Sie hören WDR 3, das KlassikForum, mit Xaver Frühbeis am Mikrofon. Es ist...

In das Nachkriegsberlin führen zwei Neuerscheinungen des Labels Audite. Der...

In das Nachkriegsberlin führen zwei Neuerscheinungen des Labels Audite. Der...

Auch ein Mythos, dass alle uralten Klassik-Aufnahmen die besseren sind. Der...

On ne louera pas assez l'éditeur Audite de consacrer une série de huit disques...

Sander gelingt mühelos der Spagat zwischen frei schweifendem Spiel und dem Aufbauen weiter Spannungsbögen, damit die Stücke nicht in ihre vielen Einzelteile auseinander fallen.

De la célèbre tournée mondiale de Porgy and Bess au début de années 1950, où la toute jeune Leontyne Price a fait sensation en compagnie de son époux, la basse William Warfield, seuls subsistaient des extraits (Naxos Historical). En voici une intégrale, captée en 1952 au Titania Palace de Berlin et retrouvée dans les archives de la Radio berlinoise, qui ne l'a apparemment jamais diffusée.

Comme le son est plutôt bon, on comprend enfin pourquoi cette production a suscité un enthousiasme planétaire. La troupe est déchaînée et le chef Alexander Smallens a le swing nécessaire. Les coupures sont nombreuses, l'orchestration réduite et le côté grand opéra, aujourd'hui mis en valeur à la scène comme au disque, est gommé. Cela n'empêche pas Leontyne Price de déployer les moyens qui feront d'elle une des grandes divas de son temps, et le chanteur de jazz Cab Calloway de camper un Sportin'Life – le dealer diabolique – avec lequel seul Sammy Davis Jr dans le film d'Otto Preminger, en 1959, pourra rivaliser.

Er hat die Musikwelt gespalten wie kaum ein Anderer – und er hat sich an ihr...

As I have noted in other reviews of Franck's chamber music, works in the minor keys do not figure prominently in his compositional oeuvre; this perhaps reflects an essentially genial and optimistic musical disposition, though listeners familiar with the works recorded so far by Audite will know that he is capable of passages and movements of heartfelt expression too.

The C minor quartet, op 55, recorded here sounds a more Romantic strain than his F minor quartet had done - reviewed here, Franck E - String Quartet in F minor Op.49/Piano Quartet in D major Op.45 (Edinger Quartett). That earlier work seemed to strive for a more elevated mode of expression: its musical argument is constructed through motive work that was perhaps derived ultimately from Beethoven's quartets, albeit transmuted through Mendelssohn. The opening movement in the C minor quarter shares the same sense of driving rhythm that had dominated the finale of his quartet in F minor; in this piece, however, it is allied with more full-bloodedly melodic mode of expression. If there is still a `tragic' tone to this music, it is a personal rather than a universal one. The `allegretto' that follows offers a consolatory and contrastingly tender sound world, before the vigorous scherzo introduces some wildly dancing music; the finale is something of a tour-de-force in its energy and changes of mood. It certainly rounds off the work in style.

The quartet in E flat major is expansively conceived and opens with a touching, almost hymn-like `adagio molto' introduction; you might perhaps expect the main body of this sonata form movement to be somewhat mellow, but the `allegro' that follows is a high-spirited piece, rich in detail and displaying the composer's customary sure handling of form. The long `adagio molto espressivo' is an eloquent and touching piece - one of those movements of `heartfelt expression' I referred to in the opening paragraph. The scherzo and finale seem somewhat short compared to the earlier movements, both of which are individually longer than scherzo and finale combined. There is certainly no lack of energy or incident in them, though, with the last movement displaying an engaging and imaginative mastery of melodic variation.

This is another successful disc in Audite's ongoing series of recordings devoted to Eduard Franck. On the basis of the issues we have heard so far, long may Audite's advocacy of this fine composer continue. Highly recommended.

A disc that shows two sides to a consistently enjoyable and unjustly neglected composer
From the list of his works, Eduard Franck seems to have been mainly drawn to the major keys; there were two minor key symphonies that now appear to be lost but there is only a smattering of pieces in minor keys among the chamber works. This disc, then, offers an opportunity to view two different sides to this essentially genial and warm-hearted musician, combining as it does a string quartet in F minor with a piano quintet in the sunny key of D major.

There seems to be some debate over when the quartet was composed and it sounds like an early work, given the seemingly strong influence of Mendelssohn's quartets. It would perhaps be too much to describe it as relentlessly bleak or tragic in tone, but throughout its length only the tender, song-like `adagio molto espressivo' offers a period of consolation. In contrast to Franck's customary vivacious and folksy scherzi, the `menuetto' in this work maintains the serious tone of the piece overall. These two movements are preceded by an `allegro risoluto' of sustained and disciplined energy, its polyphonic working out (including a fugal section in the development) underlining the seriousness of Franck's intent from a technical perspective as well as an emotional standpoint. The finale brings no easy resolution and returns to the spirit of the first movement, with driving energy. It is a fine piece overall, more dramatic and concentrated than the elegiac piano trio in E minor recently released by Audite, Franck - Piano Trios Op.11, Op.58.

With the D major piano quintet we are in more familiar territory. Like so many of his chamber works, at around 37 minutes in length, this work has the expansive feel of a musician at one with his mode of expression and comfortable in taking his time saying what he has to say. The opening movement is one of Franck's most passionate - in the exposition, listen to the surging restatement of the opening melody in the high registers of the violin, before Franck moves on to the well-contrasted fanfare-like figure that forms the second subject; it leads after the exposition repeat to an ardently expressive development section. The scherzo (one of Franck's best, in my opinion) has an ebullient energy and picks up on the fanfare-like elements in the first movement, transmuting them into hunting horn signals - it is as exhilarating as it is delightful; the trio section opens with a stomping rhythmic figure that heralds an engaging rustic dance.

After the passionate first movement and the energy of the scherzo and trio, the tone of the extended `andante con moto' is perfectly judged. It opens with a long-breathed, hymn-like melody in the strings - answered, as if antiphonally in a cathedral, by the piano. There is a contrasting central section, but not one that makes its point dramatically and the beautifully poised tone of repose is maintained throughout the movement. It is good to have this opportunity to draw breath mentally, as the finale is a tour-de-force - a sort of `perpetuum mobile' in its general effect, though not without some sweet-toned contrasting episodes, it carries the work to its close with bubbling wit.

I probably don't need to say at this stage that I recommend this disc. I seem to have become something of a solitary advocate on the British Amazon site for this composer, but there are several reviews of Eduard Franck recordings on the US site that you can check should you require a second opinion on this - to my mind - unfailingly delightful and satisfying musician.