Hindemith's Harmonie

Started by Greta, March 21, 2008, 08:38:29 PM

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Guido

Quote from: Greta on March 22, 2008, 11:24:37 PM
I have not heard the Cello Concerto yet!  :D I think The Four Temperaments and Mathis der Maler have got to be two of my favorite discoveries this year, the more I listen to them the more I have found to like!  For some reason, the "Sanguine" waltz movement has become probably my favorite bit of Hindemith of all right now.


I recommend Raphael Wallfisch's account on Chandos which is coupled with a superb version of the Four Temperaments (Howard Shelley). If you can find it, there is also a superb live recording by Rostropovich, though PM me if you can't.
Geologist.

The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away

pjme

Quote from: drogulus on March 23, 2008, 07:13:22 AM
   The Trauermusik was composed in a few hours for the funeral of George VI.

    It's available with the Mathis der Maler symphony on the excellent Blomstedt/SFSO disc.

    Since this isn't a Youtube thread, I'll just link to these:

    Hindemith conducting Concert Music for Strings and Brass

    Trauermusik

Another Hindemith fan !
Trauermusik ( alto and strings) is a short but moving work. I have a Canadian performance ( Rivka Golani /Toronto SO /Andrew Davis) that I find excellent.
Many favorites have been mentioned. I discovered Hindemith's late ( 1962) Organconcerto in Anton Heiler's performance (with the Austrian Radio SO / Milan Horvath / Teldec ca 1988) . It is a big work; lasting ca 30 mins.
4 Movements :
1/ Crescendo - Moderato assai
2/ allegro assai
3/ canzonetta in triads , and two ritornelli : Moderato
4/ Fantasy on "Veni creator spiritus" : allegro moderato
The concerto was written for New York (Philharmonic Hall??) and prmiered in 1963.( Heiller / Hindemith / NYPO)
I find it an enormously rewarding work - art and invention and craft combined in a great structure .
There are some analogies,I think, with the 1945 pianoconcerto. Another half hour of really serious music ... but the composer manages to introduce all kinds of clever, melancholic or funny ideas that drive the work to its unexpected finale : a Medley on "Tre fontane" - a Mediaeval dance.
1/ Moderately fast
2/ Moderately slow
3/ Moderatlely fast (theme and 4 variations : Canzona/March/Valse lente/Caprice and medley on "Tre fontane" - fast)

I only know Siegriefd Mauser's ( excellent)version on CPO ( FRankfurt Radio SO / Werner Andreas Albert) . The concerto was written for Jesus Maria Sanroma. maybe a recording with this artist survives?

Peter

hautbois

Quote from: karlhenning on March 22, 2008, 09:53:04 AM
erato has already recommended the Chailly set of the Kammermusiken.

The widely unknown Septet is also a charming one.

Howard

Dundonnell

#23
http://www.ondine.net/index.php?lid=en&cid=1&oid=3583

Mention of an early organ piece by Samuel Barber to be revived in Philadelphia soon(see the Barber thread) reminds me of the world premiere recording of Hindemith's rediscovered Klaviermusik(or should that be Concertmusik) for piano left-hand and orchestra written for Paul Wittgenstein in 1923. Ondine are recording a live performance by Leon Fleischer and the Curtis Symphony Orchestra in Philadelphia with Christoph Eschenbach conducting. The orchestra is-I believe-that of the Institute of Music in the city. The work will be coupled with Dvorak's New World Symphony-which will certainly potentially give the Hindemith greater exposure although as a less than devoted admirer of Eschenbach's work I don't really think that I want his Dvorak myself!

karlhenning

Quote from: hautbois on March 26, 2008, 09:00:50 AM
The widely unknown Septet is also a charming one.

Gosh, I don't know it . . . what's the scoring, Howard?

Quote from: Dundonnell on September 11, 2008, 10:04:31 AM
. . . premiere recording of Hindemith's rediscovered Klaviermusik (or should that be Concertmusik) for piano left-hand and orchestra written for Paul Wittgenstein in 1923. Ondine are recording a live performance by Leon Fleischer and the Curtis Symphony Orchestra in Philadelphia with Christoph Eschenbach conducting. . . .

Splendid! That's a piece I am keen to hear.

I have been listening at least once per week to the piano/harps/brass Konzertmusik . . . brilliant, and wears very well, indeed.

Mark G. Simon

Quote from: hautbois on March 26, 2008, 09:00:50 AM
The widely unknown Septet is also a charming one.

Howard

If I remember, it's a woodwind quintet plus bass clarinet and trumpet. I seem to remember rehearsing this piece with a group during my student days. I remember liking it.

Unless I'm remembering something else.

Sean

Just to mention that the Furtwangler recording of the symphony is among his finest, providing ravishing inner detail and visionary spendours indeed.

The new erato

I remember that what turned me into Hindemith a long, long time ago was the fun, inventive and occasionally beautiful "Schulwerk für Instrumental-Zusammenspiel op. 44" which I haven't heard for ages and virtually noone seems to record.

No for something else: There's a Wergo promotion om mdt. Anyone know the Wergo "Neues von Tage" and care to comment?

Superhorn

    Hindemith's  output  was  prolific,  and  somewhat  uneven,  and  his  music  can  be  rather  dry  at  times.  But  his  best  works(and  I  have  not  heard  everything)  are  fresh  and  inventive  and  far  from  dry.
   The  opera  Mathis  der  Maler , from which  the  symphony  is  drawn,  is  one  of  the  truly  great  operas  of  the  20th  century.  It  is  a  work  of  almost  Wagnerian  grandeur  and  emotional  power.  I  got  to  know  it  from the  superb  EMI  recording with  Fischer-Dieskau ,  and  Kubelik   conducting  on  LP  many  years  ago. This  has  recently  been  reissued   on  CD,  and  any  one  who  enjoys  the  music of  Hindemith  should  hear  it. I  have  not  heard  the  recent  live  recording  from  the  Hamburg  state  opera,  or  the  one  conducted  by  Gerd  Albrecht.   
   I  would  love  to  see  the  Metropolitan  opera  do  a  production,  perhaps  with  Bryn  Terfel  as  Mathis,  and  Christian  Thielemann  conducting.
   Now  that  would  be  something  to  look  forward  to.

karlhenning

Quote from: Sean on September 13, 2008, 10:27:32 PM
Just to mention that the Furtwangler recording of the symphony is among his finest, providing ravishing inner detail and visionary spendours indeed.

The Symphony in E-Flat? Excellent!  A marvelous piece, which has been too seldom performed.

Dundonnell

Well it could be the Symphony in E flat-and, if it is, I agree with your assessment of that piece.

But, of course, Sean doesn't enlighten us :(

He might be referring to the Symphony 'Mathis der Maler' or the Symphony 'Harmonie der Welt'.
Or perhaps the Symphony in B flat for Concert Band?
Or could it be the Symphonia Serena or even the Pittsburgh Symphony?

Perhaps he is less familiar with the symphonies composed by Hindemith than he is with those of Edmund Rubbra and Robert Simpson ;)

karlhenning

Quote from: Dundonnell on September 17, 2008, 07:39:52 AM
Well it could be the Symphony in E flat-and, if it is, I agree with your assessment of that piece.

But, of course, Sean doesn't enlighten us :(

No.  I was going to post the question, Any symphony in particular?  But I elected to zag rather than zig . . . .

Sean

I meant the Symphony 'Harmonie der Welt'.

I don't know if Furtwanger recorded the Eb symphony but it's nice to read of people who know the piece- quite an amazingly vigorous effort from Hindemith and surely among his best works.

karlhenning

Quote from: Sean on September 17, 2008, 03:51:16 PM
I meant the Symphony 'Harmonie der Welt'.

I don't know if Furtwanger recorded the Eb symphony but it's nice to read of people who know the piece- quite an amazingly vigorous effort from Hindemith and surely among his best works.

Thanks for the clarification; I had no idea you meant Harmonie der Welt.

Guido

Which of the Kammermusik's has that bit where all 12 scales (every major key) are played simultaneously? I can't remember which one it is... I adore this series of works so much!
Geologist.

The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away

Nick

What a great composer! To me, Hindemith's well in the Haydn category for underappreciated master.

Guido

Yeah! This whole tired addage that he was uneven or that he was too dry really doesn't fit with my experience of him at all...
Geologist.

The large print giveth, and the small print taketh away

hautbois

I am performing the Sonata for oboe and piano today in a conservatory jury exam. The 2nd movement has one of the most beautiful and inspired melodies ever written in 20th century literature. Check it out!

Howard

Dundonnell

Quote from: Guido on April 23, 2009, 02:13:14 AM
Yeah! This whole tired addage that he was uneven or that he was too dry really doesn't fit with my experience of him at all...

Absolutely! Nothing 'dry' about Hindemith's music at all :)

Cato

By chance I just happened to revisit this work, and I see some comments have been added here in the last day or so!  I have the Blomstedt/Gewandhaus recording on Decca.

Based on Hindemith's music for an opera on Kepler, it is a parallel composition to Prokofiev's use of music from The Flaming Angel for his Third Symphony.

It must rank as one of the best "unknown" major works from a major composer of the last century.
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

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