The classical sandwich (on period instruments)

”The” classical concert program is an overture, followed by a concert and a symphony. So, as it’s in use in the concert halls, it actually never took off on CD. Strange! In te time of Spotify, it’s easy to create your own concert. And so I did. From two recent and one almost recent issues I compiled some fine playing in a classical sandwich. All recordings on this playlist are on authentic instruments. Enjoy the program! 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Track 01 Overture Le Nozze di Figaro, KV 492 (1786)

Kölner Akademie

Michael Alexander Willens, conductor

Recorded September 2022

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847)

Tracks 02-04 Violin Concerto In E Minor Op 64 (1844)

Alina Ibragimova, violin

Orchestra Of The Age Of Enlightenment

Vladimir Jurowski, conductor

Recorded September 2011

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

Tracks 05-08 Symphony No. 5 in B-Flat Major, D. 485 (1816)

Freiburger Barockorchester 

Pablo Heras-Casado, conductor

Recorded November 2021

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7x4LzsRktTFr9KMj6tVrIk?si=43b9ca0f5b0349eb(Weblink to the playlist)

Have a break, have a Brendel. Alfred Brendel in Joseph Haydn.

Sometimes you get a brief break during which you can listen to some music. On your headphones, in the kitchen, in bed even. And a short playlist can be very fitted for that. Years ago I made a quick Debussy fix playlist, now it are the 1985 Haydn recordings by now retired pianist Alfred Brendel, who always excelled in this repertoire. Starting with the most well known piano sonata (also a piece many people played when they had five of six years of piano lessons), the D major Hoboken 37 sonata. Then a set of moving variations in f minor, allegedly composed by Haydn as a reflection of Mozart’s death, and his masterpiece, the E flat sonata Hoboken 52. 

I hope you will enjoy this Brendel-break!

Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)

Tracks 01-03 Piano sonata in D major Hob. XVI: 37 (before 1780)

Track 04 Andante Con Variazioni In F Minor Hob. XVII: 6 (1793)

Tracks 05-07 Piano sonata in E flat  major Hob. XVI: 52 (1794)

Alfred Brendel, piano

Recorded in 1985

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6bDR7942uv7AbxOayYz3fv?si=a899f9672e024278(47 minutes of a Brendel-break through a Spotify weblink)

A one hour Spotify playlist with works from the classical period. Clementi, Mozart, Pleyel

Born before Mozart and living past Beethoven, Muzio Clementi (1752-1832) had a fruitful long musical life. Mozart envied his technical abilities behind te pianoforte and Beethoven was introduced to the early sonatas by Clementi by his teacher Christian Gottlieb Neefe. The Capriccio in E, op 47 no 1 is from 1821 and more a “free form sonata” in three parts. The symphonic caracter of this work is captured by the pianist Howard Shelley.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) composed the String Duo No. 2 in B-flat major for violin and viola, K. 424, during the summer of 1783. This work was the second of two duos he wrote to complete Michael Haydn’s set of six for Archbishop Colloredo. Michael, the younger brother of Joseph, was sick and unable to finish the requested 6 sonatas, only having composed 4. Mozart surprised his friend by composing two additional sonatas in 5 days…

The String Quintet in F Minor, is part of Ignaz Pleyel’s (1757-1831) collection of chamber music from 1786. It is scored for a string quartet (two violins, viola, and cello) with the addition of an extra viola, creating a quintet. A remarkable French “stürm on drang” work in three parts.

Muzio Clementi (1752-1832)

Tracks 01-03 Capriccio for piano in E, op 47 no 1 (1821)

Howard Shelley, piano 

Recorded 2011

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Tracks 04-06 String Duo No. 2 in B-flat major for violin and viola, K. 424 (1783)

Sarah Kapustin, violin 

Roeland Jagers, viola

Recorded 2020

Ignaz Pleyel  (1757-1831)

Tracks 07-09 String Quintet in F Minor, Ben 277 (1786)

Janáček Quartet

Miloš Vacek  Vítězslav Zavadilík, violin

Bohuslav Matoušek, Jan Řezníček, viola

Břetislav Vybíral, cello

Recorded 2013

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7i1gTJcGI0Ngl0JDb0Cb5U?si=b31675752a0f40d6Spotify HTTP link

A classical chamber music playlist of an hour

So you are looking for a classical music playlist for in your car, the kitchen or just before you go to bed? I did my best to provide you one :-)

Heinrich von Herzogenberg (1843-1900) is primary known as the “groupie” of Johannes Brahms. Sometimes it became too much for poor Johannes, but fun fact is that many of Heinrich’s works have their own signature. Even is his Variations on a Theme by Johannes Brahms, Op.23, based on Brahms’ opus 7 no 5 song “Die Trauernde” (the mourning) sounds more Herzogenberg than Brahms. Lovely, forgotten, atmospheric work for 2 pianists. 

Florence Price (1887-1953) is in vogue. In the 2024-25 season in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, many works of her are performed and several of her symphonies recently received fine recording by Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the award winning John Jeter. But… my favourite work, where she shows really an own voice is her Piano quintet from 1936, with a tuneful finale that stick in your mind. 

Niels Gade’s (1817-1890) Andante and allegro in f minor is an early composition from 1837. Sometimes it’s labeled as a complete “string quartet”, but with only 14 minutes it’s more a testcase than a complete string quartet. 

The opus 2 fantasy pieces for oboe and piano are also early works, this time composed by Carl Nielsen (1865-1931). They were composed shortly after the composer had taken up the post of second violinist in the Royal Danish Orchestra in 1889. Lovely miniatures, performed by the Dutch oboist Han de Vries. 

Enjoy the program! 

Heinrich von Herzogenberg (1843-1900) 

Tracks 01-09 Variations on a Theme by Johannes Brahms, Op.23 (1875)

Pianoduo Amacord

Ivana Alkovic and Maarten den Hengst, piano

Recorded 2023

Florence Price (1887-1953)

Tracks 10-13 Quintet In A Minor For Piano And Strings (1936)

Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective

Tom Poster, piano

Elena Urioste and Melissa White, violin

Rosalind Ventris, viola

Laura van Der Heijden, cello

Recorded 2020

Niels Gade (1817-1890)

Track 14 Andante And Allegro Molto In F Minor (1837)

The Kontra quartet

Anton Kontra and Boris Samsing, violin

Peter Fabricius, viola

Morten Zeuthen, cello

Recorded 1995

Carl Nielsen (1865-1931)

Tracks 15-16 Two fantasy pieces for oboe and piano op 2 (1889)

Han de Vries, oboe

Rudolf Jansen, piano

Recorded 1976

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4xKuL3FyeombXx1AG85qnY?si=db9369fad952416d(HTTP web link)

Grieg's own recordings May 2nd 1903 and the 2008 emulations by Sigurd Slåttebrekk

A while ago I stumbled upon this remarkable CD. In 1903, Edward Grieg recorded several piano pieces for a gramophone in Paris. Those recordings, included in te CD, form the basis of the “emulation” of these works by pianist Sigurd Slåttebrekk. On Grieg’s own 1892 Steinway at his home in Troldhaugen these works were recorded again, with Grieg’s own recordings as guideline. How tight he follows Grieg in his recording shows track 24, where Slåttebrekk’s and Grieg’s recording alternatively overlap. Seamless… Of the solo recordings that Grieg did not record, Slåttebrekk plays the 20 minute Ballade. It’s the highlight of this CD and the best recording I know of this piece. Two movements of the opus 7 e minor sonata are played in the truncated version Grieg recorded and, later on, the complete uncut sonata is performed by Sigurd Slåttebrekk.

There is also a recording of Grieg’s piano concerto with Michail Jurowski.

With this project, a website was made, that still exists. It contains articles, interviews and images surrounding the 1903 Grieg recordins and the emulations on the CD.

https://www.chasingthebutterfly.no/

I hope you will enjoy this playlist! 

Edward Grieg (1843-1907)

Played by Sigurd Slåttebrekk on Grieg’s Steinway in Troldhaugen, recorded in 2008:

Track 01 Brylluspsdag på Troldhaugen (Wedding Day at Troldhaugen) (Lyric Pieces, Vol. 8), Op. 65, No. 6

Track 02 Piano Sonata in E minor, Op. 7~3. Alla menuetto

Track 03 Piano Sonata in E minor, Op. 7~4. Finale

Track 04 Til Våren (To Spring) (Lyric Pieces, Vol. 3), Op. 43, No. 6

Track 05 Gangar (Lyric Pieces, vol. 5), Op. 54, No. 2

Track 06 Sommerfugl (Butterfly) (Lyric Pieces, Vol. 5), Op. 54, No. 1

Track 07 Tempo de Menuetto ed energico (Humoresker), Op. 6, No. 2

Track 08 Brudefølget drar forbi (The Bridal Procession Passes) (Folkelivsbilder), Op. 19, No. 2

Track 09 Etterklang (Remembrances)(Lyric Pieces, Vol. 10), Op. 71, No. 7

Track 10 Piano Sonata in E minor, Op. 7~1. Allegro moderato

Track 11 Piano Sonata in E minor, Op. 7~2. Andante molto

Track 12 Piano Sonata in E minor, Op. 7~3. Alla menuetto

Track 13 Piano Sonata in E minor, Op. 7~4. Finale

Track 14 Ballade in G minor, Op. 24

Played by Edward Grieg, recorded in Paris, May 2, 1903:

Track 15 Brylluspsdag på Troldhaugen (Wedding Day at Troldhaugen) (Lyric Pieces, Vol. 8), Op. 65, No. 6

Track 16 Piano Sonata in E minor, Op. 7~3. Alla menuetto

Track 17 Piano Sonata in E minor, Op. 7~4. Finale

Track 18 Til Våren (To Spring) (Lyric Pieces, Vol. 3), Op. 43, No. 6

Track 19 Gangar (Lyric Pieces, vol. 5), Op. 54, No. 2

Track 20 Sommerfugl (Butterfly) (Lyric Pieces, Vol. 5), Op. 54, No. 1

Track 21 Tempo de Menuetto ed energico (Humoresker), Op. 6, No. 2

Track 22 Brudefølget drar forbi (The Bridal Procession Passes)(Folkelivsbilder), Op. 19, No. 2

Track 23 Etterklang (Remembrances)(Lyric Pieces, Vol. 10), Op. 71, No. 7

Grieg and Slåttebrekk alternating:

Track 24 Brylluspsdag på Troldhaugen (Wedding Day at Troldhaugen) (Lyric Pieces, Vol. 8), Op. 65, No. 6

Played by Edward Grieg, recorded in Paris, May 2, 1903:

Track 25 Til Våren (To Spring) (Lyric Pieces, Vol. 3), Op. 43, No. 6

Played by... Sigurd Slåttebrekk, piano

Oslo Filharmoniske Orkester

Michail Jurowski, conductor:

Tracks 26-28 Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in a minor op 16

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2F70lSpGdjJwoulqHuDPfw?si=51925e15b3bf43c6(HTTP link)

Another hour of Baroque music

Earlier I posted a playlist with one hour of Baroque music and apparently, you liked it 😀

So here is an other hour of Baroque music, with three big and bold Baroque works. 

Fasch, Händel and Bach knew each other works and respected each other. The “grande” overture in g minor is played by the Belgian ensemble Il Fondamento. Their recordings are always a bit hit or miss to my opinion. But this Fasch recording is a hit. 

Händel’s 16th organ concerto is in fact an arrangement by the composer from the concerto a due cori in F major, HWV 334. That concerto borrowed material of the so-called Fitzwilliam Overture (HWV 424) and the opera Partenope (HWV 27). The organ concerto in this form was probably performed with the oratorio, Judas Maccabaeus (HWV 63) in 1747. 

The last work is Bach’s well known fist Brandenburg concerto in perhaps a lesser known performance, Jordi Savall leads le concert des Nations.

I hope you will enjoy the (just over an hour) playlist! 

Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688-1758)

Tracks 01-07 Overture Suite for Three Oboes, Bassoon, Strings and Continuo in G Minor, FWV K/g 2 (between 1740-55)

Il Fondamento 

Paul Dombrecht, conductor.

Recorded 2004

Georg Friedrich Händel (1685-1759)

Tracks 08-15 Organ concerto HWV 305a in F major (no 16), arranged from HWV 334 (1747)

Orchestra Of The Age Of Enlightenment

Bob van Asperen, organ and conductor.

Recorded 1996

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

Tracks 16-19 Brandenburg concerto in F major BWV 1046 (before 1721)

Le concert des Nations

Jordi Savall, conductor

Recorded 1991

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/18pm5Rbcxzlc06VCqVO9tA?si=c246625812ce438e(HTTP link)