Saturday, August 29, 2015

Jacques Thibaud String Trio on Spotify Jean Cras Max Reger Ernst von Dohnanyi Zoltan Kodaly

Thanks to the Dutch classical music magazine “Luister” and musicologist Carine Alders, I encountered this wonderful and significative CD. Where the repertoire for string quartet is exhaustively explored, the works for string trio are far less known and recorded. 
Carine Damen rewarded the playing on this CD a “10” in the luister magazine and I completely agree with her…! (below, in the illustration, is a transcript of the review in Dutch I found online)

Jean Cras (1879-1932) was a steamboat captain, naval officer and … composer, bit younger than Debussy and slightly younger than Ravel. Is that the ticking of a steamboat engine I hear in the first movement of his string trio? Whatever may inspired him on his travels, this is a very fine string trio and should be played and heard more. 
German composer Max Reger (1873-1916) was more a traditionalist and used anachronistic forms as “fuga” in many of his compositions. Harmonically he went further where Wagner and even sometimes Richard Strauss went. The larghetto in his string trio in a minor is strikingly beautiful.
Ernst von Dohnanyi  (1877 -1960) is the father of war hero Hans von Dohnanyi and grandfather of conductor Christoph von Dohnanyi. Also renown as a brilliant pianist, he regarded himself primarily as a composer. The early serenade for string trio (1902) is in my opinion a small masterpiece, full of memorable themes and very well written for string trio. 
The small intermezzo by fellow Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly is a fine conclusion to a very spirited and rewarding record..!  Hope you will enjoy it too.

Jean Cras
-Trio for Violin, Viola and Cello

Max Reger
-String Trio in A Minor, Op. 77b

Ernst von Dohnanyi 
-Serenade in C Major for String Trio, Op. 10

Zoltan Kodaly 
-Intermezzo for String Trio

Jacques Thibaud String Trio:
Burkhard Maiß, violin
Hannah Strijbos, viola
Bogdan Jianu, cello


https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/0rRLZrx2plwVkuP6MSWVy6
(HTTP link)
Review (in Dutch) of this CD. 

Thursday, August 27, 2015

Classical music playlists spotify


Survived survival in Belgium!
Dear readers, I will write some new blogposts again soon.
In the mean time, there are some playlists from the past I would like to highlight again, as they enlightened my wifi spots-in-the-wilderness last summer.

The rise of the North Italian violin concerto may nog sound like a dull title, but the three CD’s with concerto’s by Vivaldi and his predecessors are full of fire and wit. Recommended!

Johann Christian Bach and his surroundings (his father brothers and English colleagues) make some fine pre-classical listening experiences…

Excellent recordings by the Chung Trio (violinist Kyung-wha, pianist/conductor Myung-whun and cellist Myung-wha) in Mendelssohn and Brahms and the overlooked Shanghai Quartet in Mendelssohn and Grieg.

Cellist Quirine Viersen with Hummel, Beethoven, Haydn and Martinu, discoveries!

Program with Canadien pianist and harpsichordist (!) Marc-Andre Hamelin 

Beethoven, Johann Stauss jr. Maurice Ravel and Samuel Barber on authentic insturments…
(yes you read it right)


Hope you will enjoy these playlists again!


Flying around in Belgium ;-)