Schnabel's Desk

[snyprrr]

Here is another Composer (better known as a Beethovinian pianist) whose works tend towards the monumental and epic. I only have a highly wrought String Quartet, but, I assume all his other works are as complex. Schnabel and Furtwangler seem like the culmination of Ultra-Late Romanticism,... are there more?

[snyprrr]

here i thought I'd delivered a double-coup, and I've been snubbed by the awards academy !!! Is not Schanbel a masterful Composer of Ultra-Late Romanticism?

[Dax]

I'm impressed by much of the Schnabel I've heard.  Wouldn't really describe it as late Romantic (more atonal) although there are elements present. Must dig out the CDs I have. There's a Chandos recording of Geoffrey Tozer playing the Dance Suite (1921) and the Piano Sonata (1923) - both about half an hour in duration. There's also a recording of a couple of violin sonatas, one with piano (1935) and one without (1919) - rather tougher material if I remember rightly.

There's a movement of the 4th quartet on youtube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJjtOvJtM2k

And a movement of the 2nd Symphony - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYr-NA6_jao

[Dax]

And here's Schnabel's String Trio (1925) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvBFHsGWqTE

and the Duodecimet (1950) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6Vzh0HJCEA

The solo piano Dance Suite uses pretty thoroughly tonal harmony if perpetual modulating rather in the manner (according to Geoffrey Tozer, who's also written the sleeve note).  It includes a foxtrot and waltzes. The 4th movement (of 5) is rather different, suggesting the world of Busoni's 2nd Sonatina. Schnabel's piano sonata is rather tougher, its 5 movements being rather more atonal and, it would seem, deliberately lacking in elements of popular appeal.

If you really want tough, try the solo violin sonata. It's about 50 minutes long.

Interestingly for a pianist, he wrote more string quartets (5) than piano works (4).

[ritter]

I have a disc of piano music by Schnabel played by Benedikt Koehlen on the Montaigne label (long OOP), with the Piano sonata and the Piano piano piece in seven movements, which I haven't listened to in ages, but remember liking when I got it...



What is also very interesting is the cadenzas he wrote for some of Mozart's piano concerti... Here the strikingly modern and effetive one for the first movement of the C-minor concerto, KV 491 (it starts at 2'30"):

https://www.youtube.com/v/5xl6vcPEFP0

[snyprrr]

And here's Schnabel's String Trio (1925) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvBFHsGWqTE

and the Duodecimet (1950) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6Vzh0HJCEA

The solo piano Dance Suite uses pretty thoroughly tonal harmony if perpetual modulating rather in the manner (according to Geoffrey Tozer, who's also written the sleeve note).  It includes a foxtrot and waltzes. The 4th movement (of 5) is rather different, suggesting the world of Busoni's 2nd Sonatina. Schnabel's piano sonata is rather tougher, its 5 movements being rather more atonal and, it would seem, deliberately lacking in elements of popular appeal.

If you really want tough, try the solo violin sonata. It's about 50 minutes long.

Interestingly for a pianist, he wrote more string quartets (5) than piano works (4).

I have that ArteNova disc with the VS... again, he's always massive and interesting,... I recall liking that disc a lot,... must find...

[springrite]

Am I the only who loves the symphonies?

[staxomega]

I only have this recording of his piano quintet, anyone have suggests for other fine performances? Thanks.

[king ubu]

I haven't explored them yet, but there are at least two more on cpo:

[Ghost of Baron Scarpia]

Ah! Long ago I attended a concert with the Julliard quartet where they performed Beethoven's Serioso Quartet and a Schnabel String Quartet, which was atonal as s***. Don't remember which one. At the time I wasn't into atonal music, now I'm curious. (Mahlerian isn't around anymore so I can use the term 'atonal' without provoking a 15 page semantic argument.) It was Alice Tully Hall, probably 1981.

[springrite]

Ah! Long ago I attended a concert with the Julliard quartet where they performed Beethoven's Serioso Quartet and a Schnabel String Quartet, which was atonal as s***. Don't remember which one. At the time I wasn't into atonal music, now I'm curious. (Mahlerian isn't around anymore so I can use the term 'atonal' without provoking a 15 page semantic argument.) It was Alice Tully Hall, probably 1981.

From his playing repertoire and style, mostly classical and romantic works, you'd think he'd be a more conservative composer. But his music is very thorny, mostly atonal and often very long as well. I love the symphony #2 and much of the chamber works.

[staxomega]

I haven't explored them yet, but there are at least two more on cpo:

The piano quintet is exceptional, I have to imagine this would have been recorded more had it been from a "big name" composer. I've enjoyed the string quartets I've heard as well.

[pjme]

Here is a symphonic example.

https://www.youtube.com/v/KNrrUVa96kA

I only have the "Musical Observations cd " with symphony nr 1 (1938) and nr 3 (1948-1949).
the first is played by the BBC SO /Paul Zukofsky, the third is done by the Prague radio SO / Zukofsky (resp. recorded in 1994 and 1992)
Haven't listened to them in ages.... I may remember gnarly, quasi-Schoenbergian complexity. I may be wrong.
The first is massive (4 movements) and lasts about 43 mins:
Molto moderato, un poco grave / Vivace / Largo con devozione e sollenita / Allegro molto e con brio
Symphony nr 3 is more concise at ca 27 mins:
Fantasia / Dance / Introduzione - Thema.

About the - even longer- second symphony : https://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/schnabel-symphony-no2


P.