Hindemith's Harmonie

[Karl Henning]

This piece was my introduction to Hindemith, and that experience was a great part of my desire to compose, myself.

[Scion7]

I like all his stuff, but his chamber music ranks at the top!

[Toni Bernet]

"Kammermusik Nr. 4 op. 36 Nr. 3 (Violin Concerto) for solo violin and larger chamber orchestra" from 1925

is one of the most original violin concertos of the period after the human disaster of the First World War, and thus one of the most radical concertos of musical expressionism, Dadaism and surrealism, has fallen into oblivion today is probably also due to the peculiar reception history of the composer Paul Hindemith, who, probably unjustly, after a provocative beginning became more and more of a minor figure in musical life because of his late work.

More about this violin concerto and a listening companion can be found at
https://unbekannte-violinkonzerte.jimdofree.com/e-4/hindemith/

[Symphonic Addict]

Cardillac is a hell of an opera! Quite intense and relentless, it's echt-Hindemith with all of his hallmarks. I listened to this recording and it's unbelievably terrific:

[Karl Henning]

Cardillac is a hell of an opera! Quite intense and relentless, it's echt-Hindemith with all of his hallmarks. I listened to this recording and it's unbelievably terrific:

It's a classic, all right!

[Symphonic Addict]

It's a classic, all right!

Deservedly so! Awesome work.

[Leo K.]

I've been getting everything I can in regards to Hindemith. A new discovery for me late this year. Wow he is truly a fascinating composer and continually inventive at every turn.

[Brian]

I've been getting everything I can in regards to Hindemith. A new discovery for me late this year. Wow he is truly a fascinating composer and continually inventive at every turn.

The Cello Concerto particularly has been one of my favorite discoveries of the year, the Violin Concerto only a little bit behind.

[San Antone]

I really like the CPO series - and not only for the music - the cover art is uniformly wonderful.  Is it complete?  There are a number of releases.

[ritter]

I've been getting everything I can in regards to Hindemith. A new discovery for me late this year. Wow he is truly a fascinating composer and continually inventive at every turn.

Hindemith's name doesn't come up when I think of "my favourite composers", but whenever I listen to his music, I find it really enjoyable. And hearing the Mathis der Maler Symphony live in concert some weeks ago was a great experience.

I really like the CPO series - and not only for the music - the cover art is uniformly wonderful.  Is it complete?  There are a number of releases.

I'd say it's "comprehensive", but not complete. Great sets, anyway..

[Spotted Horses]

I have been doing a transversal of his solo sonatas in chronological order (just got through Op 25) and they are uniformly splendid works. I find it more interesting to approach it this way, rather than all of the violin sonatas, all of the viola sonata, all of the cello sonatas, etc.

[Iota]

I've been getting everything I can in regards to Hindemith. A new discovery for me late this year. Wow he is truly a fascinating composer and continually inventive at every turn.

I absolutely agree! Hindemith has been on an upward trajectory for me for a number of years, and I find him so consistently impressive that I was rather surprised when I recently listened to The Four Temperaments for the first time and struggled to get into it, a quite new experience!
Anyway will revisit at some point, and there's still plenty I haven't heard, and I always look forward to diving into new pieces by him.

[Spotted Horses]

Any thoughts on the best recording of Hindemith's Clarinet Quintet? I find the only one on my (figurative) shelves is the MDG recording with the Ensemble Villa Musica, which I don't find too attractive (and it is a recording of the first published version of the work, which Hindemith replaced). I find it surprising that the work has not attracted prominent performing artists.

[Maestro267]

What a bizarre situation this is! Apparently in both Harmonie der Welt and Mathis der Maler, the symphony came first! Which is precisely the opposite of how these things normally go! Composers will usually make the big work and then do the bleedingchunks excerpts concert suite deal later on.

[Brian]

Any thoughts on the best recording of Hindemith's Clarinet Quintet? I find the only one on my (figurative) shelves is the MDG recording with the Ensemble Villa Musica, which I don't find too attractive (and it is a recording of the first published version of the work, which Hindemith replaced). I find it surprising that the work has not attracted prominent performing artists.

I can't speak to "the best" but the only one on my (literal) shelf is the Naxos one with the ever-reliable Spectrum Concerts Berlin group. I should listen to it while working from home this week. I liked it the first couple times I played it but my girlfriend said "don't play this while I'm in the house" so...there are two contrasting votes for you!

[Spotted Horses]

What a bizarre situation this is! Apparently in both Harmonie der Welt and Mathis der Maler, the symphony came first! Which is precisely the opposite of how these things normally go! Composers will usually make the big work and then do the bleedingchunks excerpts concert suite deal later on.

Another example would be Vaughan Williams' Fifth Symphony, which drew from his unfinished The Pilgrim's Progress. I think at the time Vaughan Williams had doubts that he would ever finish The Pilgrim's Progress.

[Spotted Horses]

I can't speak to "the best" but the only one on my (literal) shelf is the Naxos one with the ever-reliable Spectrum Concerts Berlin group. I should listen to it while working from home this week. I liked it the first couple times I played it but my girlfriend said "don't play this while I'm in the house" so...there are two contrasting votes for you!

Thanks for the suggestion. A quick sample suggests the performance is more insistent than the Prazak Quartet recording I recently listened to, will make an interesting contrast.

[ChamberNut]

Just ordered these two:

[Vox Maris]

Just ordered these two:

Wunderbar! I own the Chailly and Abbado (but also the Albert on CPO but it's spread out over many different recordings). I bet these will be excellent performances --- Eschenbach is pretty reliable in Germanic repertoire.

[Karl Henning]

It's an age since I had listened to this, but I'm knocked out afresh by the perfection of the Quartet movement: clarinet/flute/percussion/bassoon.