Includes work(s) by Antonio Lotti.

KABALEVSY Symphonies: No. 1 in c?; No. 2 in c; No. 3 in b?, “Requiem for Lenin”; No. 4 in c • Eiji Oue, cond; Hungarian RCh; North German RP & Ch • cpo 999 833 (2 CDs: 103: 38 Text and Translation)


When Bernard Haitink recorded the Shostakovich symphonies for Decca, many who had first learned these works from Mravinsky and Kondrashin felt that perhaps too much was lost in taming these works. While admiring the increased sensitivity to nuance and the glimpses into the tragic depths, we were disappointed in how the irony, wit, and ferocity, like the trumpet parts, had been muted. Of course, preferences aside, Haitink’s interpretive approach, along with the still unresolved dissident subtexts controversy succeeded in changing the way we perceived Shostakovich’s music. It worked because the qualities that subtlety and greater introspection can reveal were actually present in the music. Despite Eiji Oue’s labors to change opinions regarding this composer, I’m not sure the same can be said of the symphonies of Dmitri Kabalevsky.


This assessment has little to do with politics, though I can only imagine that what Kabalevsky chose to write had a lot to do with his. The extensive booklet notes by Christoph Schlüren mount a spirited defense of “bad guy” Kabalevsky, arguing he was charming, got on well with students, was popular with audiences, but was the victim of unfair protectionist Western critics (“puissant ‘opinionists’”) and assaults by “paranoid American moral arbiters.” He minimizes Kabalevsky’s involvement in the 1936 attack on Shostakovich’s Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District as a matter of “infinite shades of gray,” stating further that there is no “incontrovertible proof” and therefore “innocent until proven guilty applies.” I am not convinced that any of these arguments are relevant to an assessment of ability. More to the point is a quote—as Dr. Schlüren eventually accedes that Kabalevsky was a willing functionary of a despotic system—from Fred Priesberg’s Lexicon of New Music (1958). “He was the only significant composer of the Soviet Union who never, not even in 1948, had to endure an official rebuke.” Why? Not because of talent superior to those, like Shostakovich and Prokofiev, who did. Out of conviction or cravenness, Dmitri Kabalevsky wrote musically reactionary populist symphonies extolling the virtues of the Communist state, the essential shallowness of which is confirmed right here in Oue’s earnest efforts to find more significance and depth. There is virtually none. Like Kabelevsky’s most popular works, The Comedians , the overture to Colas Breugnon , and the various concertos, the symphonies—or most of them—respond well to flashy, expressively volatile treatment that emphasizes their surface attractiveness. Unlike Shostakovich’s symphonies, they seldom reveal more when treated with greater respect.


That is the essential weakness of this release. Though he works with a plainly inferior orchestra, Loris Tjeknavorian’s (ASV 1032) intensely emotional, rhythmically thrusting accounts better represent Symphonies 1 and 2 than Oue’s more polished, restrained, and thoughtful ones. So, to a lesser degree, does Jarvi’s high-speed, technically proficient performance of the Second on Chandos (10384), and for much the same reason. Clearly, both know the strengths and limitations of the idiom and recognize the essential entertainment value of the works. Tellingly, the performance that comes off best in the cpo set is this world premiere recording of the Third, “Requiem for Lenin.” The solid, uncomplicated writing and almost religious solemnity respond well to Oue’s dark, serious treatment. After the heroic opening movement depicting Lenin’s career, it is—if one can ignore the overwrought text and the honoree—a stirring funeral cantata conveying sincere sorrow and insupportable sense of loss.


The Fourth is Kabalevsky’s most traditionally structured symphony and is less self-consciously brilliant than the first two. Schlüren suggests an autobiographical meaning, and there certainly seems to be an emotional connection here that is missing in the first two works. The symphony is based on themes from the opera The Family of Taras , which deals with heroic Soviet workers who fight and die to defend the Ukraine against the Nazi occupation. It would be churlish to dismiss this as mere propaganda, especially the intensely felt Largo, when one considers the impact this war had on all Soviet citizens. There is genuine poignancy here, and the funeral cortege near the end of the movement is heartbreaking, even if, here and elsewhere in the work, it is clear that Kabalevsky had been listening to Prokofiev’s music. The last two movements, however, take us back to the old Soviet Realist, though perhaps a rather sadder one. Once again, the material is better served by a more overt performance, such as that Kabalevsky led with the Leningrad Philharmonic (Olympia–OP) soon after the 1956 premiere. Oue’s restrained and weighty celebrations again leave us too much time to notice the seams and predictability.


So, am I suggesting that you pass over this release? Not if you are still interested in the work of this composer. It is currently the only way to hear his Third and Fourth Symphonies, and Oue does provide a reasonable sense of both. You will need to supplement it with the ASV recording to get the best case made for the value of the first two. The notes are extensive and informative, even if I can’t agree with all of the points or conclusions. The orchestra is only occasionally strained by the technical demands. The fine Hungarian chorus simulates sorrow for Lenin convincingly. The recorded sound is warm and refined. The choice is yours.


FANFARE: Ronald E. Grames

These selections were recorded in November 1995 and June 1996.

A sign of the healthiness of our times.

The CD booklet explains that this recording comes as part of a series entitled ‘Musica sacra Hamburgensis’. It covers various somewhat neglected genres associated with Hamburg and the period 1600-1800. This is the third instalment in the series (see below). Three of the four composers represented here are not at all well known - even in Germany.

The disc opens with the longest work on the CD ‘Jesus Christus unser Heiland’. It is a setting by Thomas Selle of a text concerning the bread and body of Christ. Selle was an extraordinarily prolific composer who was in the forefront of creating and developing the Chorale Concerto. This form did not have a parallel in any other country although a certain Italian influence can sometimes be discerned. It is for two sopranos with violin, gamba and continuo. To quote the fascinating notes by Simone Eckert - director and viola da gamba player - the gamba is used as a a “concertising” contributor to the music. Accordingly the player functions as a soloist and even sometimes a virtuoso. This creates a layer of interest largely denied which to voices due to the fact that their lines must concentrate on simple choral melodies. Nevertheless all ten verses are set slightly differently and interest is maintained. They are interspersed with a couple of instrumental interludes. The same comments could be made concerning the work - also by Selle - which closes the CD. This is the three-versed paraphrase of the Creed ‘Wir gläuben all an einen Gott’ in which the second soprano is silent for the second verse. At the mid-point of the disc comes a shorter piece - a Lutheran Easter Song - “Jesus Christus unser Heiland” which has some slightly more energetic vocal writing.

Selle was a top man in Hamburg at the time having four principal churches to serve. He took with him his musicians and his own music where ever he went allocating his time so that he was active at each church once a month. He would also have been involved on feast days. At other times the resident organist was responsible for the day-to-day musical requirements.

Johann Schop, a colleague of Selle’s, is hardly a household name either. He is featured here in four works one of which is solely instrumental. He is then one of this triumvirate of Ss as the booklet describes them – all important and well respected musicians of the city. The instrumental ‘Koraelen’ uses techniques and styles which Schop picked up when a pupil of the Englishman William Brade who worked in the low countries. This is characterised by the use of ground bass with divisions for the viol above the ground bass. Other aspects of his style are a tendency suddenly to repeat several words within a phrase many times so in ‘Ich ruf zu dir’ the words ‘to be good to my neighbour’ total outweigh the length given to them of any other line. He also favours a contrasting triple metre towards the end of the motets which is generally dictated by the text. In the Easter motet ‘Christ lag in Todesbanden’ the lines ‘That we might be happy (Das wir sollen fröhlich sein) are thus treated. Schop it seems to me is more expressive, and is much freer with his use of the choral melody. Indeed the opening of ‘Ich ruf’ is the most beautiful on the entire CD.

The last S, as it were, is Heinrich Scheidemann who is represented by a measly single piece of harpsichord music. This is a lively set of continuous variations on an otherwise unknown chorale melody: ‘Betrubet ist zu dieser Frist’. It is in the style of a secular work by his teacher Jan Sweelinck.

It may seem a little curious that John Dowland should make an appearance on this disc. However it must be remembered that he spent some years in Denmark. This solo lute piece is a set of variations on a tune, popular at the time called ‘Une jeune fillette’. This melody also occurs in the chorale ‘Van Gott will ich nicht lassen’. Incidentally the piece may be spurious. I note that Jakob Lindberg in his box set of Dowland’s complete Lute music (Brilliant Classics 93698/1-4) does not include it.

The performances on this CPO disc are excellent although the balance does seem slightly to favour the instruments. Does that matter when they have the greater interest, you may ask? The sopranos are delicious with well controlled and often disguised vibrato, expressive words and good contrast of vocal colour. The instrumental work is sometimes breathtakingly brilliant.

This is, it’s true, somewhat specialist repertoire. It is however a sign of the healthiness of our times that we can hear such music not to mention being evidence of the exploratory endeavour of many musicians. A disc such as this also serves to demonstrate the commitment of such entrepreneurial companies as CPO. Thus are we able to learn and discover the music of composers, eras and places dustily forgotten in archaic tomes or otherwise doomed to remain names in long-overlooked manuscripts.

-- Gary Higginson, MusicWeb International

Includes concerto(s) for 2 flutes by Georg Philipp Telemann. Ensembles: La Stagione Frankfurt, Cologne Camerata. Conductor: Michael Schneider.
Includes concerto(s) for oboe by Georg Philipp Telemann. Ensembles: La Stagione Frankfurt, Cologne Camerata. Conductor: Michael Schneider.
Includes concerto(s) for recorder by Georg Philipp Telemann. Ensembles: La Stagione Frankfurt, Cologne Camerata. Conductor: Michael Schneider.

Classical Music

Classical Music

The history of the Leipzig Opera in the 18th century was vibrant but short (1692-1720). Heinichen, Fasch, Pisendel, Stoelzel and Telemann were its composers. Sadly, the surviving evidence of this activity is meager at best: some of the librettos have survived, including 40 anonymous arias in an aria collection relating to an opera known as Germanicus. Our new recording tells you how all this came about, why Telemann is unquestionably the work's composer.

Includes work(s) by Georg Philipp Telemann. Ensemble: Michaelstein Telemannisches Collegium. Conductor: Ludger Rémy.

On evidence here, Gerhard Schjelderup (1859-1933) was a very good composer. Brand, a "symphonic drama" based on Ibsen, is a 30-minute hunk of post-Wagnerian Sturm und Drang, opulently scored and consistently engaging. The section titles tell it all (the work plays continuously): "Journey through fog and storm to the highest peak"; "Love in suffering and desire"; "All or Nothing!"; "He who has beheld Jehovah must die"; "My God is storm"; and of course, "Death of a hero". Now come on, admit it--you want to hear this, don't you? It's all there: soaring strings and harps, heroic brass chorals, crashing percussion--the works. But more to the point, it's really well done and thematically attractive.

The Second Symphony, despite the title "To Norway", has few overtly nationalist qualities. It was composed in 1923 (Brand dates from about 1910), and once again the movements have programmatic titles: "The Sea"; "Spring"; "The mountain plateau"; "Up to the highest peaks!". Schjelderup obviously was into peaks, and once again the symphony has more than its share. There are also a few dead spots, particularly in the first movement--this is a pretty glum, northern-style sea; but the third movement is hauntingly beautiful, and in the finale Schjelderup once again pulls out all the stops with great confidence.

The performances are very good. The Trondheim orchestra could benefit from a larger string section and a more massive sonority at the climaxes, but we're not likely to hear better anytime soon. Such is the quality of the music that it makes little sense to quibble, particularly as the sonics are excellent. If you like late-Romantic, let-it-all-hang-out Germanic orchestral music, you will surely love this disc.

--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

STÖLZEL Quadri di Dresda e Bruxelles • Epoca Barocca • CPO 777 764-2 (51: 09)


Back in 24:1 and 24:5, Brian Robins passionately took up the cudgels of advocacy for Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel (1690–1749) in interviews with conductor Ludger Rémy, undertaken in conjunction with releases of two CDs comprising the composer’s Weihnachtsoratorium . Apart from that, there is still only one entry for the composer in the Fanfare Archive, for a single quartet from a baroque anthology disc. Finding listings of CDs of his works available domestically presents a serious challenge, as the search function on the normally reliable ArkivMusic website has something seriously askew in his case, alternately producing either only one entry, or else a list of 100 entries that are mostly for J. S. Bach instead, with the handful of genuine Stölzel items randomly intermixed. (For a proper list, visit my favorite European website, jpc.de). Apart from the five releases that Rémy has produced for CPO, the only other Stölzel CDs I can find in print are another version of the Weihnachtsoratorium on the MDG label, a disc of chamber music on the Ambitus label, and now this new CPO release of the composer’s Quadro Sonatas.


The continued obscurity of Stölzel is, at first sight, difficult to understand, given the considerable reputation he enjoyed in his own lifetime. Born in the small town of Grünstädtel, southeast of Zwickau and near the northwestern border of the modern Czech Republic, he came from humble circumstances; his father, the son of a miner, was the local schoolteacher and church organist. Although his parents gave him some musical training, they did not want him to pursue a career in that field, and upon graduation from secondary school in Gera he obediently enrolled as a student in theology at the University of Leipzig. However, once there he was soon entirely absorbed into the city’s thriving musical scene, becoming a copyist for Melchior Hofmann, a pupil of Emanuel Kegel, and a devoted friend of Johann Friedrich Fasch. By the time he moved to Breslau in 1710 he was composing his first opera in addition to some instrumental music. Shortly afterward he moved on to Halle and then, after rejecting offers of employment from the courts at Gera and Zeitz, went to Italy to further his musical education, where he met among others Antonio Vivaldi, Alessandro Marcello, Johann David Heinichen, and Domenico Scarlatti. Late in 1714 he went back north to Prague, and—after a brief stay in Bayreuth in 1717, plus rejection of a lucrative offer of employment at the electoral court in Dresden, probably because his strong Protestant convictions made a post at a Catholic establishment uncongenial—returned to Gera to become the court music director. In November 1719 he assumed what would prove to be a lifelong position as Kapellmeister for the ducal court in Gotha. Highly esteemed by his contemporaries, he was, for example, admitted to membership in the Correspondierende Societät der musicalischen Wissenschaften (Corresponding School of Musical Science) of the renowned Leipzig scholar Lorenz Christoph Mizler (1711–1778) several years before the application of J. S. Bach was accepted. Mizler also composed a funerary ode to Stölzel upon the latter’s death. For his part, Bach paid a minor tribute to Stölzel by including a Partita in G Minor by him (with the addition of a trio of Bach’s own devising) in his Klavierbüchlein für Wilhelm Friedemann Bach.


While Stölzel was a prolific composer of stage works, oratorios, masses, cantatas, and various instrumental works, little of his output has survived; for example, only 12 of his 85 known secular cantatas, and fragments from only 10 of his 442 sacred cantatas, are extant. At least 18 orchestral suites and over 90 vocal serenatas are completely lost. Part of this is due to the fact that his music quickly became unfashionable after his death; his successor at Gotha, Georg Benda, explicitly stated that he thought only select works of Stölzel’s compositional corpus were worth preserving, ones that he weeded out from what he termed “useless junk.” The rest was consigned to leaky attics, where depredations of weather and hungry rodents soon took their toll. In the case of the nine quadros presented on this CD, eight are taken from the musical archives in Dresden (assembled primarily by Georg Pisendel) and the ninth is preserved in an archive in Brussels. They are unusual not only for their inclusion of the horn, but also for using it as an equal partner at a time when, outside of music for hunting and martial occasions, it was usually assigned to a strictly subordinate role of reinforcing instrumental climaxes. The limitations of the valveless horn of that period necessitated that F Major be the predominant key of all of these quadros.


This is my first exposure to Stölzel’s music. Not having heard either the Weihnachtsoratorium or the Brockes-Passion that so roused the enthusiasm of my colleague Brian Robins, I have neither a basis nor desire to gainsay his highly positive judgment of those. However, I can say that, based on these works, I do not share his enthusiasm. Imagine, if you will, nine knock-offs of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 by a modestly talented pupil who lacks his master’s genius and artistry, and you will have the results presented here. They are pleasant and genial, and make for moderately enjoyable listening, but their commonplace thematic material prevents them from being anything more than that. I find no fault in either the sterling performances by Epoca Barocca, which presents these pieces in their best possible light, nor in CPO’s typically excellent recorded sound and lavish booklet notes. Based on this slender acquaintance, I am not about to make any general pronouncement on Stölzel’s merits as a whole; I will say that this disc is a purely discretionary rather than obligatory acquisition for the devotee of baroque instrumental music. If you choose to buy it, this disc will provide you with pleasure, but don’t expect it to bowl you over.


FANFARE: James A. Altena

- The latest cpo release to feature the works of Paul Graener contains yet more impressive selections from his symphonic oeuvre. - His Piano Concerto (1926) of neoclassical character and popular flair and his Symphonietta (1906) occupy the focus. - Like his great Symphony in d (cpo 777 679-2), the Symphonietta lends moving expression to the insurmountable grief felt by the composer following his son's boyhood death. - Three Swedish dances, op. 98 and the Divertimento, op. 67 round out this musical offering of a composer long tainted by National Socialist Party membership and Reichsmusikkammer post.

M. HAYDN Symphonies: No. 21 in D; No. 30 in D; No. 31 in F; No. 32 in D • Johannes Goritzki, cond; German Ch Acad Neuss • CPO 999 179-2 (57:47)


M. HAYDN Symphonies: No. 34 in E?; No. 35 in G; No. 36 in B?; No. 37 in D; No. 38 in F; No. 39 in C • Johannes Goritzki,cond; German Ch Acad Neuss • CPO 999 379-2 (54: 02)


M. HAYDN Symphonies: No. 1C in E?; No. 22 in D; No. 23 in F; No. 33 in D • Johannes Goritzki,cond; German Ch Acad Neuss • CPO 999 380-2 (68:23)


A journey through the development of the symphony in 18th-century Germany and Austria would not be complete without a look at the symphonies of Johann Michael Haydn (1737–1806). Although his contributions to the genre were overshadowed by those of his older brother and Mozart, the symphonies penned by the younger of the Haydn brothers are not without their own merit.


In Fanfare 35:1 I discussed cpo 999 591-2 and 777 137-2, the eight discs holding 28 of the 40-plus extant symphonies of Haydn the Younger. I also noted, “These two collections offer us the majority of Michael Haydn’s symphonic output. Symphonies No. 20–23, 30–32, and 35–39 were released earlier by cpo, but I did not have access to them for this review. I hope to include them at a later date, and I have requested copies of the aforementioned symphonies from cpo’s American distributor.” Well, that later date has arrived, as have the overlooked discs; they hit my doorstep courtesy of Naxos and cpo during the Christmas holidays, so I think the time is right to put this thing to bed.


First of all, there doesn’t appear to be a Symphony No. 13 or a Symphony No. 20. Perhaps they are among the two dozen or so symphonies listed in The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians that had been attributed to Haydn and are now believed to have been composed by Wagenseil, Va?hal, or Pokorny, or maybe they are simply lost.


As far as the lion’s share of the symphonies recorded on these three discs is concerned, they follow the plan of the Italian opera overture, a three-movement structure in the sequence of fast-slow-fast, while the others are laid out in four movements with the slow movement and the minuet occasionally being reversed. Most last a quarter hour (give or take a couple of minutes), but some—like No. 23—are more substantial. What I term the “default” orchestra (pairs of oboes and horns with a bassoon to strengthen the bass line) is omnipresent, but there are also symphonies that add a flute, or trumpets and drums. Still others supplement the band with pairs of English horns or even recorders!


The symphonies of Michael Haydn are decidedly below those of his older brother and those of Mozart in the food chain, but like those of Krommer and Va?hal, Michael Haydn’s symphonies are consistently colorful and sprightly, and more often than not the listener is served a generous portion of rock-solid musicianship and adroit compositional technique. The considerable skills that Michael Haydn brings to the table are matched here by the musicians of the German Chamber Academy and conductor Johannes Goritzki. The orchestra plays with enthusiasm and razor-sharp precision, with tempos that are carefully chosen, allowing the younger Haydn’s music to unfold naturally like a flower blossoming on a spring day.


While familiar in style, this music is occasionally memorable, frequently imaginative, and always pleasing. Join me in welcoming the newest inductees to our Classical Hall of Fame!


FANFARE: Michael Carter

Gottorf Castle in Schleswig is not only one of Schleswig-Holstein's most important architectural monuments but also a site of cultural significance because of the chapel masters who once served in the castle's court ensemble. Our new series of Music for Gottorf Castle dedicates itself to sacred cantatas by the Gottorf court chapel master Pfleger (1635-86).

It's already a tradition: at the opening of the Innsbruck Festival there's a baroque opera rediscovery. This time it is "L' Idalma overo Chi dura la vince" - "Idalma, or Whoever perseveres wins" by Bernardo Pasquini. Competing against Alessandro Scarlatti, Pasqini composed his "Idalma" in the Roman Carnival of 1680. It is about marital fidelity and steadfast love: themes that were already a favorite of Italian noble houses in the 17th century, and Bernardo Pasquini was, after all, in the service of the Roman Borghese family for over forty years. Together with Giovanna Barbati, conductor and artistic director of the Festwochen Alessandro de Marchi has created a new version of the work, which has been forgotten for some 350 years, based on the composer's own handwriting. This version dispenses with lengthy musical repetitions and instead scores with a fireworks display of affects: brilliant arias full of expressivity and power, instrumental richness, sweeping ensembles and a sensitive musical design that takes full account of the permanent change of affects and dramatic situations.