As I continue to explore the highways and the byways of the classical repertoire, I find that every country has its national treasure. Sometimes, as with Antonin Dvorak, that treasure is shared with the world. Norway’s treasure, David Monrad Johanson hasn’t been — so far. Johansen is Norwegian, but his taste is cosmopolitan. Mixed in […]
CPO
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Johann Theile – St. Matthew Passion anticipates Bach
Johann Theile was best known as an opera composer. But he did study with Heinrich Schutz and wrote a significant amount of sacred choral works. His St. Matthew Passion dates from 1673 – predating Bach’s by about fifty years. The work features two solo voices; the Evangelist and Jesus. Although it uses Matthew’s narrative of […]
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Karl Weigl String Quartets pure Post-romantic goodness
For most of his career, Karl Weigl built on the Romantic tradition of Fin de Siecle Vienna. But he wasn’t a reactionary. In 1904 he co-founded the Society of Creative Musicians with Alexander Zemlinsky and Arnold Schoenberg. And that’s what makes this release so fascinating. Weigl’s music remained Post-Romantic throughout his life, up to his death in […]
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The elegant refinement of Leopold Kozeluch piano trios
I’m a little late to the party. This is the first volume of Leopold Kozeluch piano trios I’ve auditioned. In this release, the TRIO 1790 presents three more Kozeluch trios. The three trios in this release were published in 1786 and 1787. As was common at the time, they’ve technically named keyboard sonatas. The fortepiano […]
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Jaromir Weinberger – Schwanda and beyond
Show of hands: how many played the Polka and Fugue from Schwanda the Bagpiper in their highs school or college band? Jaromir Weinberger’s piece has made him a one-hit-wonder. An as with many composers, it does him something of a disservice. It is true, I think, that in Schwanda the Bagpiper all the threads of Weinberger’s style come together. […]
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George Antheil Serenades have international appeal
CPO has released a lot of George Antheil: all six symphonies; both piano concertos; and an opera. This release features his two serenades. Also included are two additional works; the ballet suite “Dreams,” and Antheil’s orchestrated piano piece, “The Golden Bird.” The first serenade premiered in 1948, the second in 1950. If you only know Antheil through […]
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Breuninger plays Kreutzer; one violinist/composer to another
Rodolphe Kreutzer was renowned both as a violinist and a composer. As the former, he was famous for his technical skills and his musicality in executing them. As the latter, he was known for his 19 concertos and 40 operas. Laurent Albrecht Breuninger is renowned as both a violinist and a composer. As the former, […]
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Krisztián Kováts solves “The Mystery of the Natural Trumpet”
The limitations of the natural trumpet come down to physics. A metal tube vibrates at certain frequencies, and those frequencies have fixed mathematical relationships. When the tube (or trumpet) vibrates at a frequency in its harmonic series of overtones, a note sounds. The notes of the harmonic series are far apart at the bottom but […]
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Franz Krommer Symphonies Emulate Beethoven
Franz Krommer lived somewhat in the shadow of Beethoven. In 1813 he replaced Leopold Kozeluch (a rival of Beethoven’s) as the Austrian Imperial Court Composer. And that meant his subsequent symphonies, string quartets, and concertos competed with Beethoven’s for the same audience. To my ears, it’s easy to hear Beethoven’s influence in these works. Symphony […]