Gurn's Classical Corner

[Gurn Blanston]

Yes, the research for all but the most well known works will prove to be the time consuming aspect.  So far I've only taken on those sets with well established cataloging.  And then, of course as I mentioned earlier - finding dates for someone like Abel, and others, will be a bear.

A bear indeed! But for a certain type of fanatic ( 0:) ), just the thing to while away those nights spent listening to music    Actually, you will be surprised just how much is out there, data-wise. It's just a matter of digging it up and making it work for you. I find things incidentally all the time. I make a lot of notes that I can't relate to, but that's a personal failing.   

[Gurn Blanston]

Nice!  Interesting that there are 62 pieces before Op. 1, No. 1 shows up. 

Yes it is. If you use that (Bia 023 for example) number as a prefix on the file name and tag title, it forces chronology in there. You can use the opus or WoO or Hess number afterward to have it sensible. For example, this is a Beethoven file name from my collection:

Bia 087_1 Op 002 #1 Sonata #1 in f for Fortepiano 1st mvmt.mp3.

As long as you use the leading zeros it will always be right. Just a thought....

[SonicMan46]

Anyways, here is a fantastic disk of fortepiano sonatas by Johann Gottfried Eckard, played by Bridgette Haudebourg, the same pianist featured on the disk of Kozeluch works Gurn mentioned above.

 

I love the sound of the fortepiano on this disk, and the playing is immaculate. I've never this composer before and I would love to get his complete keyboard works when the budget allows 

Leo - I just have 1 disc of this composer (added above on fortepiano) - but the one that REALLY interests me is the one shown below - i.e. Spanyi on the clavichord & tangent piano; 2-disc set but a little too much for me on this label on the Amazon MP at the time! Dave 

[Leo K.]

Leo - I just have 1 disc of this composer (added above on fortepiano) - but the one that REALLY interests me is the one shown below - i.e. Spanyi on the clavichord & tangent piano; 2-disc set but a little too much for me on this label on the Amazon MP at the time! Dave 

Dave, thats the set I have my eye on too! I already spent my music-budget this month, but in time, this shall be mine also

[SonicMan46]

Guys - at the very bottom I left a post on the Vanhal Cello Concertos performed by Peter Szabo et al (about 6 pages ago) - we had a number of subsequent posts on modern vs. period instruments in these recordings, assuming finally that the cello was 'modern' - well, I sent Peter an e-mail not expecting a response but today did receive a message from him - quoted immediately below for those who may be interested!  Dave

Dear David,

Thank you for your positive opinion.  I am performing these concertos on a modern instrument, and the orchestra is playing also with modern instruments.The pitch is 442 Hertz.  The timpani in the first C Major Concerto is a baroque timpani, the horns in the A Major Concerto are nature horns.  The first C Major Cello Concerto on the recording has a version for viola also, but with a different orchestration.

Plese don't hesitate to contact me if do you have more questions about the recording.

Regards,  Peter Szabo

Just acquired the disc shown below of the composer's Cello Concertos performed by Peter Szabo & Sinfonietta Pannonica; Vanhal was a popular composer, teacher, & performer who spent most of his career in Vienna during the time of Mozart & Haydn - he was a part of the oft famous String Quartet in that city which featured Mozart, Haydn, Dittersdorf, and Vanhal, with the latter playing the cello!

As mentioned in a previous post of mine, would not being there be a wonderful experience!  So, these works are of particular interest, i.e. being cello works of Vanhal - short but quite positive review attached from the ARG (Mar-Apr 2011 issue) - quite well done and a nice complement to the other works available from this neglected classical composer - 

 

[Gurn Blanston]

Dave,
That is so cool! Nice he wasn't too 'busy' to reply to a sincere fan's question.   Bunny would be so pleased to see they used a baroque timpani...



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Now playing:
Das Wiener Philharmonia Trio - Hob 05 18 Divertimento á tre in Bb for 2 Violins & Bass 1st mvmt - Moderato

[SonicMan46]

Dave,
That is so cool! Nice he wasn't too 'busy' to reply to a sincere fan's question.   Bunny would be so pleased to see they used a baroque timpani...

Hi Gurn - I was surprised because his reply was nearly a month - but GREAT to get some personal response from the specific instruments & timings used - kind of a combination on this recording; still not completely PI, but excellent!  Dave 

[SonicMan46]

Hummel, Johann (1778-1837) - Piano  Septets w/ Solamente Naturali and several pianists - this recording has been discussed briefly in other threads; and I already have a nice version on Hyperion but w/ modern instruments - believe I like this one better but would need to do some A-B listening, I guess.

But if you do not have these Hummel works and enjoy larger chamber groups, this recording is easily recommended; and if you like PI performances, then probably a MUST, especially at the Brilliant price.  The fortepiano used is by Jacob Bertsche, ca. 1817 (restored by Robert Brown, Salzburg;  A=430) - group picture below along w/ a description of the instruments used in each work -

Septet, Op. 74 - Fortepiano, flute, oboe, horn, viola, cello, & double bass

Septet, Op. 114 - Fortepiano, flute, clarinet, horn, violin, cello, & double bass

   

[Leo K.]

Is anyone here a fan of Julius Reubke (March 23, 1834 – June 3, 1858)? I just heard about him today, and I'm interested in listening to his stuff soon!

Quoth the wiki:



Julius Reubke (March 23, 1834 – June 3, 1858) was a German composer, pianist and organist. In his short life — he died at the age of 24 — he composed the Sonata on the 94th Psalm, in C minor, which was and still is considered one of the greatest organ works in the repertoire.

Born in Hausneindorf, a small village in the region of the Harz Mountains, Julius Reubke was the eldest son of organ and piano builder Adolf Reubke (1805-1875). Of Julius's five siblings, two brothers, Emil (1836-1884) and Karl (1840-1860), worked with their father; Emil became a partner in 1860 and owned the company from 1872. His brother Otto (1842-1913) was also a pianist, organist and composer; he prepared the Sonata on the 94th Psalm for its first publication in August 1871. Otto settled in Halle, where he was a professor at the University of Halle, and became its director in 1892. There were also two sisters, Meta and Alma.

Reubke's first musical instruction was in Quedlinburg with Hermann Bönicke (1821-1879). He moved to Berlin in April or October 1851, where he continued his musical education at the conservatory there, which had been founded in November 1850 by Theodor Kullak, with whom he studied piano, Adolf Bernhard Marx, with whom he studied composition, and Julius Stern. In Berlin, he encountered the Neudeutsche Schule with conductor Hans von Bülow and organist Alexander Winterberger, both associated with Franz Liszt.

When Liszt visited Berlin in December 1855, he arranged, on the recommendation of Bülow, to teach Reubke piano and composition from February 1856 in Weimar, and allowed him to live at the Altenburg house he kept. It was in this environment that Reubke composed his two major works, the Piano Sonata in B-flat minor, which he composed from December 1856 to March 1857, and the Sonata on the 94th Psalm in C minor, for organ, which he finished a month later; he also considered writing an opera. The organ sonata was dedicated to Professor Carl Riedel; its premiere was by Reubke on the Ladegast organ (1853-1855) of Merseburg Cathedral on June 17, 1857. Since its composition, it has been considered one of the pinnacles of the Romantic repertoire.

His health was already in decline at the time of his great compositions:

" Playing us his sonata, seated in his characteristically bowed form at the piano, sunk in his creation, Reubke forgot everything about him; and we then looked at his pale appearance, at the unnatural shine of his gleaming eyes, heard his heavy breath, and were aware of how wordless fatigue overwhelmed him after such hours of excitement. We suspected then that he would not be with us long. "    — Richard Pohl

He moved to Dresden in December 1857. By this time, he was suffering from worsening tuberculosis, and did not have the energy to play or compose. He moved to the health resort at Pillnitz in May 1858, where he died at the Zum Goldenen Löwen inn a few days later, at the age of 24. He was buried near the church of Maria am Wasser in Pillnitz-Hosterwitz on June 7. Zum Goldenen Löwen housed Vietnamese guest workers in the 1980s and has stood vacant for more than 10 years.

He was one of Liszt's favourite pupils; after his death, he wrote a letter of sympathy to Reubke's father:

" Truly no one could feel more deeply the loss which Art has suffered in your Julius, than the one who has followed with admiring sympathy his noble, constant, and successful strivings in these latter years, and who will ever bear his friendship faithfully in mind "    — Franz Liszt

[Gurn Blanston]

No, he's too late along to have attracted my attention until now. Have you actually found any of his music, or are you just intrigued by his bio? I wouldn't be surprised if Sonic Dave has his complete works...   Do let us know if you go down that road though, he sounds interesting.   



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Now playing:
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment / Kuijken - Hob 01 086 Symphony in D 4th mvmt - Finale: Allegro con spirito

[SonicMan46]

Leo & Gurn - don't own any works nor have ever heard of this composer, i.e. Julius Reubke - seems to have been quite promising but the scourge of the 19th century, TB, did him in @ a tragically young age!  Seems like the CPO disc below pretty much covers his output - so if others own this recording, please comment - 

[Leo K.]

Leo & Gurn - don't own any works nor have ever heard of this composer, i.e. Julius Reubke - seems to have been quite promising but the scourge of the 19th century, TB, did him in @ a tragically young age!  Seems like the CPO disc below pretty much covers his output - so if others own this recording, please comment - 

Dave,

That is the recording that I want and plan to get! That set will pretty much cover his output as you mentioned above.

No, he's too late along to have attracted my attention until now. Have you actually found any of his music, or are you just intrigued by his bio? I wouldn't be surprised if Sonic Dave has his complete works...   Do let us know if you go down that road though, he sounds interesting.

Gurn,

Yes, I have downloaded his Piano Sonata in Bb minor, and I'm about to listen to it this morning. The recording is from this disk:



And yes, his short life intrigues me, and it's terrible to hear of a promising life cut so short 

[Leo K.]

Hummel, Johann (1778-1837) - Piano  Septets w/ Solamente Naturali and several pianists - this recording has been discussed briefly in other threads; and I already have a nice version on Hyperion but w/ modern instruments - believe I like this one better but would need to do some A-B listening, I guess.

But if you do not have these Hummel works and enjoy larger chamber groups, this recording is easily recommended; and if you like PI performances, then probably a MUST, especially at the Brilliant price.  The fortepiano used is by Jacob Bertsche, ca. 1817 (restored by Robert Brown, Salzburg;  A=430) - group picture below along w/ a description of the instruments used in each work -

Septet, Op. 74 - Fortepiano, flute, oboe, horn, viola, cello, & double bass

Septet, Op. 114 - Fortepiano, flute, clarinet, horn, violin, cello, & double bass

   

By the way. I really appreciate your thoughts on these recordings above, and thanks for the recommend here. I am about to listen to Hummel for the first time, a disk of his piano sonatas:

[SonicMan46]

By the way. I really appreciate your thoughts on these recordings above, and thanks for the recommend here. I am about to listen to Hummel for the first time, a disk of his piano sonatas:

 

Hello Leo - I really enjoyed the Hummel Septet disc on Brilliant - the recorded sound is excellent, and the fortepiano does add a completely different sound vs. my other recording on 'modern' instruments; and the keyboard used is quite appropriate for his time.  I purchased the disc based on a review in the Am Record Guide (Nov-Dec 2010 issue) - I've attached a copy for your perusal; the reviewer is obviously NOT a PI fan, but his only quibble was w/ the 'natural' horn - not a big deal for me.  So, if you want these works w/ the period keyboard instrument, then I would recommend the performance; believe that some of the other GMGers have given the recording positive comments.

BTW, if you like those Piano Sonatas, which I own - you might want to try the Piano Concertos w/ Hough (pic added above) - Dave 

[Leo K.]

I had my first listen to Julius Reubke's Piano Sonata in Bb minor, and I am taken to the skies with it! I need more listens before giving detailed thoughts, but the soundworld is very Lisztian (of course this isn't surprising, as Liszt was his teacher) and full of poetic touches and rumination. There is a wonderful, tacit feeling of epic intimacy that my favorite sonatas exhibit, like Burgmuller, and Schubert to name a few.

VERY beautiful and breathtaking music, a complete and realized soundworld from Julius Reubke.

[Leo K.]

Perhaps this has been discussed at some point?

[asin]B002586YHI[/asin]



I am enjoying the music of Adam Valentin Volckmar (1770-1851) for the first time this morning.

Beautiful work from the Arte Ensemble in this recording. The music reminds me of Hoffmeister's Clarinet Quartets. I simply love it.

Here is a review from: http://insideireland.ie/2009/10/09/archive1624-1684/

Adam Valentin Volckmar: Chamber Music (Quartets and Trios); Arte Emsemble.

Adam Valentin Volckmar (1770 – 1851) was a German music teacher and composer, and father of the talented organist Wilhelm Volckmar.

While his son is still remembered today however, Volckmar senior and his compositions faded into obscurity following his death. In March 2008, at a concert to celebrate the centenary of the Rintelner Museum and supported by German radio station NDR, some of Volckmar's works were performed.

After the success of the performance, NDR worked with Arte Ensemble to produce a recording of a selection of Volckmar's chamber music, in an effort to bring the world's attention back to this forgotten composer.

Broadly speaking the music itself is what would be expected from a German composer living in Volckmar's era. There is a strong influence of Mozart, along with many features that are reminiscent of Beethoven.

Being himself an organist of some renown, the keyboard parts in Volckmar's compositions are quite complex and require a high degree of proficiency in the instrument.

Although Wilhelm Volckmar frequently performed his father's works following his death, many believe that is was the difficulty inherent in the pieces which dissuaded other musicians from studying and proliferating them.

As is to be expected, both of the trios chosen for this recording feature much intricate piano accompaniment. This instantly grabs the attention, which is occasionally to the solo instrument's detriment in the clarinet trio, but it is a marked feature of Volckmar's style.

His approach to chamber music at first appears to be the standard for that time, but tends towards flashes of originality that are all the more noticeable for the conformity of the preceding passages. Unsurprisingly, these stand-out moments are largely pianocentric, with unexpected flourishes and sudden crescendos disrupting the principal themes and phrases.

It is too early, and this is too small a sample, to tell how Volckmar's music will be judged by today's audience. Personally, I tended to enjoy the sudden breaks with convention, although they were at times excessive and overly distracting.

I would have really loved this recording however if the music had had a little more power and intensity – at times it felt to me like Beethoven-lite, although this could simply be due to the fact that the collection is limited to chamber music, which at the time was generally intended to be light and cheerful.

Hopefully this release will generate enough interest in Adam Valentin Volckmar that further recordings will be made, and we can get a true insight into the passions and sentiments of this forgotten composer.

[SonicMan46]

Perhaps this has been discussed at some point?

 

I am enjoying the music of Adam Valentin Volckmar (1770-1851) for the first time this morning.

Beautiful work from the Arte Ensemble in this recording. The music reminds me of Hoffmeister's Clarinet Quartets. I simply love it.

Leo - you're becoming a 'grave robber' digging up all of these forgotten composers!  Reminds me of Gurn & I, et al, especially in the old forum starting threads on unknown composer's that we now know quite well! 

Now, I had heard the name Volckmar and thought that I had at least 1 disc by this composer, but NO - plus, I'm a big fan of the clarinet (assume a modern instrument here) in this period; and also a CPO aficionado, so likely will be an addition ot my collection!

BTW, I've acquired and listened to the Kozeluch Piano Trios - great & up front fortepiano playing and transitional works bridging the classical-early romantic periods - again if you like that keyboard instrument, this one sounds wonderful - Dave     P.S. pic of latter added above.

[Leo K.]

Leo - you're becoming a 'grave robber' digging up all of these forgotten composers!  Reminds me of Gurn & I, et al, especially in the old forum starting threads on unknown composer's that we now know quite well! 

Now, I had heard the name Volckmar and thought that I had at least 1 disc by this composer, but NO - plus, I'm a big fan of the clarinet (assume a modern instrument here) in this period; and also a CPO aficionado, so likely will be an addition ot my collection!

I am very sure this disk is right up your alley! And yes, a modern clarinet is used here, I'm pretty sure.

BTW, I've acquired and listened to the Kozeluch Piano Trios - great & up front fortepiano playing and transitional works bridging the classical-early romantic periods - again if you like that keyboard instrument, this one sounds wonderful - Dave     P.S. pic of latter added above.

Thank you for the thoughts on the Kozeluch. I am still really blown away by his symphonies, as well as one of his piano concertos, and can't wait to hear his piano trios! I will definitely have to aquire these soon 

[Leo K.]

From this recording (on which I first heard Julius Reubke's Piano Sonata in Bb minor) I went on to listen to the other work, the amazing Grand Sonata in G minor, Op.3. by Christian Ludwig Schunke (1810-1834).

I am on my third time around with this piece (after my Volckmar listening) this morning, and I am completely enchanted by this early romantic sonata, full of deep feeling and pondering. The first movement begins quietly and meditatively, and at times a forceful passion breaks through the melancholy quiet. The Scherzo is stormy and dark. The Andante recalls nostalgic longing, with a hymn-like atmosphere. The Finale is again reflective, with passages showing action, perhaps suggesting a journey is all it's epic circumstances.

Here is a little more on this composer, thanks to the wiki:

Ludwig Schuncke was born in Kassel in 1810. His father and first teacher Johann Gottfried Schuncke (1777–1840), and his uncle Johann Michael Schuncke (1778-1821), were both professional horn players.

He demonstrated his talents very early, and they were encouraged. In March 1822, aged only 11, he performed Johann Nepomuk Hummel's Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 85, under the direction of Louis Spohr. He then went on a concert tour of Germany. Carl Maria von Weber expressed his approval of Schuncke's early compositions.

In 1828, he was one of the four pianists who played Henri Bertini's transcription of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony for eight hands, the others being Bertini himself, Franz Liszt and Sowinsky.

He went to Paris for study, where his main teachers were Friedrich Kalkbrenner, Anton Reicha and Henri Herz, and where he also had friendships with people such as Hector Berlioz, Sigismond Thalberg and Johann Peter Pixis. In Paris, he made his living by demonstrating Duport pianos, and he also lived in Duport's household. After completing his studies, he returned to Germany. In Stuttgart, he made the acquaintance of Frédéric Chopin after hearing him perform his Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor. Schuncke dedicated his Capriccio in C minor, Op.10, to Chopin.[1] He then moved to Vienna, Prague and Dresden, appearing in concert, before finally settling in Leipzig in December 1833. He lived in a boarding house and his room was next door to that of Robert Schumann, whose very close friend he became. Schuncke was one of the co-founders of the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, and one of its early contributors, under the pseudonym "Jonathan". He was also a member of Schumann's Davidsbund.


The only portrait of Ludwig Schuncke, done on his deathbedHe appeared as soloist at the Leipzig Gewandhaus on 27 January 1834. In one article, Schumann favourably compared the playing of the emerging Franz Liszt to that of Ludwig Schuncke.

Schuncke dedicated his Grande Sonate in G minor, Op. 3, to Schumann, who greatly admired the work, and in turn dedicated his Toccata in C major, Op. 7, to Schuncke on its publication in 1834. In a letter dated 4 September 1834, Schumann wrote that his whole wealth could be summed up in three names: Henriette Voigt, Ernestine von Fricken and Ludwig Schuncke.

Schumann's Carnaval, Op. 9, had its origin in a set of variations on a Sehnsuchtswalzer by Franz Schubert. The catalyst for the variations may have been a work for piano and orchestra on the same theme by Schuncke (his Op. 14). Schumann felt that Schuncke's heroic treatment was an inappropriate reflection of the tender nature of the Schubert piece, so he set out to approach his variations in a more intimate way, for piano solo. He worked on the piece in 1833 and 1834. The work was never completed, however, but he did re-use the opening 24 measures for the opening of Carnaval.

Schuncke helped Schumann through his crisis of 1833-34, in which he had a serious depressive illness leading to a suicide attempt, and his brother and sister-in-law both died. Schumann in turn nursed Schuncke through his own final illness. Ludwig Schuncke died on 7 December 1834, two weeks before his 24th birthday, of tuberculosis. He is buried on the old Johannesfriedhof in Leipzig. Schumann forever after kept Schuncke's death bed portrait in his own study, in a gallery of pictures hung above his piano.

[Leo K.]

These are the disks I have been exploring in regards to Kozeluch, after my exposure to his symphonies...oh my...these are HEAVEN.







Here are some past quotes from posts early in this thread, on Kozeluch, that I have appreciated, and quote below:

Kozeluch wrote some very interesting works. I remember I bought one CD of his because I noticed it included a sinfonia concertante for mandolin, trumpet, piano, double-bass and orchestra. My immediate question was how could anyone manage to write coherently for so different instruments (I guess I don't know other concertante work in all classicism with such an extraordinary combination). I wondered about a possible solution most of all concerning the first movement, where a sonata/concerto form is supposed to happen. Kozeluch's solution was, to me, brilliant. He divided the instrumental forces in three: the orchestra (1); trumpet, mandolin and double-bass (2); and the piano (3). So, the first exposition - traditionally orchestral - was taken by the orchestra and the trumpet, mandolin and double-bass, while just in the second exposition - traditionally for the soloist(s) - the piano took the leading role. The further exchanges are all happy: Kozeluch keeps an impressive balance in a 15-minute movement, offering to the listener very happy ideas, all suitable to the nature of each of the participants (v. gr., martial calls from the trumpet, intimate passages from the mandolin). The exchanges increase as the end approaches, so a bit before the last cadential section there is a particularly enjoyable moment when the piano keeps a harmonical support for the dialogue of the other three soloists. The sound is typically classical, so it is not something that calls your attention at once; but when I realize the "effortless effort" that Kozeluch does with this formation, I cannot but admire such a natural effect. (That naturality, so appreciated during the classical era, is often disregarded in our days... unfortunately).

Kozeluch was actually best known as a piano virtuoso and composer of sonatas. Everything else he did was an adjunct to that. In addition to his symphonies on Chandos, and the odd clarinet concerto here and there, I have one disk of his works by Christine Faron on fortepiano, and they are really quite nice.

"The periodical "Pfeffer und Salz" from April 5, 1786 reported, "It is no secret that Herr Leopold Kozeluch competes with Mozart. His art on the pianoforte is not to be judged, for he is perhaps the only virtuoso in Vienna who never plays in public. His compositions, on the other hand, bespeak an excellent mind, and no other fault is to be found with them than they are too difficult....In general, there are amateur ladies here who play such concertos as they have learnt almost as well as Mozart himself."

And he is also the composer who made this famous statement at Mozart's death: 'Of course it's too bad about such a great genius, but it's good for us that he's dead. Because if he had lived longer, really the world would not have given a single piece of bread for our compositions.'

I can recommend Kozeluch's music at the very least in that everything I have heard from him has been above average. And the average in those times was quite good.