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)

Your name is Katalin Kertész? And you play violin? Then you must be related to…

…István Kertész! And yes she is.

But not István Kertész the conductor…! Of course the “is she related to” question popped in my mind, so I wrote a mail to the quartet’s website. The anewer revealed that she is related to a István Kertész, the primarius of the renown and pioneering Festetics Quartet. They were one of the first string quartets playing on “authentic instruments”, just like the Kertész Quartet, by the way. But what does these trivialities matter, the Kertész Quartet made a splendid recording of an unknown Bohemian composer named Wenzel Heinrich Veit. Fine music, compared in this review to Ludwig Spohr, but with enough own voice to be recommended by me. To fill the playlist I found two recordings by the Festetics Quartet that drew praise from Classics today (Haydn, Emperor quartet) and the Gramophone (Haydn’s last, unfinished d minor quartet from 1803) and fit nicely between the two Veit quartets. Hope you will like this playlist as much as I did the last couple of weeks ;-)   

Wenzel Heinrich Veit (1806–64)

Tracks 01-04 Quartet No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 3 (1834)

Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)

Tracks 05-08 Quartet No. 62 in C major, Op. 76, No. 3 in (1798)

Tracks 09-10 Quartet No. 68 in D minor, Op. 103 (1803)

Wenzel Heinrich Veit (1806–64)

Tracks 11-14 Quartet No. 2 in E Major, Op. 5 (1835)

Kertész Quartet (in the Veit quartets)

Katalin Kertész, Eleanor Harrison, violin 

Nichola Blakey, viola; 

Tatty Theo, cello

(on authentic instruments)

Festetics Quartet (in the Haydn quartets)

István Kertész, Petőfi Erika, violin

Péter Ligeti, viola

Rezsö Pertorini, cello

(on authentic instruments)

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/0YQ3Xp4jDR382kNAjlrMtc?si=SN5PQCHMTS6yvwlrlfyzzw (Webplayer link)

Kertész Quartet 

Quartetto Italiano early recordings 1946 1952 Italian quartet Debussy Boccherini Beethoven Mozart Haydn

Last year, in the same week as David Bowie, the last founder of the famous Italian Quartet “Quartetto Italiano” died; Elisa Pegreff, at the age of 93. Married to the first violinist (and rumored to have had an affair with all the other members) she stayed in the quartet from it’s formation in 1945 till disbandment in 1980. I was curious what the first recording of the quartet was and stumbled upon a box with the earliest recordings of the quartet. Even the 1946 78rpm set with “the reason” the quartet started in the first place, Debussy’s string quartet. 

The sound of the earliest recordings is a bit harsh, but just sample track 07, the 1948 slow movement of the Luigi Boccherini quartet in D; what a breathtaking beauty in that recording. The metadata was (of course) not there on Spotify, so I gathered the recording information from several websites with discographical information. Enjoy the exploration of the early recordings of the Quartetto Italiano…!

-Track 01-04: Claude Debussy: String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10

Conservatorio G.Verdi, Milano (Italia) - 14-20 march 1946

Issued on Telefunken 78rpm’s 1946

-Track 05: Leonardo Vinci: Gavotta da 6 Antiche Danze (from «12 Soli per Violino e Arpicordo»)

Conservatorio G.Verdi, Milano (Italia) 4 mai 1946

Issued on Telefunken 78rpm 1946

Lionello Forzanti plays the viola here, he was replaced by Piero Farulli in 1947

-Track 06-08: Luigi Boccherini: String Quartet in D major, Op. 8 No. 1, G 165

Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Roma (Italia) - 11 & 20 november 1948

Issued on Decca LXT 2680 in 1952

-Track 09-12: Franz Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in E flat major, Op. 64 No. 6 (Hob. III:64)

Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Roma (Italia) - 11 november 1948

Issued on Decca LXT 2680 in 1952

-Track 13-16: Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet in C major, Op. 59 No. 3 «Rasumovsky No. 3»

West Hampstead Studios, London - 28 november 1949

Issued on Decca LXT 2679 in 1952

-Track 17: Franz Schubert: Quartettsatz in C minor, D 703

West Hampstead Studios, London - 28 e 29 november 1949

Issued on Decca LXT 2679 in 1952

-Track 18-21: Robert Schumann: String Quartet in F major, Op. 41 No. 2

West Hampstead Studios, London - 27-29 november 1950

Issued on Decca LXT 2691 in 1952

-Track 22-25: Giuseppe Verdi: String Quartet in E minor

West Hampstead Studios, London - 24, 27-29 november 1950

Issued on Decca LXT 2691 in 1952

-Track 26-28: Giuseppe Tartini: Sonata a quattro in G major

Recorded live, Teatro Eliseo, Roma (Italia) - 29 gennaio 1951

-Track 29-32: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Clarinet Quintet in A major, K 581

Antoine de Bavier, Clarinet

West Hampstead Studios, London - 8-20 & 22 February 1952

Issued on Decca LXT 2698 in 1952

-Track 33-36: Franz Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in G major, Op. 77 No. 1 (Hob. III:81)

Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Roma (Italia) - 1-10 July 1952

Issued on Decca LXT 2811 in 1954

-Track 37-39: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: - String Quartet in D major, K 155 

Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Roma (Italia) - 1-10 July 1952

Issued on Decca LXT 2852 in 1954

-Track 40-41: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: - Adagio and Fugue in C minor for String Quartet, K 546

Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Roma (Italia) - 1-10 July 1952

Issued on Decca LXT 2853 in 1954

-Track 42-45: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: - String Quartet in C major, K 465 

«Dissonances» 

Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Roma (Italia) - 1-10 July 1952

Issued on Decca LXT 2853 in 1954

-Track 46-49: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: - String Quartet in F major, K 590

Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Roma (Italia) - 1-10 July 1952

Issued on Decca LXT 2852 in 1954

-Track 50-53: Ludwig van Beethoven: - String Quartet in B flat major, Op. 18 No. 6 

Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Roma (Italia) - 1-10 July 1952

Issued on Decca LXT 2811 in 1954

-Track 54-57: Ludwig van Beethoven: - String Quartet in F major, Op. 59 No. 1 «Rasumovsky No. 1»

Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Roma (Italia) - 20-30 July 1952

Issued on Decca LXT 2856 in 1954

-Track 58-61: Franz Schubert: - String Quartet in B flat major, D 112 (Op. 168)

Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Roma (Italia) - 20-30 July 1952

Issued on Decca LXT 2855 in 1954

-Track 62-65: Franz Schubert: - String Quartet in A minor, D 804 (Op. 29 No. 1) «Rosamunde»

Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Roma (Italia) - 20-30 July 1952

Issued on Decca LXT 2854 in 1954

(Nuovo) Quartetto Italiano

Paolo Borciani, violino I

Elisa Pegreffi, violino II

Piero Faruli viola

Franco Rossi, violoncello

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/4wWSZQwN1kgmaR7YJEMnIw

(WEBPLAYER LINK)

Quartetto Italiano

The Orlando Quartet in Haydn, Mozart, Debussy, Ravel and Schubert. Unity!!

In days of nationalism and disunity, this playlist is an ode to global unity…

The Orlando Quartet was a string quartet with members from Hungary, Austria, Germany, Romania and later on Australia and Norway, playing with other musicians all over the world. Based in Amsterdam, the quartet started in 1976 and slowly gained recognition for being one of the finest chamber music ensembles of that period. The quartet was active till 1997.

recordings below give a nice overview of their interpretation skills. 

A quote from the Gramophone magazine, August 1983:

“Quite exceptional quality, distinguished by a marvellous rhythmic sense, an unusually wide dynamic range, and flawless ensemble and intonation. Their eloquence in the slow movements, which are among Haydn's finest, is matched by an exhilarating vitality in the quick ones. In short, this is magnificent playing and it is supported by an uncannily lifelike recording: an outstanding issue.’ (about the Haydn recordings) 

Hope you will enjoy this selection again! :-) 

Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)

String Quartet no 63 op 76 no 4 in Bb major, ‘Sunrise' (1795/97)

String Quartet no 65 op 76 no 6 in Eb major, ‘Fantasia' (1795/97)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

String Quintet no 6 in Eb major KV 614 (1791)

with Nobuko Imai (Japan) on viola

Claude Achille Debussy (1862-1918)

String Quartet in g minor op 10 (1893)

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)

String Quartet in F major (1903)

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

String Quartet no 14 in d minor “Death and the Maiden” D 810 (1824)

1st violin on the Haydn, Debussy, Ravel and Schubert recording: István Párkányi (Hungary)

1st violin on the Mozart recording: John Harding (Australia)

2nd violin: Heinz Oberdorfer (Germany)

Viola: Ferdinand Erblich (Austria)

Cello Stefan Metz (Romania)

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/6HHF1gnqVki4UHFA5X5IJm

(Spotify Webplayer link)

Oralndo Quartet with Párkányi

Carl Schuricht radio recordings (part 1 - 20 CD's)

Ok, normally I don’t buy CD’s anymore. But this 20 CD set was on my “omg I want to have this” list for several years. Also important, it was sold for a staggering 12 euro’s at a local CD shop. 

The box is dedicated to the German born (Gdansk, now Poland) Carl Schuricht (1880-1967), a name I knew from the many Musical Masterpiece Society LP’s he made. Although the orchestra’s on those LP’s are often not top class, Schuricht always knows how to get a crisp and lively performance from those sources. That same quality can be heard on this box with the Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart, radio recordings from the period 1950-1966. These radio recordings were the backbone of what German radio listeners on the radio, and for many (south)German people their first contact with classical music. The repertoire ranges from the standard repertoire to unknown, 19th and early 20th century Austro/German repertoire. From Arkiv I borrowed the tracklist of this box. Normally, the playlists on this blog are not that lengthy (assuming you want to listen to the playlists :-) so I added a hint where on the list the CD’s could be found.

Hope you will enjoy this splendid box as much as I did…! 

Tracks: 01 to 08 BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7 10/24/1952 (33: 24). SCHUMANN Symphony No. 2 10/31/1959 (36:20) 

Tracks: 09 to 13 BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 9 Maria Stader (sop); Marga Höffgen (alt); Murray Dickie (ten); Otto Wiener (bs); 9/13/1961 (64:24). Coriolan Overture 9/25/1952 (8:07) 

Tracks: 14 to 19 BRAHMS Symphony No. 2 3/16/1966 (41:30). Schicksalslied SWR Vocal Ensemble Stuttgart; 1/26/1954 (15:07). Nänie SWR Vocal Ensemble Stuttgart; 1/25/1954 (13:22) 

Tracks: 20 to 26 BRAHMS Ein Deutsches Requiem Maria Stader (sop); Hermann Prey (bar); SWR Vocal Ensemble Stuttgart; 11/7/1959 (68:12) 

Tracks: 27 to 30 BRUCKNER Symphony No. 4 4/5/1955 (69:03) 

Tracks: 31 to 34 BRUCKNER Symphony No. 5 10/18/1962 (72:54) 

Tracks: 35 to 40 BRUCKNER Symphony No. 7 3/6/1953 (60: 04). WAGNER Tristan und Isolde: Prelude and Liebestod 4/29/1950 (18:18) 

Tracks: 41 to 44 BRUCKNER Symphony No. 8 3/10/1954 (79:45) 

Tracks: 45 to 47 BRUCKNER Symphony No. 9 11/2/1951 (56: 00) 

Tracks: 48 to 53 GRIEG Im Herbst Concert Overture 12/2/1954 (11:21). BRUCH Violin Concerto No. 1 Hansheinz Schneeberger (vn); 9/15/1960 (25:11). GOETZ Violin Concerto Roman Schimmer (vn); 4/10/1953 (16:39). VOLKMANN Richard III Overture 9/12/1952 (13:23) 

Tracks: 54 to 64 HAYDN Symphony No. 100 4/8/1958 (22:27). Cello Concerto in D Enrico Mainardi (vc); 11/5/1950 (27:08). Symphony No. 95 4/5/1955 (19:52) 

Tracks: 65 to 92 MAHLER Symphony No. 3 Rut Siewart (mez); SWR Vocal Ensemble Stuttgart; Boys’ Choir of the Eberhard-Ludwig-Gymnasium Stuttgart; 4/7/1960 (66:40) R. STRAUSS Ein Alpensinfonie 1/4-7/1955 (45:32) 

Tracks: 93 to 106 MOZART Symphony No. 35 7/4/1956 (16:53). Symphony No. 38 7/4/1956 (23:05) Symphony No. 40 5/19/1961 (23:23). No, no che non sei capace K 419 Ruth-Margret Pütz (sop); 4/9/1959 (4:23). Le Nozze di Figaro: “Porgi, amor” Elisabeth Schwarzkopf (sop); 4/6/1959 (4:18). Die Zauberflöte: “Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön” Fritz Wunderlich (ten); 4/12/1959 (4:15) 

Tracks: 107 to 112 MOZART Piano Concerto No. 9 Clara Haskil (pn); 5/23/1952 (30:17)” Piano Concerto No. 19 Clara Haskil (pn); 7/4/1956 (27:17) 

Tracks: 113 to 125 VON REZNICEK Theme and Variations Barry McDaniel (bar); 12/2/1954 (17:17). R. STRAUSS Guntram: Overture 3/20-23/1956 (11:16). PFITZNER Käthchen von Heilbronn: Overture 1/20/1956 (12:26). REGER Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Mozart 11/5/1950 (31:45) 

Tracks: 126 to 134 SCHUMANN Manfred Overture 9/14-15/1960 (11:22). Overture, Scherzo, and Finale 9/21/1954 (16:09). MENDELSSOHN Hebrides Overture 1/4/1955 (10:06). Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage 3/10/1961 (12:27). Midsummer Night’s Dream: Overture, Nocturne, and Scherzo 1/26/1954 (21:46) 

Tracks: 135 to 141 WAGNER Parsifal: Act I Prelude 3/17/1966 (12:31). Parsifal: Good Friday Music 9/23/1954 (9:49). Parsifal: Act I Prelude 3/17-19/1966 (5:30). Tristan und Isolde: Act I Prelude 4/29/1950 (18:18). Götterdämmerung: Dawn and Siegfried’s Rhine Journey 9/28/1955 (11:10). Götterdämmerung: Siegfried’s Death and Funeral March 9/28/1955 (7:12) Siegfried Idyll 9/28/1955 (17:20) 

Tracks: 142 to 150 MAHLER Symphony No. 2 Hanni Mack-Cosack (sop); Hertha Töpper (alt); SWR Vocal Ensemble Stuttgart; Bach Choir Stuttgart; 4/17/1958 (45:43) HAYDN Symphony No. 86 5/20/1954 (25:26) 

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/7iRpka7cnjT2kMlMGCNLSG

(HTTP link)

Quirine Viersen on Spotify - Hummel Beethoven Haydn Martinu

Confession. Last year I only bought two CD's. I know, support the artists, make sure CD's can still be made, but fact of the matter is, the last 20 years I bought more silver discs than I can listen to and services like YouTube, the MP3 based free Concerthuis concert archive, Concertzender and Spotify all have made it quite hard to buy new CD's... What I bought was at a concert of Dutch cellist Quirine Viersen, her Globe recording of all Bach's cello suites. In a masterclass she once had with Yo-Yo Ma, she played him one of the parts and after hearing it he prompted "can I marry you"? Well, She refused (how could she?? :-) and went on with her career.

Guess what? Not -everything- in on Spotify, the Bach Suite still have to be uploaded (but other Globe CD's are already there...)
 
For what ìs available on Spotify from Quirine I picked out a favorite work of mine, the cello sonata in A-major op 104 by Mozart/Haydn/Salieri pupil (talk about an education...!) Johann Nepomuk Hummel. It is said that this was one of the models for Brahms first sonata op 38. Pianist here is Silke Avenhaus. Then, the Haydn Cello concert in C- major and (because I love this weird work by the same composer) the 60'th symphony in C- major nicknamed "il distratto” or, "the confusion". I'm not a big fan of conductor Jan Willem de Vriend, but this is one of his better recordings. 
Finally, from an other CD with Silke Avenhaus, Beethoven’s 5th cello sonata in D-Major, op 102 and the „Slovaque variations” by Bohuslav Martinu.

Johann Nepomuk Hummel - Cello Sonata A-Major op 104
Quirine Viersen, Cello - Silke Avenhaus, Piano

Joseph Haydn - Cello concerto in C-Major
Symphony no 60 in C-Major "il distratto”
Quirine Viersen, Cello - Combattimento Concerto, Jan-Willem de Vriend

Ludwig van Beethoven - Cello sonata no 5 in D-Major op 102
Bohuslav Martinu - „Slovaque variations” for Cello and Piano
Quirine Viersen, Cello - Silke Avenhaus, Piano

Hope you will enjoy the recordings!

http://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/0EZZtt1FuExDZ62oj9VnKk

(HTTP link)