Ik heb de cd geboeid beluisterd, door het verrassende gehalte van de composities, maar natuurlijk ook door Burkhard Maiß, Hannah Strijbos en Bogdan Jianu. Zij spelen met superieure techniek, energie, muziekliefde, expressiviteit en plezier. De mooi volle klank van de drie instrumenten staat gelijkwaardig in de ruimte. Laat u verrassen door deze ongewone kamermuziek. Uitvoering en opname: geweldig.

Heinz Holliger's cycle of Schumann's symphonic works continues in Volume 2 (the first was reviewed in January) with Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3, preserving the rather Iighter approach he cultivates compared with that of many distinguished interpreters. There is much to be said for this. In the first place, it confronts head-on the charge of Schumann's poor orchestration, which continues to dog him. It is an ancient one, going back at least to Mahler, whose own beutifully lucid orchestration is in the line of Weber and Berlioz rather than what Schumann had in mind (those who want to hear what Mahler did for, or to, Schumann, may be interested in Riccardo Chailly's set of the symphonies). Perhaps Schumann's orchestration really did seem of 'incredible clumsiness' to the original conductor of the first two symphonies, Mendelssohn, as Donald Tovey surmises in the course of several paragraphs in his essay on the First Symphony, referring to listeners who have 'tried to hear Schumann's orchestra in its native fog'. But Schumann had an orchestra with a substantially smaller body of strings, and time and again it has been shown, as by John EIiot Gardiner, that a conductor following this practice, and with a careful ear to balance, can make Schumann's orchestra sound as if it is doing the job of presenting the musical ideas well, which is its purpose. Hans Gál, in many ways the successor to Tovey as Edinburgh's musical sage, and a man with deep understanding of the German musical tradition, wrote of the opening of the Third Symphony that, 'the conductor has to keep a thick quilt of harmony, that covers and dampens the soaring tune, under strict control, and let the melody flow with a large phrasing, free from narrow bar accents to give it the sweeping swing it demands'.

This kind of scrupulousness guides Holliger's performances, together with a naturally light touch in style that suits the works well, and does not treat them as if Brahms had already arrived upon the German scene. He does not take the opening of the Second Symphony too majestically, playing it quite brightly, which suits a movement in which the themes are not developmental but dangerously repetitious. The Scherzo is played swiftly, but with a certain eeriness in the main scherzo, which expresses it well: the swift, apparently dancing theme is actually based on a discord (the ubiquitous Romantic chord of spookiness, the diminished seventh), and the more lyrical elements must lie, as in this performance, with the two Trios which Schumann provides as its counter. The Adagio is marked by length of melodic line in the wind, led by a beautifully played oboe (as no doubt Holliger, one of the great oboists of his time, would have appreciated). Both with this Symphony's finale and that of the other Symphony here, the 'Rhenish', matters are kept bright and quite swift-moving, no attempt being made at a grand climatic summing up.

The Rhine Symphony itself is vividly presented, with the Ländler of the second movement absorbed into the work's Iyrical elements, as is suggested by the movement's intricate treatment of it, rather than played as a splash of local colour; and the movement, really an interlude, is gracefully and elegantly handled. The are problems for the interpreter in the fourth movement, marked feierlich ('solemn' or 'ceremonial'), with its subtle invocations (as Gál again points out) of the length of tradition manifest in the Rhine's great cathedral at Cologne, with motives that have ecclesiastical associations and even of Bach himself, no Rhinelander but a figure in whose shadow so much stood.

These are intelligent interpretations, decently recorded, original but drawing their nature from what lies to be found in the music itself.

Ulrich Roman Murtfeld hat seit Jahren ein Amerika-Programm im Repertoire, das charakteristische Beispiele transatlantischer Kompositionen von Gottschalk über Gershwin und Barber bis hin zu Glass und Rzewski bündelt. Gewichtiges Hauptwerk ist die es-Moll-Sonate von Barber, dazu gibt es "The Banjo" und anderes vom Tausendsassa Gottschalk, die unvermeidlichen "Three Preludes" von Gershwin und zwei Beispiele mit Minimal Music von Glass und Rzewski.

Audite hat die Murtfeld-Auswahl Ende vorigen Jahres aufgezeichnet, und es wird schon beim Hören der eröffnenden "Pasquinade" Gottschalks überdeutlich, dass der Frankfurter sich sein "American Recital" nicht kurzfristig für diese Studioproduktion erarbeitet hat. Pianist und Aufnahme scheinen sich an Deutlichkeit übertreffen zu wollen. Alles klingt gnadenlos glasklar, das Notenbild wird mit sozusagen klinischer Sauberkeit in Klang umgesetzt, wirkt allerdings immer auch ein bisschen steril. Denn Murtfeld war zwar eine Zeit lang zum Studieren "drüben", hat es aber offenbar nicht so mit amerikanischer Lässigkeit. Auch ein blühendes, quasi belkantistisches Ausspielen von Melodik oder eine körperhafte Rhythmik scheinen ihm eher fremd zu sein.

Am überzeugendsten ist er, wenn es um komplexere Kompositionen wie die große Barber-Sonate geht. Sie gestaltet Murtfeld in durchaus überzeugender Geschlossenheit und Dichte; allerdings darf nicht verschwiegen werden, dass Aufnahmen des Werkes etwa von Peter Lawson oder Olga Kern um einiges profilierter klingen. Von der 1950er-Premiere mit dem Widmungsträger Horowitz nicht zu reden.

Fischer-Dieskau seemed to like the role of Bluebeard. He made two studio recordings of it for DG, one in German (with Hertha Töpper) conducted by Fricsay in 1958 and a second in Hungarian (with Julia Varady) conducted by Sawallisch in 1979. The performance we have here dates from 1962 and is also in German. The best thing about it is the Judith of the vivacious, personable Irmgard Seefried. She was just past her prime in 1962, and she has to reach for some top notes (she releases the high C almost as soon as it is emitted); but her voice is still round and steady, and she utters each word with personal commitment. Her intensity as she asks Bluebeard to open door after door is almost frightening, and she’s particularly eloquent describing the flowers she sees through the fourth of them. Her final phrases, after the opening of the last door, are heartbreaking.
She can, perhaps, seem too outgoing a singer, but next to Fischer-Dieskau she’s a model of restraint. His role does not lie in a comfortable part of his voice. In particular, it needs a depth and resonance he doesn’t have—his first few lines already take him below the point where he can produce singing tone. After the fifth door opens, you want his voice to expand confidently, but instead he tends to bark and shout rather than muster the needed fullness. He’s interesting to listen to, and when he doesn’t have to strain for volume, he can be direct and communicative, but he’s still wrong.
Kubelik draws spirited playing out of the Swiss Festival Orchestra, and the monaural sound is good—deep and undistorted; all the drama and color in the score come across.
No texts are supplied. As usual nowadays, Audite directs you to their website; but the German libretto given does not match the words we actually hear, though it’s close enough to follow. Worth having for Seefried’s sake. If you insist on a Fischer-Dieskau Bluebeard, go with the Hungarian one.

All these performances are from the Lucerne Festival in the years before Claudio Abbado formed his hand-picked Lucerne Festival Orchestra in 2003. According to Michael Haefliger, the head of the Festival, Abbado approved their addition to the Lucerne Festival Historical Performances.
Annotator Peter Hagmann describes this performance of Franz Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony as traditional. I have read reviews that agree, adding that Abbado’s recent Schubert is more modern, leaner in texture, and controversial. I haven’t kept up with Schubert recordings in recent years, so I’m in no position to argue. That said, I don’t recall hearing many performances quite like this one from around 1978, especially the first movement, which is dramatic, dark, and even stormy in places. The tempo is a good deal slower than its marking, particularly in transitions, though it maintains its motion. The quieter passages are quiet and mysterious, perhaps even worrying. The Andante is not as relatively slow or as mysterious as I, but it is more serene and mostly at peace. Not all is forgotten, though, as the firm sterner intervals remind us. Quite interesting is how some of the quiet moments, particularly near the end, anticipate the performance of Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll from ten years later that is on this disc. The Vienna Philharmonic is the perfect orchestra for this kind of Schubert.
The Siegfried Idyll from 1988 is gentle and childlike with atmosphere that is luminous and touching. It is well known that Debussy was influenced by Wagner, but it would be easy to imagine that the influence ran in both directions from listening to this. While the Schubert is the most interesting performance on this program, the Wagner is probably the best, mainly because it has a luminosity I’ve not heard elsewhere in this work. Even so, for a performance by a small orchestra, I’m drawn more to the one Solti led many years ago with the Vienna Philharmonic on Decca. That one is more closely recorded, more imaginative in phrasing, and more vital overall.
The Beethoven comes from the same concert as the Wagner. Again, the performance is small in scale, with technique that is taut and deft. One major difference between the playing here and in the Schubert is that where the Viennese dig into the music, the COE tends to sail over the notes more, and their energy is linear. They do this with great dexterity, but they also create a sameness that carries through all the movements. I is straightforward as well as cleanly delineated and structured. The Larghetto is just as straightforward with a touch of affection. The last two movements are similar and just as deftly played. The Chamber Orchestra of Europe produces a good-sized sound for a smaller orchestra, but I still miss the plushness a larger ensemble can produce in this music.
The sound is very good. The interesting notes are concerned mainly with Abbado and his relationship with the Vienna Philharmonic and his history with the Lucerne Festival.

German jazz trombonist Hansjorg Fink with organist Elmar Lehnen in their own jazz Requiem. You might enjoy it—they are fine players, and you might be taken by the notion of an instrumental Requiem in jazz style. It’s not my cup of tea, partly because I don’t like jazz on a small-bore trombone, piercing fortissimos, and slow and wide vibrato.
But Hansjorg Fink is certainly a very good trombonist. Elmar Lehnen is a very good organist, too, and he is playing an impressive instrument. The organ of St Marien basilica in Kevelaer was built in 1907 by Seifert. Severely damaged in WW II, its restoration was completed in 1981. 149 stops. Complete specifications are included.

Acclaimed for his legendary interpretations of Brahms, Katchen does not disappoint us with this program. Remastered from 1960s radio sessions, it makes many performances available for the first time, such as the works by Beethoven, Liszt, and Chopin.

True to form, the Brahms is excellent, especially the fiercely rhythmic Scherzo. He captures every nuance in one of the most convincing interpretations of Ballade 3 I have heard in a long time. His rubatos are sensitive and tasteful; he performs the coda with a fine balance of passion and control. Berceuse is exquisite. While clearer passagework and more polished playing may be heard from countless recordings of the Liszt Sonata, they cannot compete with his magnificent and original rendering. Katchen’s command of the architecture and dramatic range of the work nullifies any misfired notes. He delivers the 32 Variations with razor-sharp clarity.

The sound quality is excellent. Audite has assembled a fine tribute to an astounding pianist whose career ended too soon.

Audite is doing a great service by bringing us another album (the 10th) devoted to the music of little-known German composer Eduard Franck (1817–93). I gave a strong thumbs up to their recording of Trios (Sept/Oct 2009). Here the Swiss Piano Trio, now in their 10th season, give superb performances to the early Trio in E (1835) plus Op 22 (1859) and 53 (1886). The first and last are world premieres.

These three works cover most of Franck’s life as a composer. True, the early work is not profound and sounds more like early Mendelssohn (his teacher), yet it’s very satisfying musically. Even at the age of 18, Franck really had a feel for making each of the instruments interesting as they intertwine.

While Franck’s writing is certainly more mature in the two later trios, his overall style did not change much in 51 years. While he writes splendid sonata-allegro movements, his development sections are less contrapuntal than imitative, each instrument repeating or modulating what another has just played. Perhaps this is one reason why his music is not convoluted like Brahms’s can be; Franck’s textures are always transparent, which is such a delight because my ears were consistently tuned to each instrument. No one plays mere filler for more than four measures; I was constantly held in a state of anticipation.

Also, all three works are in major keys, another reason this music is so consistently sunny. In Opus 22 the Scherzo is as inventive and fresh as Schubert or Mendelssohn at their best, especially given the bright, light, upbeat, and uplifted phrasing of violinist Angela Golubeva, cellist Sebastien Singer, and pianist Martin Lucas Staub. They also make the Andante con Moto most soulful and the final Allegro Molto Vivace absolutely foot-tapping. All of these qualities are typical of their playing in all three works.
In Opus 53, as in the others, the players’ wonderful grasp of form translates into joyous forward motion that can still linger at certain points without impeding the progress. They also give full voice to Franck’s splendid gift for melody and lyricism. Also, they adapt their style to each movement: the waltz-scherzo-like II, the tender Andante, and the fleet final Allegro con Fuoco. In all works, I must admit that, while I’m normally critical of players who have little tone color, it’s a “failure” I forgive here because of their extremely wide palette of expression, especially their manner of shaping phrases.

The only other limitation here is the engineering. Balances are superb, including the piano’s full range from firm bass to treble. But the ambience is what happens all too often when ensembles like this are recorded in a church (Temple du Bas in Neuchatel, Switzerland). A kind of hollow aura results, leaving the players somewhat distant. I wish they sounded a degree more present so that the violin wasn’t so consistently thin and the ensemble as a whole without a rich dramatic depth. Franck’s music has it, and I’m sure the players themselves do. I love the album; I just wish that the full experience weren’t locked behind a pastel curtain.

There’s no special price for the Audite recording but, at $12.02 – just over £7 at current rates – it won’t break the bank and it’s well worth considering if you’re in the market for just these two symphonies. Tempi are a shade faster throughout than on Linn, especially in the third movement of No. 2 (8:26 against 10:13) and the opening movement of the Rhenish (8:58 against 9:37). The former is marked adagio espressivo and most take that to indicate a timing of a little over 10 minutes – Sawallisch takes 10:18 – but Heinz Holliger makes his faster tempo seem perfectly natural and unhurried. The opening movement of the Rhenish, marked lebhaft, certainly benefits from the faster treatment: Sawallisch is even a shade faster at 8:55, though, surprisingly, the speed-merchant Szell takes longer at 9:13. It seems that Szell was not such a speedy Gonzalez in this work as I recall – in fact, TH’s review in 1963 comments on the comparatively spacious speed in the second movement: at 6:15 he’s slower than Holliger (5:40) or Ticciati (6:02). I like the way that Holliger keeps the music moving here without seeming hurried; listening to Szell again, in lossless sound via Qobuz, I now think he’s inclined to make the movement sound a little arthritic and Sawallisch at 6:42 seems impossibly slow after hearing Holliger. So much for cherished benchmarks: of those that I mentioned at the outset, only Kubelík, at an ideal compromise of 6:08, holds up here.

The Audite recording is good throughout, though I miss those powerful drum thwacks, so apparent on the Linn recording. If you bought the first volume (Audite 97.677, Symphony No. 1 and No. 4, original version, and Overture, Scherzo and Finale) I’m sure you’ll want the second. The third volume, containing the Cello Concerto and final version of the Fourth Symphony, is due for release in October 2014.

I should add that I haven’t yet heard the new, highly-regarded BPO/Simon Rattle set – review – except for the 1-minute segments from Qobuz, but I see that he attributes his appreciation of Schumann to a meeting long ago with Heinz Holliger, whom he describes as a Schumann ‘nut’ – endorsement of a kind for his mentor’s new recording.

There’s no special price for the Audite recording but, at $12.02 – just over £7 at current rates – it won’t break the bank and it’s well worth considering if you’re in the market for just these two symphonies. Tempi are a shade faster throughout than on Linn, especially in the third movement of No. 2 (8:26 against 10:13) and the opening movement of the Rhenish (8:58 against 9:37). The former is marked adagio espressivo and most take that to indicate a timing of a little over 10 minutes – Sawallisch takes 10:18 – but Heinz Holliger makes his faster tempo seem perfectly natural and unhurried. The opening movement of the Rhenish, marked lebhaft, certainly benefits from the faster treatment: Sawallisch is even a shade faster at 8:55, though, surprisingly, the speed-merchant Szell takes longer at 9:13. It seems that Szell was not such a speedy Gonzalez in this work as I recall – in fact, TH’s review in 1963 comments on the comparatively spacious speed in the second movement: at 6:15 he’s slower than Holliger (5:40) or Ticciati (6:02). I like the way that Holliger keeps the music moving here without seeming hurried; listening to Szell again, in lossless sound via Qobuz, I now think he’s inclined to make the movement sound a little arthritic and Sawallisch at 6:42 seems impossibly slow after hearing Holliger. So much for cherished benchmarks: of those that I mentioned at the outset, only Kubelík, at an ideal compromise of 6:08, holds up here.

The Audite recording is good throughout, though I miss those powerful drum thwacks, so apparent on the Linn recording. If you bought the first volume (Audite 97.677, Symphony No. 1 and No. 4, original version, and Overture, Scherzo and Finale) I’m sure you’ll want the second. The third volume, containing the Cello Concerto and final version of the Fourth Symphony, is due for release in October 2014.

I should add that I haven’t yet heard the new, highly-regarded BPO/Simon Rattle set – review – except for the 1-minute segments from Qobuz, but I see that he attributes his appreciation of Schumann to a meeting long ago with Heinz Holliger, whom he describes as a Schumann ‘nut’ – endorsement of a kind for his mentor’s new recording.