Gurn's Classical Corner

[kishnevi]

This one is very good (this is one I found about through GMG)
[asin]B002UOOM30[/asin]
There's also a whole ramification of Onlsow's chamber music on CPO.

Think of him as being someone who seriously assimilated what Beethoven did with his string quartets.  Did not necessarily reach Beethovenian heights, but he knew the heights were there.

[Grazioso]

Anyone know of a book that collects or summarizes contemporary reviews/criticism from the Classical Period?

[Gurn Blanston]

Anyone know of a book that collects or summarizes contemporary reviews/criticism from the Classical Period?

I haven't seen one (else I would have it!), but lots of books have them scattered around. It would be a highly interesting topic, I think. Sometimes, depending on the composer, you can google the composer's name along with the word "reception"...

[Grazioso]

I haven't seen one (else I would have it!), but lots of books have them scattered around. It would be a highly interesting topic, I think. Sometimes, depending on the composer, you can google the composer's name along with the word "reception"...

Yes, I stumble across quotes taken from papers of the day, and invariably, it's interesting to see how they perceived music at the time, but I sure wish there were some scholarly collection of that criticism to get a better idea of whom and what was valued at the time.

[Leon]

Anyone know of a book that collects or summarizes contemporary reviews/criticism from the Classical Period?

Charles Burney wrote contemporaneous reviews of musical events from the 18th century, as well as several books on the "state of music" in various parts of Europe.

[SonicMan46]

Charles Burney wrote contemporaneous reviews of musical events from the 18th century, as well as several books on the "state of music" in various parts of Europe.

My same thought - Charles Burney (1726-1814) lived a LONG time and exactly in the period of interest; he is oft quoted in the liner notes of recordings from those times, and he did write quite a bit just not sure if much is available in one source - just check Project Gutenberg and could find nothing w/ his name attached - 

[Antoine Marchand]

My same thought - Charles Burney (1726-1814) lived a LONG time and exactly in the period of interest; he is oft quoted in the liner notes of recordings from those times, and he did write quite a bit just not sure if much is available in one source - just check Project Gutenberg and could find nothing w/ his name attached - 

I think you will find something of your interest here, Dave:

http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=Charles%20Burney

[SonicMan46]

I think you will find something of your interest here, Dave:

http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=Charles%20Burney

Thanks!    Kind of stopped searching after nothing on Project Gutenberg, obviously you found PLENTY!  Think that I'll download the Vol. 1 to my iPad and take a look - Dave 

[Antoine Marchand]

Thanks!    Kind of stopped searching after nothing on Project Gutenberg, obviously you found PLENTY!  Think that I'll download the Vol. 1 to my iPad and take a look - Dave 

I just recently found this wonderful source. Currently I am reading a book by Albert Schweitzer devoted to Bach. It's just wonderful! The best book about Bach's music and influence that I have ever read and written 100 years ago...

[Leon]

Another new discovery for me, a period instrument group that seems to specialize in Classical era composers such as Stamitz, Fesca, Krommer, and Vanhal: the Authentic Quartet.

I'm listening to Stamitz Clarinet Quartets right now on NML:



but hope some of the other recordings like these are also on NML:

[asin]B000FUF91U[/asin]



[asin]B001OP4L6O[/asin]

[Leon]

From the Authentic Quartet's website I read this about them:

The quartet was founded by Zsolt Kalló in 2002 with the aim of focusing on historically informed performance and representing the music of the former epochs with a true presentation through musical rarities and well known masterpieces. Authentic Quartet is Hungary's leading period instrument string quartet, performing the works of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Schumann as well as the finest works of their lesser known contemporaries. Beside numerous radio recordings we are invited to prestigious festivals, for example the "Haydn at Eszterháza" Festival, Early Music Days in Sopron, String Quartet Festival in the Esterházy Castle and Zemplen Festival. We are glad to play where our music actually belongs - in castles and mansions.

9 CDs were released at HUNGAROTON - all World Premiere Recordings, works of Werner, Georg Lickl, Nikolaus Zmeskáll, Friedrich Ernst Fesca, J. G. Albrechtsberger, Joseph Wölfl, Franz Krommer, Carl Stamitz (with clarinet solo of Lajos Rozmán) and Johann Baptist Vanhal - with the solo of Miklós Spányi on fortepiano. We are continually searching for high quality music in Hungarian and foreign libraries and private collections, and once we find a manuscript that matches our criteria, we prepare playable scores to put the music on our concert repertoire.

It certainly is good to have another PI quartet specializing in the Classical period, especially releasing recordings of works otherwise unavailable.

[Gurn Blanston]

From the Authentic Quartet's website I read this about them:

It certainly is good to have another PI quartet specializing in the Classical period, especially releasing recordings of works otherwise unavailable.

I have the Wölfl and Lickl disks and am very pleased with them. I agree with you, it is nice that we aren't getting another set of Mozart or Haydn out of them. As much as I love those works, they are pretty well covered. But the list you quoted is certainly not!   

[Leo K.]

I think you will find something of your interest here, Dave:

http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=Charles%20Burney

Wow! I have been looking for something like this for a long time!

[SonicMan46]

Another new discovery for me, a period instrument group that seems to specialize in Classical era composers such as Stamitz, Fesca, Krommer, and Vanhal: the Authentic Quartet.

I'm listening to Stamitz Clarinet Quartets right now on NML:

Hi Leon - I own the Krommer & Vanhal recordings w/ this group, and would be quite interested in the Stamitz, so what do you think off the NML?

Also have the Albrechtsberger: Three SQs & the Lickl: Three SQs - thanks - 

[Antoine Marchand]

I don't know if he (Wilhelm Friedemann Bach) belongs exactly to this Corner, but this conversation on Carl Philipp Emanuel, recalled me this 2-CD set:

[asin]B003LDKHOC[/asin]

It's a well known fact that JS Bach and his sons contributed considerably to the repertoire for keyboard and orchestra, but few weeks ago I did read these interesting numbers: JSB transcribed or composed over thirty concertos for the keyboard and four of his sons contributed more than a hundred works to the genre: Wilhelm Friedemann (7), Carl Philipp Emanuel (over 50), Johann Christoph Friedrich (16) and Johann Christian (nearly 30). Thus JSB and his four composer sons alone were responsible for over 130 keyboard concertos!

BTW, Astronio is really, really excellent on these early keyboard concertos.     

[SonicMan46]

Hummel & Onslow Piano Quintets, Op. 74 & 70, respectively w/ the Nepomuk Fortepiano Quintet; already own the other offering by this excellent group (below, right; i.e. Op. 87 & 67) - Riko Fukuda, the keyboard performer, plays on two different fortepianos, a Walter & Sohn (Vienna, 1822) for the Hummel & a Pleyel (Paris, 1842) for the Onslow; and the string players use gut strings, presumably reproducing the likely sound of these works from the times.  I own numerous recordings of these composers and both wrote excellent chamber works - and the pricing from Brilliant cannot be topped - highly recommended!


 

[Leo K.]

Another new discovery for me, a period instrument group that seems to specialize in Classical era composers such as Stamitz, Fesca, Krommer, and Vanhal: the Authentic Quartet.

I'm listening to Stamitz Clarinet Quartets right now on NML:



but hope some of the other recordings like these are also on NML:

[asin]B000FUF91U[/asin]



[asin]B001OP4L6O[/asin]

Speaking of the excellant Authentic quartet, I would like to recommend this wonderful disk of string quartets from Nikolaus Zmeskall:



I did a quick search on the forum to see whether or not this interesting composer has been discussed, but didn't find anything yet. Here is a quick sketch of his life I found on a Beethoven page.

Nikolaus Zmeskall (1759-1833)

One of Beethoven's few close personal friends in Vienna, Zmeskall was an official in the Hungarian Chancellery.

He was a capable amateur cellist - and very short-sighted. Beethoven composed the Duet "obligato for two pairs of spectacles" WoO 32 in 1796-7 for viola and cello for Zmeskall and him to play together when he too had begun to wear spectacles.

A great number of letters and notes from Beethoven to his friend have survived. From them it is evident he enjoyed making jokes at Zmeskall's expense.

He addresses him, among other things, as Baron Muckcart Driver - a pun on the meaning of Zmeskall's name in Hungarian.

Many of the notes give a nice insight into Beethoven's life away from music ..... "Let us meet at 6 o'clock at the Schwann Inn and drink some of their dreadful red wine...." he writes to Zmeskall on one occasion.

Zmeskall often helped Beethoven in practical matters such as finding a servant. By the 1820s he was confined to a wheelchair with severe gout, but managed - to Beethoven's delight - to be present at the first performance of the Ninth Symphony on 7th May 1824 at the Kärntnertor theatre.

Beethoven's final letter to his old friend was written only a month before he died.

"My very dear friend! A thousand thanks for your sympathy. I do not despair. But what is most painful to me is the complete cessation of my activities. Yet there is no evil which has not something good in it as well - May Heaven grant you too an alleviation of your painful condition. Perhaps we shall both be restored to health and then we shall meet and see one another again as friendly neighbours - Heartfelt greetings from your old friend who sympathises with you. BEETHOVEN."

Five weeks later Beethoven died, his friend outliving him by six years.

[Gurn Blanston]

Nice info on Zmeskall there, Leo. I have read a lot about him in books on Beethoven, but one thing I hadn't ever taken away from those is that he also was a composer! Thayer, for example, doesn't mention that, despite going on for pages about what good friends they were. I did know about the WoO 32, I always found its subtitle amusing, and in fact it is a nice little work that is frequently overlooked even by folks who are intimately familiar with all of Beethoven's 'big' works. I will look into those quartets.



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Now playing:
Goodman, The Hanover Band - Hob 01 071 Symphony in Bb 2nd mvmt - Adagio

[mc ukrneal]

I posted this earlier on the recordings being considered page, but not much action there, so I am reposting here in hopes for some responses (one thing I did not mention is the price difference in my original post - the first is $10-20 more expensive, so that is also a consideration):

Danzi: Wind Quintets. Anyone familiar with either of these? From what I can see, I should try to get Reicha box first. Do You agree? I have so far liked both Reicha and Danzi in some other pickups first (which I made in the case of Reicha, because 10 discs is a lot of music from a composer you never heard!). Here are the two sets:

[asin]B002AT465O[/asin]
[asin]B000SQKZ2Y[/asin]

[Gurn Blanston]

I posted this earlier on the recordings being considered page, but not much action there, so I am reposting here in hopes for some responses (one thing I did not mention is the price difference in my original post - the first is $10-20 more expensive, so that is also a consideration):

Danzi: Wind Quintets. Anyone familiar with either of these? From what I can see, I should try to get Reicha box first. Do You agree? I have so far liked both Reicha and Danzi in some other pickups first (which I made in the case of Reicha, because 10 discs is a lot of music from a composer you never heard!). Here are the two sets:

[asin]B002AT465O[/asin]
[asin]B000SQKZ2Y[/asin]

You must have caught me napping, Neal!   

I have the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet box (because it was available AND affordable) and the playing on it is very fine. That said, there are a couple of points to consider.

Danzi is a good composer, no doubt. His quintets are nicely written and very entertaining. However, if you (as I do) place Reicha on the supreme pedestal of wind quintet writing, then Danzi approaches him at times, but rarely equals and never surpasses. I think it is a question of inspiration, possibly. Reicha was inspired when he wrote his quintets. And to be honest, Danzi was a very good composer, but IMO Reicha was a great composer.

Still, I wouldn't pass them up just because of one person's opinion. And if the question of more expensive is not a particular issue at this time, then without a doubt I would get the version on period instruments. The timbre and color, especially of winds, might very well make the critical difference in your enjoyment. At the time that I got the BIS box, the other didn't appear on Amazon yet. If I had known, I would have gone that route.



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Now playing:
Goodman, The Hanover Band - Hob 01 071 Symphony in Bb 3rd mvmt - Menuetto