The title of this release is officially “Five String Quartets.” But it actually has six, as the fourth quartet is essentially a reworking of the second. Emil Nikolaus von Reznicek’s quartets have a complex history. It may hinder musicologists’ work with Reznick’s catalog. But it needn’t detract from enjoying these works. Reznicek continued to write […]
Emil Nikolaus von Reznicek
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Reznicek Symphonic Suites Blend Old and New
Emil Nikolaus von Reznicek was primarily an opera composer. Two of the three suites in the release have their origins on the stage. Nevertheless, they show that Reznicek was quite comfortable writing for the concert hall. The Karneval Suite “in an older style” was extracted from Reznicek’s two-act opera Gondoliere des Dogen. The drama’s set in the […]
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Von Reznicek Violin Concerto – Post-romantic goodness
In 1928, musicologist Alfred Einstein named the three leading German composers of their generation: Richard Strauss, Hans Pfitzner, and Emil Nikolaus von Reznicek. While Strauss’ compositions entered the basic repertoire, those of Pfitzner and von Reznicek didn’t fare as well. And that’s too bad. All three composers wrote in a lush, post-romantic style and yet […]