicsToday.com

Joachim Raff (1822-82) is little known today, but he enjoyed considerable success as a composer and teacher during his lifetime. Although he composed an appreciable quantity of orchestral music, Raff was most adept in the chamber music medium. His piano trios are fine examples of his inventiveness, craftsmanship, and gift for melody. Though Trio No. 2 in G major (1863) sounds Brahmsian in its tender opening phrase, it nevertheless goes its own way, displaying Raff's novel approach to individual voicing and thematic development. Beethoven comes to mind in the beautiful theme and variations movement, while the rollicking finale features a repeated episode distinctly Tchaikovskian in character.


The Trio No. 3 in A minor, composed seven years later, follows the same basic pattern of movements. After an ardent opening allegro agitato, a light-hearted scherzo delightfully suggests Schubert's Trout Quintet. Another theme and variations slow movement follows (presenting the opportunity for some fine solo cello work by Mario de Scondi), and the finale returns to the minor mode with a brisk and lively Hungarian dance. The ensemble Trio Opus 8 offers uniformly stylish, impassioned performances, and although CPO's up-close recording gains clarity at the expense of depth and low bass, this imperfection won't prevent you from enjoying this engaging, entertaining music.
--Victor Carr Jr., ClassicsToday.com

This selection is available for a limited time as a special import.

Shortly after the Nazis had seized power, Paul Frankenburger, like many other Jewish composers, left Germany for Palestine, which was then under British administration. In Palestine he resumed his creative work with Ben-Haim as his Hebrew name. He became one of the pioneers of classical music in Israel, both as a composer and as an admired composition teacher. His Concerto Grosso, his first work for symphony orchestra, is embedded in the spiritual and technical sound world of German late romanticism and French impressionism and related to the Baroque concerto grosso only insofar as it contains numerous solos and homogeneous orchestral segments. Ben-Haim concluded the score of his Symphony No. 2, his longest orchestral work, in October 1945. This work adheres to the four-movement structure of classical and romantic music. The autographic score has an epigraph by the Israeli poet Shin Shalom: "Awake with the morning, O my soul, on the summit of Carmel over the sea." It indicates the hopeful, optimistic mood prevailing throughout most of the symphony. The conductor Israel Yinon (who unfortunately died in 2015) is once again our skillful guide through this second Ben-Haim production.

Classical Music

This is a rather exuberant collection of cello sonatas by Ferdinand Ries (1784-1838), a student of Beethoven and, along with Beethoven, an innovator of the cello/piano sonata form. Neither Mozart nor Haydn composed cello sonatas; for their more intimate music they preferred the trio or even the string quartet where, in either case, the cello's role always remains submerged. Ries gave the cello a greater and more melodic role (which he learned from Beethoven), and the genre is all the more enriched because of it. But you won't hear Beethoven in any of Ries' works. The Cello Sonata Op. 21 is a buoyant work in four movements that highlights the cello's songlike character with the piano underscoring the piece with a pleasant counterpoint. Though the piano's role seems right out of Mozart in this work, the interaction between the two instruments allows for harmonic passages unknown to Mozart. In fact, in Introduction and a Russian Dance for Piano Forte and Violoncello, Ries seems to outdo his teacher with the cello and piano trading off roles, with neither instrument gaining ascendancy. The Cello Sonata Op. 125 that follows also exists in a violin/piano version and has piano passages that reflect early, classical modes of performance. (Ries wrote the piece while in London in 1823 where Haydn was still the rage.) The performances by Guido Larisch on the cello and Robert Hill on piano are quite terrific here. These two men are clearly skilled at performing both late classical and early romantic music, but more than that, these two simply capture the fun in this music. Very highly recommended. --Paul Cook, ClassicsToday.com

Compared with his more than 1,400 cantatas, operas, and other vocal works, his instrumental works account for only a small portion of his oeuvre, but they demonstrate that, like Telemann, Graupner was a late baroque composer who always lived in quest of new expressive possibilities. The concertos presented here, composed in 1736-37 and 1742, were used either as table music pieces or for concert events.

This album marks part two of CPO's complete recordings of sacred works by Johann Kuhnau, featuring premiere recordings. Offered here is a multifaceted picture of Kuhnau's cantata oeuvre "Lobe den Herren, meine Selle" - certainly numbering among the earliest of the compositions brought together on this album. Musically, it continues to be situated very much in the tradition of the sacred concerto of the late seventeenth century. Regrettably, broad segments of the music world have rather often perceived Kuhnau merely as a forerunner of the great Johann Sebastian Bach, subjecting him to unpardonable neglect and undervaluing him. However, to name one example, the magnificently designed cantata "Schmucket das Fest mit Maien" for four-part choir, two oboes, two recorders, two violini concertati, two violins in ripieno, viola, bassoon, and basso continuo demonstrates that he cannot at all be charged with a lack of innovative spirit. On the textual level, this work proves to be a finely crafted combination of biblical texts, freely penned arias, and a concluding chorale. A conversation between the soprano and the bass drawing on markedly dialogic passages from the Song of Songs and original poetic verses inspired by them, occupies the focus. Once again, Gregor Meyer, the director of this extensive project, interprets these cantatas with the Opella Musica ensemble of soloists established by him in 2011 and the camerata lipsiensis orchestra adhering to the spirit of historical performance practice.

This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.

Recordings of programs like this, competent and fundamentally satisfying as they are, only serve to confirm the difference between composers such as Bach, Mozart, and Haydn and those like Carl Heinrich Graun, whose life and career fell roughly in the middle of those three giants, but whose inventive capacity was more functional and skillful than transcendent or ingenious. The Te Deum is appropriately grand (written to honor the Prussian defeat of the Austrians in 1757) and contains a lively orchestral introduction, followed by a suitably emphatic, melodically catchy choral affirmation of the work's theme of praise. Throughout the piece the orchestral accompaniment is distinguished by varied strokes of color (especially effective use of horns and winds) and nifty string figures that not only fill out the texture but enhance and even illuminate the choral commentary. There are many solos, lots of fine fugal sections, and strongly written choruses; there's also a beautiful duet for alto and tenor ("Te ergo quaesumus").

But the basic problem here for listeners is that Graun's music is not consummately interesting or structurally inventive enough to warrant the 45 minutes he devotes to the explication of this familiar if somewhat lengthy text. The weakest material comes in the longer solos--surprising due to the fact that Graun was best known in his time as an opera composer. The three motets are very well-crafted, the second one especially--Lasset uns freuen und fröhlich sein--with its Bach-like contrasts both between voice-parts and from section to section, ending with a lovely fugue. The choral singing is very solid, the soloists generally engaging and technically sure, and the orchestra under Fritz Näf provides attentive support and polished sound. While this is not the greatest music of its time, it nevertheless reflects the very high standard of court sacred music in Berlin in the mid-18th century and stands as a reference for the work of a composer whom Bach himself was known to have admired. CPO completes the package with vibrant, clear sound, well-balanced among and between chorus, soloists, and orchestra.

--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

Also Available: Pachelbel: Complete Organ Works, Vol. 2 and Pachelbel: Complete Organ Works, Vol. 3

REVIEW:

This set of five discs is the first volume of a recording of the complete extant keyboard works of Johann Pachelbel.

This is not the first 'complete' recording: at least the organ works have been recorded complete before. However, this is the first recording which is based on a new critical edition of his keyboard oeuvre, edited by one of the performers on this set, Michael Belotti. For this project only appropriate historical organs are used, dating from the early 18th century. The programmes on every disc are put together in such a way that there is some coherence in content, but at the same time variation between pieces based on chorales and 'free' organ works.

Pachelbel was one of the most important German composers of the second half of the 17th century. He was born in Nuremberg where he also would die at the age of 53. One of his first teachers was Georg Caspar Wecker (some of his compositions were recorded recently by Ralf Waldner: review. Probably in 1670 he enrolled in the Gymnasium Poeticum in Regensburg where he excelled and was allowed to study music externally. He became a pupil of Kaspar Prentz, himself a pupil of Johann Caspar Kerll. It was probably through Prentz that he became acquainted with the Italian style. His knowledge in this realm was enhanced when he moved to Vienna where he acted as deputy organist of the Stephansdom. From 1673 Kerll also worked there as court organist. It is not quite clear whether Pachelbel took lessons from him, but his own oeuvre shows Kerll's influence.

In 1677 Pachelbel became organist of the court in Eisenach. During his time there he established contact with members of the Bach family. He is one of the composers who influenced the development of Johann Sebastian as a composer of organ music, especially in the genre of the chorale partita. According to the Eisenach Kapellmeister, Daniel Eberlin, Pachelbel was a "perfect and rare virtuoso". In 1678 he moved to Erfurt where he was appointed organist of the Predigerkirche. He left that post for Stuttgart where he worked for two years as court organist. The French invasion in 1692 forced him to leave Stuttgart; he then became town organist in Gotha. When in 1695 his former teacher Wecker died he was appointed as his successor as organist of St Sebaldus in Nuremberg, without the then common examination. The fact that the authorities were so eager to have him return to Nuremberg bears witness to his reputation as one of the most prominent organists of his time.

He also played a crucial role in the development of the style of keyboard composing in Germany. Through his education he was influenced by the Italian style which he then disseminated in central Germany through his pupils. He also had contacts in northern Germany, especially with Dieterich Buxtehude, one of the most prominent representatives of the North German organ school. When he published his Hexachordum Apollinis in 1699, Buxtehude was one of the dedicatees.

Pachelbel has left a large oeuvre, even though parts of his output have been lost. Although music for keyboard is by far the largest part of his oeuvre, he also composed vocal music - sacred and secular - and music for instrumental ensemble. A part of his keyboard oeuvre can be played on the organ or on a stringed keyboard instrument, such as the harpsichord and the clavichord. It is more or less a matter of taste which instrument to choose. This explains why, in this first volume, we find several pieces which are also available to perform on the harpsichord.

Pachelbel left a large number of chorale arrangements. This is remarkable as organists in his time were expected to improvise; if any of their improvisations have come down to us it is mostly through copies by pupils or colleagues. Printed editions of chorale arrangements were very rare, but Pachelbel published a set of eight during his time in Erfurt — later reprinted in Nuremberg in 1693. Most of his chorale arrangements date from this time. The contract stipulated that as organist of the Predigerkirche he should precede the singing of a chorale by the congregation with a thematic prelude based on its melody, and was to accompany the singing throughout all the stanzas. "The wording makes it clear that he was not to improvise the prelude but should diligently prepare it beforehand", John Butt writes in New Grove. This could well explain the large number of chorale arrangements which have been preserved. Scholars distinguish no fewer than eight different forms of chorale arrangement, most of which are exposed in the printed edition. One form which Pachelbel frequently used is the so-called 'combination-form': a fugue on the first line of a chorale followed by an elaboration of the complete chorale. Other forms are the bicinium in which the chorale melody is embellished first in the upper voice and then in the bass, and fugues on the opening line.

Fugues play an important role in Pachelbel's oeuvre. He wrote no fewer than 98 Magnificat fugues which date from his time as organist of St Sebaldus in Nuremberg. The Magnificat was part of the Vespers, and these fugues were used as intonations to establish the pitch for the singers. Only a minority of these fugues are thematically related to the Magnificat chant; the majority are based on free themes. This explains why they are quite popular among today's organists to be used in the liturgy; also because they are relatively short. They are very different in character: the Magnificat fugue 1. toni No. 15, for instance, is based on a very lively subject, whereas the theme of the next is a chromatically ascending line (CD 3, track 9). These fugues are divided in this CPO set over the five discs: every time only a handful in one of the ecclesiastical modes is played.

The free works are usually considered 'non-liturgical', but that doesn't mean that they could not have been played, for instance, before or after a service. Pachelbel contributed to the main genres of his time: toccatas, preludes, fantasias, fugues, ricercares and ciaconas. The combination of a toccata or a prelude and a fugue is rare; this is a form which was to become common among composers of later generations, such as Johann Sebastian Bach. In this recording some of these are combined anyway, but obviously there is no thematic relationship, only a common key. In view of their often different character they can hardly be experienced as belonging together and there are also differences in registration. The toccatas have in common that all of them are largely based on a pedal point. In Pachelbel's organ music one doesn't find the virtuosic pedal parts which were characteristic of the North German organ school. A notable exception is the Prelude in d minor which opens the first disc and which begins with an elaborated pedal solo. In the liner-notes this is attributed to influences from North Germany, in particular Buxtehude.

The last important part of Pachelbel's keyboard oeuvre is the variation. He composed a number of chorale partitas (not included here) and variations for keyboard for either organ or harpsichord/clavichord. The first disc ends with the Aria in D with six variations, but the largest collection of such pieces is the Hexachordum Apollinis of 1699. This edition includes six arias with various variations. They show strong influences from Italy and from composers such as Kerll and in particular Froberger. It is notable that in the chorale partitas - which are of an earlier date - we always find a chromatic variation. This is absent from the 1699 edition. The first five arias seem to be intended as a cycle; the sixth and last is called 'Aria Sebaldina' and is somewhat different from the others.

One of the problems editors and performers have to deal with is the question of authenticity. It’s not different here. There are several pieces which are attributed to Pachelbel in some sources, but could have been written by a composer from his environment, be it his teacher, a colleague or one of his pupils. The editors of this recording project have decided to be generous and include those pieces which may be written by someone else, also to give some idea of the environment in which Pachelbel worked. This is all indicated in the tracklist.

The various pieces have numbers; unfortunately the booklet omits any information about the identity of these numbers which may refer to the edition which is being published. It is also not very forthcoming towards non-German speakers in that the indications of the various genres of chorale arrangement are given only in German.

As I have already written, some pieces which are often played on the harpsichord are performed here on the organ. That is largely a matter of preference, and some might have liked it better on another instrument. The arias with variations do well on both, although I felt that the last variation of the set in D (CD 1, track 23) points in the direction of the harpsichord rather than the organ. Here and in the Hexachordum Apollinis I would probably have preferred a smaller organ, such as the one Christian Schmitt plays in some items on CD 2.

I have generally admired the way Pachelbel's music is played here. The four organists are excellent interpreters who know how to bring out the qualities of his various works. One can always have differences of opinion about registration. The change in registration within single pieces is questionable. In some cases I found the articulation not clear enough, and that goes especially for Michael Belotti's playing. James David Christie tends to be a little mechanical: more breathing spaces and a bit more liberty in the interpretation would have been nice. However, these are only small reservations about a remarkable, impressive and very important project. In fact, this seems to me one of the most important projects in recent times as it is a monument to one of the greatest composers of the baroque era. That is reason enough to label it Recording of the Month.

– MusicWeb International (Johan van Veen)