Classical Music

If you’re up for the challenge, this admirable collection, well played and directed by two intrepid conductors and a game ensemble of Hannoverians, delivers the goods.

Let’s not kid ourselves: Krenek is not exactly an ingratiating composer, and these are works for hard-core collectors only. His style is for the most part harsh and acerbic, moving from the angular chromaticism with light popular music influences of his First Symphony, through serialism, to a kind of free atonality in the Fifth. Significantly, he composed no further symphonies after 1949, although he lived until 1991. This makes him a kind of avatar of the 20th century musical crisis, and an important figure historically, but is the music enjoyable? That of course is a purely subjective question, but without doubt one that will require a measure of concentration and endurance that I suspect may be too much for many listeners. That said, if you’re up for the challenge, this admirable collection, well played and directed by two intrepid conductors and a game ensemble of Hannoverians, delivers the goods.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

The Symphony in D minor, subtitled “Schmiedt Schmerz” (or, “Sorrow the Blacksmith”) is a very typical, and very good example of traditional German Sturm und Drang in three well-wrought movements. Its thematic material is top quality, and happily Grainer does not equate the usual German enthusiasm for symphonic misery with dullness. The Adagio features a climax of Brucknerian grandeur without inflicting on us Brucknerian length (it lasts only six minutes). You can sample the coda of the tumultuous first movement below.

Aus dem Reiche des Pan (“From Pan’s Kingdom”) is a brief, four movement suite full of luscious tunes and glittering orchestration. Although clearly from the same era as the music of Strauss, Korngold, and Zemlinsky, the music reveals none of their decadence. Harmonically, Graener was a conservative and so he remained throughout his career–one of the qualities that endeared him to the Nazis. He wasn’t a very good Nazi though: a British citizen despite his return to Germany, he also had too many Jewish friends ever to impress them with his Aryan purity, try though he might.

The performances here under Werner Andreas Albert are stunning. He and the Hanover orchestra tear into the music with overwhelming power and bravura, and they are magnificently recorded. This disc is even better than the initial release in CPO’s ongoing series, and if you collect music of this style and period, I can’t recommend it highly enough.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

GERNSHEIM Symphonies: No. 1 in g, op. 32; No. 3 in c, op. 54, “Miriam” • Hermann Bäumer, cond; Mainz PSO • CPO 777758 (78:00)


In 35:5 Michael Carter placed in the Fanfare “Classical Hall of Fame” an Arte Nova set of the four symphonies of Friedrich Gernsheim (1839–1916), with Siegfried Köhler conducting the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz. Until now these were the only recordings ever made of Gernsheim’s symphonies. Now, with a different orchestra from the same Rhineland district, under the baton of Hermann Bäumer, CPO offers the first half of a competing Gernsheim cycle, pairing the composer’s two symphonies composed in minor keys. Those readers of Fanfare who peruse my reviews will already be aware that I am as passionate an advocate for the music of Gernsheim as I am for that of Théodore Gouvy. Both are what I would term top-drawer second-tier composers; while not quite peers of Schumann or Brahms, they nonetheless rank immediately beneath and very close to them in merit, being equal or superior to better-known figures such as Max Bruch. Thus, any recording that expands the all-too-slender Gernsheim discography is most welcome.


While Gernsheim’s mature compositional voice (as I have noted in previous reviews of his music) bears a marked likeness to that of Brahms, the influences of Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Schumann are also quite evident, as is a kinship to Bruch. This is particularly evident in Gernsheim’s First Symphony, which along with the third was composed and premiered in Rotterdam during the composer’s tenure there as Music Director of the city’s Philharmonic Society. Written in 1875, a year before Brahms’s First Symphony saw the light of day, it winningly melds the dramatic urgency of Beethoven, the melodic fluency of Mendelssohn, and the romantic ardor and harmonic richness of Schumann. The opening Allegro moderato clearly bears the fingerprints of the Coriolan Overture, while the succeeding Larghetto suggests the direction in which Mendelssohn likely would have developed had he lived a decade or more longer. The energetic Scherzo Vivace and concluding Allegro moderato assai , particularly the former, show that Gernsheim and Bruch flowed out of the same Rhineland musical tributary. However, if Bruch’s gorgeous melodies are more immediately appealing, Gernsheim’s superior grasp of trio and sonata forms gives his four symphonies a cogency and staying power that Bruch’s three undistinguished essays in the genre lack.


By contrast, Gernsheim’s Third Symphony, dating from 1887, displays a far greater affinity to Brahms, particularly the latter’s Second and Third symphonies. That said, it must be emphasized that the affinity is not one of mere imitation; while the relation is evident, Gernsheim is definitely his own man, and no knowledgeable listener would mistake this work for one by Brahms instead. Notable is the subtle but clear incorporation of a French influence from Saint-Saëns, with whom Gernsheim became friends during his years of study in Paris from 1855 to 1860. The Third Symphony is unique among Gernsheim’s instrumental works in having an extra-musical program. In an article written for the Allgemeine Zeitung des Judentums (General Journal of Jewry), the composer related how, as a Jewish youth of 14 pursuing musical studies in Leipzig, he was powerfully impressed by a performance of Handel’s oratorio Israel in Egypt , particularly the celebratory hymn of Miriam at the end, and was subsequently motivated to write this work: “Miriam’s, or rather her people’s, suffering inspired my conception of this piece.” Its four movements are subtitled “In der Knechtschaft” (In Bondage), “Mirjam’s Gesang” (Miriam’s Song), “Die Flucht” (The Escape), and “Freiheit: Sieges- und Freudengesänge” (Freedom: Songs of Victory and Joy). The opening Allegro ma non troppo is “an expression of the repression and bondage, interspersed with a few moments of light and hope.” The succeeding Molto Adagio depicts Miriam herself; “distressed by the suffering of her people, she confides her pain but also her hope in the stars.” A brief Molto Vivace scherzo movement portrays the nighttime flight of the Israelites from Egypt, and in the concluding Allegro con brio “freedom is finally achieved. Songs of victory and joyfulness fill the air.”


How do these performances compare to the preceding ones by Köhler? While both are meritorious, I would give Köhler preference. Admittedly, CPO has the richer recorded sound (though that on Arte Nova is perfectly fine), and the orchestra sounds a bit more robust and polished. Both conductors clearly understand and are devoted to Gernsheim’s music. In terms of pacing, the difference is not so great as to be a decisive factor. Bäumer is slightly slower than Köhler except in the Scherzo of the Third Symphony, with the most noticeable difference occurring in the slow movements. Additionally, in the First Symphony, Bäumer takes an exposition repeat that Köhler does not in the opening movement, which in conjunction with a slightly slower tempo accounts for the major difference in timing of 15:26 versus 10:01. Both conductors have good ears for orchestral balances. Where Köhler establishes overall superiority, however, is in achieving a greater sense of urgency and taut forward impetus, and in maintaining a greater degree of continuity to the melodic line. Under Köhler’s baton, phrases flow seamlessly into one another, whereas Bäumer punctuates them with momentary breath marks that make them sound a bit choppy instead. These differences allow Köhler to create a superior sense of momentum and overarching sense of unity for the musical structures.


If Bäumer were the only alternative available, I would be delighted to have him, and any fellow Gernsheim devotees should not hesitate to acquire this disc. But for anyone who has room or appetite for only one set, Köhler is the superior choice for interpretation. I also prefer the program notes in the Arte Nova release, which quote Gernsheim’s program for the Third Symphony in full and are clearly written, whereas the more technically detailed notes offered by CPO only provide snippets from that program and are cast in turgid Germanic professorial prose. Finally, as a clincher, Arte Nova’s budget price for its two-CD set of all four symphonies is less than the cost of this single CPO disc containing only two symphonies. Nevertheless, this is a worthy release, and I await its sequel with anticipation.


FANFARE: James A. Altena

It might be easy to overlook this new CPO disc of all Weber’s overtures. But it would be a mistake to do so, for what we have here is a recording that will have you tapping your toe along to this glorious music afresh. What makes the disc so enjoyable, perhaps, is the fact that each overture feels carefully characterized.

British conductor Howard Griffiths brings thrillingly vibrant and lucid playing from Cologne’s WDR Sinfonieorchester, which is captured in brilliantly clear and realistic sound by West German Radio’s engineers.

Griffiths imbues each work with real urgency, which the orchestra match with virtuosity across the board. Nor is he ever afraid to broaden the tempo and take his time when it’s required. The wind-playing is characterful, with a twinkle in the eye of the oboe solos and a mixture of liveliness and mellifluousness from the principal clarinet. The brass-playing is also especially fine throughout.

– Gramophone

TELEMANN Overture Concertos: in G, TWV 55:G6; in E, TWV 55:E3; in g, TWV 55:g7 • Elizabeth Wallfisch (vn); dir; L’Orfeo Bar O (period instruments) • CPO 777 242 (61:30)


The fourth volume of CPO’s set of Telemann’s “complete violin concertos” contains three overture-concertos, two works of which kind appeared in a previous volume (in D, TWV 55:D14; in A, TWV 55: A7, CPO 777 473). Two of the concertos in the new installment (in G Major, TWV 55:6 G, and in G Minor, TWV 55:g7) feature the addition of two oboes colla parte , but woodwind highlights don’t distract from the sometimes brilliant solos that emerge not only in the fast sections of the first movements (ouvertures), but in the jaunty movements like the G-Major Concerto’s Bourée (these concertos usually consist of an ouverture followed by sets of dances, including entrées, bourées, loures, menuets, siciliennes, gigues, and rondeaus, mixed in various orders). The engineers seem to have placed Elizabeth Wallfisch within, rather than in front of, the orchestra (which they’ve captured at some distance), though she plays the violin parts brilliantly when the music calls for her to do so. Still, these aren’t Vivaldi-like, no-holds-barred virtuosic romps that anticipate the spotlight Paganini directed on the violin part. Yet they aren’t concertos in the style of Torelli, with solos suddenly springing out from the background, either. Telemann wove the violin’s figuration from bariolages and swirling passages, usually setting it against a chunky, rhythmically vigorous orchestral backdrop (strongly accentuated in these readings) that serves as at least a textural equal of the solo violin so seamlessly woven into it. However that may be, the Ouverture to the Concerto in G Minor contains passages that could command the spotlight in Italian concertos from the period and later.


The vigor of the performances by Wallfisch and L’Orfeo Baroque Orchestra emerges perhaps most overtly in movements like the Bourée from the Concerto in E Major, and the strongest lyricism of the performances in the loures. But Wallfisch’s tone remains astringent and bracing throughout, arguably tailored to the vigor of the ruddiest dances rather than to the works’ tenderer moments. Occasionally, as in the G-Minor Concerto’s Gavotte, the oboes fleetingly draw the spotlight, and Carin van Hearden and Domenika Trefflinger flicker and flash in these soloistic moments.


Those who have been following the series since the appearance of CPO 999 900-2 in Fanfare 28:1 should welcome this latest number (recorded October 9–12, 2006) with equal enthusiasm for the vigor of movements like the G-Minor Concerto’s Menuet, but those unfamiliar with the earlier installments can surely start here. Warmly recommended across the board.


FANFARE: Robert Maxham

In the new series from CPO, “Music from Wolfenbüttel Castle” we are now presenting chorales by Martin Luther in settings by Michael Praetorius with a proven and internationally renowned team of interpreters – our very own WESER-RENAISSANCE of Bremen under the conductor Manfred Cordes. When Duke Heinrich Julius von Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel appointed Michael Praetorius to the post of chamber organist in his court chapel around 1593 and then promoted him to the post of court chapel master in 1604, he selected a musician whose family had enthusiastically followed the Reformation ever since its beginnings. This family’s adherence to the Lutheran confession may be traced back directly to the Reformer himself. After all, until 1534, Michael’s father, at the time still known by the German surname “Schulteis” instead of its Latin equivalent “Praetorius,” studied at the University of Wittenberg, where Luther was a faculty member. Praetorius dealt systematically with the publication of his vast musical oeuvre. Mainly sacred in character and mostly involving chorale settings, it conveys the musical heritage of the Reformation in all its multifaceted forms directly to the present. These forms range from the simple cantional setting to the modern polychoral concerto following the precedent set by Giovanni Gabrieli in Venice. The chorale concertos heard here from his collection Polyhymnia caduceatrix et panegyrica are “Solemn Concertos of Peace and Joy.”

Liza Ferschtman plays these two concertos (and the Ballad) very beautifully, and they are truly lovely works. The Concerto in A minor (1902) has two very long, slow opening movements, but the melodic ideas are so attractive that you hardly begrudge Röntgen the time he takes. The work is unified by a strikingly gorgeous, descending chromatic motive in which Szymanowski meets Wagner's "magic sleep" motive. You never know exactly when it's going to turn up, and whenever it does the result is bewitching. Ferschtman is particularly impressive in her high register, pure and singing, which is often exploited by the composer. The end of the slow movement is especially exquisite.

The Concerto in F-sharp minor dates from 1931, but stylistically there's little difference from the earlier concerto, aside from a greater economy and concision. Röntgen was an unashamed follower of the Leipzig school (his father was concertmaster of the Gewandhaus Orchestra), but a very good one. The finale of this concerto, for example, features a splendid principal tune, and sounds like no other work, even though the stylistic provenance is clear. The Ballad, from 1918, is also memorably lyrical and atmospheric. In short, this is just good music, very well played and recorded.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

TELEMANN Concerto in D, TWV 43:D1. Quartets: in a, TWV 43:a2; in e, TWV 43:e2. Sonata in A, TWV 43:A1 • John Holloway (vn); Linde Brunmayr (fl); Lorenz Duftschmid (vdg); Ulrike Becker (vc); Lars-Ulrik Mortensen (hpd) (period instruments) • cpo 777 375 (58:35)


The works that have come to be known as Telemann’s “Paris Quartets” are actually two sets of works not meant by Telemann to be considered as one combined work. In 1730 in Hamburg, Telemann published six quadri (the word “quartet” was not in use in Telemann’s day) for violin, flute, viola da gamba or cello, and basso continuo, consisting of two concertos, two suites, and two sonatas. In 1736–37, these works were reprinted in Paris as Six Quatuors . In 1737, Telemann was able to fulfill a long-held desire of visiting Paris. During his stay, he published six Nouveaux Quatuors , so-called because of the previous printing of his Hamburg quartets. They were written for the same instrumental group as the 1730 publication. In modern times, these two publications were reprinted together as the “Paris Quartets.”


This recording, labeled Vol. 1, is presumably the start of a new set of the complete “Paris Quartets.” For this beginning volume, the performers have chosen two works from each publication. The Concerto in D and the Sonata in A are the second and third works of the 1730 publication, while the Quatuors in A Minor and E Minor are the second and sixth works from the later publication.


The performers are a very accomplished lot. Most of them have appeared on numerous recordings, individually and occasionally with one or two of their colleagues on this recording, generally receiving high praise from Fanfare ’s critics. We are not told if they were brought together for this project or if they occasionally perform together as a group. They sound like an experienced ensemble. Their performances are lively without going to extremes. Rhythms, while not stodgy, are steady. These performers do not think the music requires extremes of tempo or fluctuations in tempo, something indulged in by the Musica ad Rhenum in their complete recording of the “Paris Quartets” for Brilliant. The results show that such extremes are not needed in this music.


I look forward to further installments of what will undoubtedly be a distinguished set of the “Paris Quartets.”


FANFARE: Ron Salemi

Charlie Chaplin wrote most of own film scores. Although he couldn’t notate the music he did play piano and violin, and was able to work with his arrangers (including in this case David Raksin of “Laura” fame). With his typical concern for detail, he achieved exactly the sound that he wanted. He must have had an exceptional ear. We know that his imagination was second to none. I don’t know if he was a “great’ composer, but he was unquestionably a “right” composer. The music, all eighty minutes of it, is simply wonderful.

Chaplin’s 1936 score fits the madcap action of the film like a hand in a glove: there’s the mechanical factory music, the scenes in jail, the romantic moments with The Gamin, worker’s protests–a huge stylist range– but it all hangs together. Your can practically see the images in your mind as the music plays. There are bits that sound like Gershwin, or perhaps Albert Ketèlbey, and a lot that could only be Chaplin.

The fact that so much music is so enjoyable, that there are no dead spots and very few moments of aimless “mood music,” must be due to conductor Timothy Brock, who painstakingly reconstructed the score as it was actually used in the film. Brock has the NDR Radio Philharmonic at the top of its form, and the engineers do themselves proud. If this becomes a series, CPO will really have something. They already do.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Classical Music

Classical Music

Performances of beauty and great skill - more please!

The wait for the music of a particular composer to be recorded when they have been ill-served in the past is sometimes a long one. In the case of Weinberg it seems as if his time has finally come and new discs of his music are arriving fairly regularly. This is the fourth CD of his music that I’ve reviewed. I know they’ve been others recently, and Amazon now lists over 60. It is great news and if, like me you’ve also found his music to be to your liking then, again like me, you’ll welcome this addition as much as I do. What has emerged as the CDs arrive is what an amazingly rounded composer he was with compositions in almost every genre. Weinberg composed 26 symphonies, seven concertos, 17 string quartets, 28 sonatas for various instruments, seven operas, several ballets, incidental music for 65 films, and many other works, including a Requiem. When Shostakovich received the score of his First Symphony in the post asking him to look at it, he was so impressed he immediately arranged for Weinberg to come to Moscow from Tashkent where he had gone to escape the invading Nazi armies. The two composers became fast friends. While there is no doubt that Weinberg was influenced by Shostakovich, the same was also true the other way round, with each acknowledging the debt to the other. The music on this disc confirms Weinberg’s enormous creative talent and often unique musical view.

One of the biggest difficulties I find in writing reviews is how to describe music I enjoy in different ways. This disc is a case in point as what’s on offer here is so thoroughly impressive and it’s all too easy to find that I’m repeating myself while I struggle to find words to express how marvellous I find the music. With this firmly in mind I’ll do my best to try because this music deserves no less. Right from the very first note you know you’re in for something special. The mellifluous tone of the beautifully played clarinet wafts in as if on a breeze while waiting for its piano accompaniment. It’s not long before you can hear why people refer to Shostakovich when writing about the music of Weinberg. Indeed the booklet notes the considerable influence the older composer had on the younger man who wrote both the clarinet sonata and the twelve miniatures in 1945, just two years after arriving in Moscow at Shostakovich’s behest. The second and third movements may also remind one of Shostakovich. That is mainly because the Jewish folk tunes Weinberg based much of the material on are sources that Shostakovich also drew on, sources that he used, with Weinberg’s help, in his From Jewish Folk Poetry (1948). The writing is witty and satirical. Weinberg’s scoring for clarinet reflects its use in much of the klezmer music that had been written since the nineteenth century in which the clarinet was steadily replacing the violin. Music like this was in Weinberg’s very bones since his father was a composer and violinist in a travelling Jewish theatre. There should be no surprise that it should feature so recognisably in his music. It is hard to imagine how he could write such happy sounding music when only four years earlier, before fleeing first to Minsk then to Tashkent, the Nazis had burned alive his entire family. This is not to say that the music does not have a dark side too. The end of the sonata is tinged with sadness but it is optimism that I see as winning through.

The Twelve Miniatures for Flute and Piano Op.29 opens with a tune that not only doesn’t sound like Weinberg, but sounds French to me rather than Russian which only shows this composer cannot be pigeonholed. The second has him back firmly where you expect with a wistful little waltz, marked Arietta, while the third is a merry Burlesque, followed by a comic Capriccio. Various other moods are represented but the main feature throughout is the brilliance of these little character pieces that charm and delight in equal measure and conclude with a really lovely Pastorale. Weinberg’s sonata for solo bassoon shows his continued search for expression in music and his willingness to write for less usual instruments: his Op.108 is for solo double bass. There are very few composers that have tackled any music for solo bassoon and those that have such as Willson Osborne, Malcolm Arnold, Gordon Jacob and Karl-Heinz Stockhausen - whose piece In Freundschaft was originally written for bass clarinet and has been adapted for various other instruments - kept their works fairly short. Weinberg’s composition is a substantial one of four movements and a total length of over 21 minutes. Incidentally readers would no doubt enjoy a YouTube presentation of Stephanie Patterson playing the Stockhausen work dressed as a teddy bear which is Stockhausen’s wish fulfilled at last! Weinberg’s Bassoon Sonata from 1981 really tests the prowess of the soloist and the writing reveals an instrument capable of great beauty rescuing it from the denizens of the woodwind section where its abilities are usually confined to helping provide a background. Matthias Baier’s playing is simply superb and the piece could find no greater performer to emphasise its wonderfully melodious nature. The final work on this disc is the Trio for Flute, Viola and Harp which dates from 1979 and is yet another surprise that recalls Debussy’s late work for the same three instruments. This begins with a meditative theme on flute and viola before the harp joins in to weave its version into the fabric already established. The second movement is slow to begin with but its warm viola introduction is disturbed by trilling from the flute mirrored in the harp though calm is soon restored. The three share a lovely melody between them for a short while before a more intensive and insistent mood is created. This leads into the final movement which, though short, is more anxious in tone and powerful in execution. It ends in a final eruption from all three.

While it is self-evident that the more often any music is heard the more one gets from it there is an immediate appeal in the music on this disc. That’s something I’ve found with all of this composer’s works that I’ve heard so far. It’s a facility that should help in establishing his reputation still further and secure his place as, what many musicologists declare, the third great composer of the Soviet era after Shostakovich and Prokofiev. Weinberg often wrote music that contained satire and wit but that lacked the sardonic even mordant nature of much of Shostakovich’s works. Here was a man who, despite the terrifying experiences in his life that included spending some months in prison under Stalin, still managed to reflect hope and optimism in his music.

This disc is another fitting tribute to a composer whose works are finally emerging to enrapture new and wider audiences. The musicians on this disc have made a significant contribution to the process, all of them turning in performances of beauty and great skill. Elisaveta Blumina deserves special plaudits for her pioneering work on behalf of Weinberg; her disc of his Piano Works on CPO 777 517-2 is another great example. More please!


-- Steve Arloff , MusicWeb International

These stunning performances, magnificently recorded, belong in every serious collection.


This disc is as outstanding musically as it is historically important. Johann Wenzel Kalliwoda (1801-1866) represents a sort of symphonic "missing link" between Beethoven and Schumann. His seven symphonies and 24 overtures were composed roughly in the period 1820-43 and were very highly respected in their day. On evidence here, that respect was entirely deserved. Of all the composers of this era whose symphonic works have made it to disc recently--Wit, Czerny, Ries, Hummel--it is Kalliwoda whose work seems the strongest. His melodic appeal and rhythmic energy undoubtedly have something to do with his Czech roots (try the finale of Symphony No. 5, for example), but he also had a genuine understanding of symphonic development and real contrapuntal skill.


More to the point, as the predominance of minor keys suggests, his music has passion and an emotional depth that recalls Beethoven without ever descending into mere imitation. Part of the reason for his distinctiveness stems from his skill at orchestration. The Fifth Symphony, for example, begins with a brass fanfare that strikingly anticipates the start of Tchaikovsky's Fourth, but it dates from 1839. Schumann's Spring Symphony might have picked up a hint from this as well. The third movement of the Seventh is a stirring march that not only features great tunes but also gives an important solo role to the timpani. Throughout all of the works here, the woodwinds and brass are used with unselfconscious freedom and participate as equals in the symphonic discourse. The result is thrilling, and it strikingly anticipates or echoes so much of 19th century music--from Berlioz to Dvorák to Wagner, and even Sibelius (in Overture No. 16).


Best of all, these performances are absolutely stunning. Christoph Spering and his period-instrument band tear into the music like a pack of demons, giving it exactly the kind of rhythmic surge it demands. In particular, the finale of the Seventh comes across as almost apocalyptic as it charges to its minor-key conclusion, and although Kalliwoda can't be categorized as a music radical in the way that, say, Liszt was, his music sounds like something truly new and different. I don't know who publishes this stuff, but these pieces deserve to return to the modern repertoire--and more to the point, I can easily see how their wider exposure could lead to some revisions of the usual music history texts. This is music of substance, skill, and exceptional craftsmanship, and like all true classics it reeks of its time yet speaks to listeners today with immediacy and relevance. These stunning performances, magnificently recorded, belong in every serious collection, and I can only hope that more is on the way courtesy of Mr. Spering, Das Neue Orchester, and CPO. [7/28/2006]
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

The male quartet, schnittpunktvokal,is formed of three brothers and one bass singer. This recording features moving sacred songs. Critics rave about the “perfect intonation, extraordinary vibrato unison, and the ensemble sound seeming to come from one voice.” Here is the opportunity to experience this ensemble for yourself!