Your favourite Schumann Konzertstuck for 4 horns & orch Op 86

[MichaelRabin]

BBC Mag released a wonderful Op 86 (live performance with Michael Thompson and David Pyatt amongst the soloists). You should try this out. Meanwhile, which is your favourite version of this and give your reasons why?

[hornteacher]

Yes, great recording in the BBC Music magazine.  Its now one of my favorite versions, the other being this one:

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=8163&album_group=5

[MichaelRabin]

How about Tennstedt's BPO EMI recording with the 4 horns of the BPO, and also the CSO Barenboim DG version? Barenboim also made a video of the same piece in Berlin, I believe.

[Leo K.]

Right now my favorite is the Thielemann on DG. AMAZING recording with a great 2nd symphony as well. Aces! Can't get enough of this piece recently.

[Karl Henning]

Having heard only one, I'm not really in the position to nominate a favorite.

[Brian]

Having heard only one, I'm not really in the position to nominate a favorite.

I've heard at least two - the HIP recording with John Eliot Gardiner and a recent one featuring the Stockholm horns on Ondine - but they're both so good that I'm not either. (Edit: Stockholm not Helsinki, see the post below this one.)


This seems to be one of those works which nobody ever bothers to record if they're going to do it poorly. i.e. the only people recording it are those who really care to do it well. Consequently there are almost no bad choices. Maybe we should have a thread on pieces of music like that. "Musica callada" also comes to mind.

[VonStupp]

My preferred version has been Markus Maskuniitty (et al.) with the RSPO under Sakari Oramo, although I will admit I got this recording for the Gliere.

#hornlikes

[Spotted Horses]

I'm mortified to admit I have never heard the work and have no recording of it, despite an embarrassing large collection of classical CDs.

[Scion7]

[Brian]

I'm mortified to admit I have never heard the work and have no recording of it, despite an embarrassing large collection of classical CDs.

It's like 15 minutes long, vivacious, and full of horn calls. A delight, be happy you have such a well-made trifle yet to enjoy!

[Jo498]

I think I have two but I only remember the one with Gardiner (very good), the other one is in a box with the Sawallisch symphonies and other concertos. It's a fun piece if one like horns/brass and quite unique.
Schumann also has two piano concert pieces not sufficiently well known and one for violin (I also forgot, but I must have heard it).

[Karl Henning]

The Op. 86 may be my favorite concertante piece of Schumann's

[Roasted Swan]

How about Tennstedt's BPO EMI recording with the 4 horns of the BPO, and also the CSO Barenboim DG version? Barenboim also made a video of the same piece in Berlin, I believe.

You beat me to it - those were exactly the two versions I was going to list!  The BPO version is epic!

[PSchiefelbein]

I have played movement one on horn 3 in performance. My go-to is the Tennstedt BPO recording. I grew up with the Nonesuch Ristenpart recording and also have the Pyatt, Theilemann, and CSO recordings. While I wish I could share David Hurwitz' enthusiasm for the latter, it has always sounded somewhat hesitant to me, as if they're playing it safe rather than sorry. This is despite the fact that I currently own the Schmidt played by Joseph Mourck, the 4th horn at the time. The Berliners, on the other hand, are exciting, play the notes faultlessly (while making it sound easy), and follow Schumann's score markings religiously. The result is an idiomatic reading that just sounds right. At times I feel like I'm in Weber's German forest. Their performance is a triumph of both technique and musicianship and should not be overlooked. I've yet to hear another that has touched it.   
Update: just heard the Ondine recording with Maskunitty and The Royal Stockholm PO after running into a David Hurwitz review.  It is an amazing performance, to my ears fully the equal of the Tennstedt/BPO which, yes, is difficult to find. It is still well worth hearing and is included in a Warner box called "Klaus Tennnstedt: the Great Recordings". But the sound on the Ondine disk is better and the couplings wonderful. Should have done my homework before the original post:  Joseph Mourek was not on the CSO/Barenboim recording

[Brian]

Thanks for that helpful and insightful post, and welcome to GMG! I was planning to listen to the Konzertstuck today; will follow your advice.

[(poco) Sforzando]

I have played movement one on horn 3 in performance. My go-to is the Tennstedt BPO recording. I grew up with the Nonesuch Ristenpart recording and also have the Pyatt, Theilemann, and CSO recordings. While I wish I could share David Hurwitz' enthusiasm for the latter, it has always sounded somewhat hesitant to me, as if they're playing it safe rather than sorry. This is despite the fact that I currently own the Schmidt played by Joseph Mourck, the 4th horn at the time. The Berliners, on the other hand, are exciting, play the notes faultlessly (while making it sound easy), and follow Schumann's score markings religiously. The result is an idiomatic reading that just sounds right. At times I feel like I'm in Weber's German forest. Their performance is a triumph of both technique and musicianship and should not be overlooked. I've yet to hear another that has touched it.

I'm sure you're right, but good luck trying to find it!

[pjme]

 In Memoriam for Hermann Baumann - not the best sound (TV ?/1982), but very well done nonetheless. Heinz Wallberg conducts.

Tennstedt / Christoph Kohler · Gerd Seifert · Manfred Klier · Norbert Hauptmann is indeed excellent! Glorious music.

[Jo498]

FWIW the Tennstedt is included in a French EMI twofer "Les concertos" that also has the piano concerto with Barenboim, violin concerto with Kremer and cello with Tortelier.
(Don't know the recording and neither what the original coupling was. Unfortunately EMI included Vonk's in a different box I have, with Sawallish symphonies etc.)

[(poco) Sforzando]

FWIW the Tennstedt is included in a French EMI twofer "Les concertos" that also has the piano concerto with Barenboim, violin concerto with Kremer and cello with Tortelier.
(Don't know the recording and neither what the original coupling was. Unfortunately EMI included Vonk's in a different box I have, with Sawallish symphonies etc.)

Thank you for that. That one I found readily and it's on its way to me. I'm not a great fan of the piece, but I ordered the Barenboim/CSO as well partially for all the other works on the set. At present I have only the Thielemann, which I think the best performance on that CD. But I don't like his 2nd Symphony at all; I find an overall lack of energy and rhythm, and the tempo fluctuations in the 2nd movement were so annoying that I didn't want to even proceed to the great slow movement on yesterday's hearing. I'll stick with Bernstein, Sawallisch, Muti, and some others for that symphony, and anyone who'd like the Thielemann disc for free need only PM me.

[DavidW]

I'm mortified to admit I have never heard the work and have no recording of it, despite an embarrassing large collection of classical CDs.

I just became aware of its existence despite having listened to his lieder, chamber music, symphonies and concerti many times.