Anton Reicha - Wind Quintet, Op. 88 #2 Year: 1818
Albert Schweitzer Quintet
Rating: 4.25 Stars
Anton Reicha - Wind Quintet, Op. 100#4 Year: 1820
Albert Schweitzer Quintet
Rating: 4.25 Stars
I seem to have become a fan of chamber music for winds lately. Being a fan of Czech composers, it seemed only right I start checking out Anton Reicha, who wrote extensively in this format. As it turns out, my ear tells me he also wrote exceptionally well too! These are delightful works. The earlier of these two is almost universally considered the peoples' choice, and for good reason. It is loaded with wonderful melodies, all playfully interacting with each other. In no other quintet have I heard all five instruments share such equal footing, and they all make exceptional use of their part of the balanced approach. I think this is especially important in a wind quintet (more so than a string quintet) as each instrument has a different tone and timbre, even a very distinct personality. Reicha nails it. The latter work is a little less jaunty, but a little more deep in emotional expression and provides a nice contrast in approach. The variations contained within flow nicely and the canonical bits reflect both a mathematical precision and emotional expression. Two wonderful and unique works, each approaching perfection in what they do.
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Bohuslav Martinů - Sinfonietta La Jolla in A Major for piano and chamber orchestra Year: 1950
Prague Chamber Orchestra/Ondřej Kukal
Josef Hála/Piano
Rating: 4.25 Stars
Within the first few bars of this marvelous piece, I witnessed the unmistakable Martinů fingerprints on both harmonic structure and rhythmic patterns, which got me all giddy right from the start. I have heard Martinu be brilliant with a full orchestra and with a string quartet or solo piano. Now I've heard him be equally brilliant in the middle space between the those extremes. This piece is like the best of both worlds; big enough to bring full sonic possibilities to fruition but small enough that multiple voices get to shine. Interestingly, as the piece develops through its movements, the overt Martinůisms are gradually displaced by a less overtly Czech vibe and becomes distinctly more worldly. That sounds like a recipe for disappointment to me, but this is Martinů, and once again he nails it. Quite compelling stuff, really.
I've dedicated the last few days' classical listening to the underdog; the oft negelected or forgotten viola, that potentially screechy alto string that lies between the soaring soprano of the violin and the deep, rich timbre of the cello. While violas are not uncommon, employing them as a solo instrument is.
I actually fell into this unusual mini-binge quite accidentally. I have always loved the Hoffmeister Viola Concerto since my earliest days of classical listening and had a craving for that. But while listening to it, I was reading up on it's history a bit and during that research, I stumbled upon the Puschmann, and decided to give that a go as well. And then the Puschmann led me to the Brixi which was on the same disc. And hey, since I loved the Czech Puschmann, and Brixi was also Czech, I had to give that a go. Fully ready to cap my listens as a trilogy, I then stumbled upon the Dittersdorf, so hey, what the heck, why not make it a foursome!
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Franz Anton Hoffmeister - Concerto for Viola in D Major Year: 178?
The Gulbenkian Orchestra/Christopher Hogwood
Ashan Pillai/Viola
Rating: 4.25 Stars
Hoffmeister is the oldest of these four composers, having been born in 1754, roughly two decades after the other three. Maybe that's why this concerto sounds like it carries an extra dose of classical refinement relativeto the others here. But it's not just that refinement; he also writes melodies that reallly capture the type of expressiveness the viola can offer. This piece is a perfect marriage of line choice and orchestration. Oh, and speaking of the orchestra, Hogwood is the perfect conductor to make the accompaniment as much a joy to listen to as the wonderful solo instrument. Oh, and speaking of that solo, violist Ashan Pilla gets a tremendous amount of life to jump from the strings of his instrument. This is a wonderful performance of an equally wonderful piece.
Josef Puschmann - Concerto for Viola in D Major Year: c. 1780
Czеch PhiIharmonic Orchestra/Andrеаs Sеbаstiаn Wеisеr
Jаn Pěruškа/Viola
Rating: 4.25 Stars
The name Puschmann just looks German to me, so I was surprised to see he was Czech. That said, this is clearly in the Viennese tradition with nothing particularly indicitave of the national origin of its composer. It's also an absolute joy to listen to. This performance places a little more demand on the soloist to carry it relative to the orchestra. Fortunately violist Jаn Pěruškа is mroe than up to the task. There are more rapid fire 16th note runs here and Pěruškа nails them as well. The third movement cadenza feels largely improvised, which tickled the ear of my inner Jazz fan. Another delightful listen!
František Xaver Brixi - Concerto for Viola in D Major Year: c. 17??
Czеch PhiIharmonic Orchestra/Andrеаs Sеbаstiаn Wеisеr
Jаn Pěruškа/Viola
Rating: 4 Stars
Joining Puschmann on this set of "forgotten Czech Viola" pieces is his more obscure countryman František Xaver Brixi, who delivers another lively bit of classical era joy. Joyful Individual melodies abound and violist Pěruškаreally makes them sing. Structurally, this piece is solid if slightly less masterful than the others. It is definitely one I will be returning to as well as having prompted me to want to seek out more from this previously unknown to me composer.
Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf - Viola Concerto in F majo Year: c. 17??
Dvorak Chamber Orchestra/Frantisek Vajnar
Lubomir Maly/Viola
Rating: 3.75 Stars
In addition to having one of the coolest names in classical music, Ditters von Dittersdorf has provided me some very tasty listening when I've encountered him in the past. This one has little background, as even the date is unknown beyond the obvious "written sometime before his death." Thanks for that insight! It does sound the oldest of the three, not just because of the presence of a harpsichord (which actually should have been brought up a bit in the mix), but also stylistically it doesn't quite have the flair of later classical era pieces. This was a fine listen even if not quite so joyous as the other three.
Granville Bantock - Pagan Symphony Year: 1928
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Vernon Handley
Rating: 3.75 Stars
Indulged my love of late romantic early 20th century symphonies with this new to me composer today. A variety of pagan themes makes a nice foundation for this six movement symphony. The reverence for nature is evident through much of the symphony, and it's nicely done. There's a big brass fanfare that seems a bit out of place, but it is well written. As good as the nature scenes are, the greatest fun came in the short third movement, the quite aptly titled Dance of the Satyrs. Yeah, I wanna party with these cats.
Franz Joseph Haydn - Symphony #87 Year: 1785
Academy of St Martin in the Fields/Sir Neville Marriner
Rating: 4.5 Stars
By now, Haydn's slow introductions are no longer surprising, so surprisingly Haydn doesn't start with one. Quite the opposite, without warning, he launches directly into a mach 5 vivace. But that's not the only surprise here. There's an unexpected dead silent pause after which Haydn launches through a rapid fire sequence of unpredictable harmonic modulations. And that's all just in the first movement! There's extra innovation in this one, even by late Haydn standards and, not unexpectedly, it all works like a charm.
The adagio is strikingly lovely, with some perfectly exposed solo flute.The minuet is possible the best example of Haydn's singular ability to mix stately grandeur and informal wit. For the finale, we return to vivace, albeit a little less rapid than the opener, and the more relaxed nature of this closer allows an extra dose of wit and charm to shine through in a classic Haydn closer.
Jiří Antonín Benda - Gott ist die Liebe Year: c. 1760
Kantorei Santa Barbara/L'Estate Armonico/WiesIаw DeIimаt
Stefanie Dаsch/Soprano
Agnieszka Monаsterskа/Alto
Julio Fernández/Tenor
Simon Berg/Baritone
Rating: 4.25 Stars
Jiří Antonín Benda - Gott steigt herab Year: c. 1760
Kantorei Santa Barbara/L'Estate Armonico/WiesIаw DeIimаt
Stefanie Dаsch/Soprano
Agnieszka Monаsterskа/Alto
Julio Fernández/Tenor
Simon Berg/Baritone
Rating: 4 Stars
For this mornings sacred vocal music, I went back to Bohemia with an excellent suggestion for Jiří Antonín Benda. I knew it was an excellent suggestion less than a minute into the opening chorale it was like "yeah, I'm gonna like this!" I'm loving the four part choir, I'm loving the musical language, I'm loving the structure, I'm loving the vibe...
... then the chorale ended and the recitivo began and I forgot about all of that.... that voice! Soprano Stefanie Dаsch has the voice of an angel! I'm in love. She could sing the instruction manual to assemble your new Ikea coffee table and I'd love it.
All four movements add up to less than 9 minutes so I was easily ready for more choral music.... or maybe more Benda? Nope... more Dasch! So I went on a Dasch hunt, and all I turned up was her singing more Benda with the same crew. Cool, I'm definitely in. And the good news is the next piece is twice as long.
What a great way to start my Sunday!
FischmanRockMonster, JazzMeister, Bluesboy,ClassicalMasterProfile Land of Enchantment
Giuseppe Ferlendis - Concerto per Corno Inglese Year: 1785
Orquesta Sinfónica del Principado de Asturiаs/Nuno Coеlho
Juan Pedro Romеro/English Horn
Rating: 3.75 Stars
Giuseppe Ferlendis was himself a highly accomplished oboist and English horn player, so it's no surprise he'd have some demanding virtuosity early on in this English Horn Concerto. But this isn't a mere recital piece, it's a solid composition. Interestingly, that opening movement takes up more than half the entire concerto, but things never seem out of balance. In fact, whatever angle I look at this piece from (or listen to it from), balance seems to be an operative word. It makes this thing go down very smoothly, like a light Austrian Grüner Veltliner. In addition to the soloists virtuosity and the delicate balance between soloist and orchestra, this piece also balances late baroque ornamentation with the Viennese classical style. It's not a particularly stirring or mind blowing listen, but it has a certain delight to it. Recommended for easygoing but uplifting pleasure when you're not looking to seriously plumb the depths or blow the roof off.
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A very nice classical sinfonia from Polish composer Jakub Golabek here. There's a wonderfully galant slow movement sandwiched between two delightfully melodious outer movements. There is a captivating vitality that permeates this entire sinfonis. An obscure hidden gem this is.
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Tālivaldis Ķeniņš - Violin Concerto Year: 1974
Latvian National Symphony Orchestra/Andris Poga
Eva Bindere/Piano
Rating: 3.75 Stars
Due to his study in France, life spent in Canada, and his having been declared degenerate by the communist regime in his homeland, the music of Latvian composer Tālivaldis Ķeniņš was little known in his native country. Rather than try to explain his violin concerto myself, I'll simply relay the words of our soloist upon her learning of, and preparing to perform the piece:
I was struck by the brightness of the solo line, the bursts of colour and complex orchestration. There was a very intelligent mind behind this music and after receiving the score I could see how accomplished Ķeniņš was. His writing is exceptionally refined, technically virtuosic, full of life and colour, and of a genuinely world-class quality. Who was this man and why did I, and indeed the wider music world, not know more about his music?
Tālivaldis Ķeniņš - Concerto for Five Percussionists and Orchestra Year: 1983
Latvian National Symphony Orchestra/Andris Poga
Rating: 4.25 Stars
As impressive as that violin concerto is, I was blown away by the percussion concerto. The mix of five percussive instruments as the focus of the music is fascinating. Having traditionally supporting, rhythm focused instruments take the lead can be tricky, but Ķeniņš executes it in convincing fashion. Despite the unorthodoxy, this piece makes absolute, total sense to me more so than the sometimes wandering violin concerto.... and it's just a helluva lot of fun to listen to!
Tālivaldis Ķeniņš - Beatae Voces Tenebrae Year: 1977
Latvian National Symphony Orchestra/Andris Poga
Rating: 4.25 Stars
The 13 minute add on to fill out the disc was a fantastic surprise; a gripping modern tone poem, not at all just filler.
Beatae Voces Tenebrae translates to "Blessed Voices in the Darkness," you'd never guess it; this thing is ominous! Well, at least at first. Ķeniņš gradually uses his avant garde language to transform that darkness into light but without abandoning his thoroughly unique, modern language. In the end, it's all quite compelling.
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This is a seriously Brahmsian symphony (particularly the first movement).... which is especially surprising since it was published over a year before Brahms completed his first. Clearly the two composers were subject to the same musical forces and similar musical inspiration. While this may not display the same level of musical genius as Brahms across all four movements, it's still a most worthy listen and if you love Brahms and have exhausted his catalog, this is a worthy addition to your listening repertoire.
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