Mozart Piano Trios on Spotify

You can exist as a chamber music ensemble for years (in the case of the Gryphon trio, 25 years!), make recordings that receive exuberant reviews in, let’s say the Gramophone Magazine: 

“But if you want the complete Mozart trios, this new set matches the classic Beaux Arts in polish and sensitivity, and surpasses it in beauty of violin tone and, inevitably, in quality of recording”

Or, over the top exuberant reviews in, let’s say, Classics today:

“Specifically, what the Gryphon Trio brings to these pieces is flow–that sense of effortless forward momentum that characterizes all of Mozart’s (and just about everyone else’s, come to think of it) best work. (10 out of 10)

And still remain virtually unknown… 

Is it because these players are from Canada? Or is it they are represented on a small label rather than the glam and marketing budget of a major label? Anyway, I came across these recordings on Spotify and was hooked. This is one of the finest set of Mozart chamber works I have encountered in a while. Artur Schnabel once famously said, “Mozart piano sonatas are too easy for children and too difficult for adults”. Well, the same counts for many of these works and the “naturalness” of playing by the Gryphon’s suits the music so well…! 

Hope you will be inspired by these performances too! 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Track 01- 03 Divertimento for Piano, Violin and Cello in B flat major, K 254 (1776) 

Track 04- 12 Trio for Piano and Strings no 1 in G major, K 496 (1786)

Track 13- 15 Trio for Piano and Strings no 2 in B flat major, K 502 (1786)

Track 16- 18 Trio for Piano and Strings no 3 in E major, K 542 (1788)

Track 19- 21 Trio for Piano and Strings no 4 in C major, K 548 (1788)

Track 22- 30 Trio for Piano and Strings no 5 in G major, K 564 (1788)

Gryphon trio:

Annalee Patipata Nakoon, violin

Jamie Parker, piano

Roman Borys, cello

Recorded 2006. 

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/6gEmDpC5hzT1FML2WCPGg9?si=aGEJhCHZR8W66kyRkceCxQ (Webplayer link)

Bernard Haitink's Indian Summer...

This week, the 88 year old conductor Bernard Haitink returns to the Concertgebouw to conduct his 1500th live concert with the Concertgebouworchestra. Haitink and the Concertgebouw have a long history. In 1939 he was present when Willem Mengelberg conducted his famed St Matthew passion. If you hear Bernard cough, you might hear the first recording of him in the Concertgebouw :-) Read more about this concert, -> here <-

Since 1956 he was a guest conductor. Around that time he was the principle conductor of the Dutch radio philharmonic. A 1956 recording of Haitink with that orchestra can be heard -> here <-.

After becoming principle conductor of the Concertgebouw orchestra in 1961, he stayed there till 1988. The Royal opera house in London, the Chicago Symphony orchestra and the Staatskapelle Dresden were his next focus. About 10 years ago, Haitink surprised with a series of concerts and recordings that seems to “re-spark” and re-juvinate his conducting style. Beethoven and Shostakovich with fresh tempi, yet insightful and layered performances. The cycle of Beethoven symphonies that he conducted with the London Symphony Orchestra is a fine example of his Indian summer. As a bonus, an also fine version of Beethoven’s violin concerto with Frank Peter Zimmermann as soloist. Mind you, that season at the Staatskapelle Dresden was a last minute substitute for Haitink, as he replaced the then just deceased Giuseppe Sinopoli… 

Hope you will enjoy this playlist again! 

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1828)

Track 01-04 Symphony No 1 recorded live on 29 and 30 April 2006,         

Track 05-08 Symphony No 2 recorded live on 26 and 27 November 2005,        

Track 09-12 Symphony No 3 recorded live on 21 and 22 November 2005,        

Track 13-16 Symphony No 4 recorded live on 19 and 20 April 2006,      

Track 17-20 Symphony No 5 recorded live on 24 and 25 April 2006,      

Track 21-25 Symphony No 6 recorded live on 21 and 22 November 2005,        

Track 26-29 Symphony No 7 recorded live on 16 and 17 November 2005,        

Track 30-33 Symphony No 8 recorded live on 24 and 25 April 2006,        

Track 34-37 Symphony No 9 recorded live on 29 and 30 April 2006,  

All at the Barbican concert hall, London.

London Symphony Orchestra

Bonus:

Track 38-40 Violin concerto in D major recorded live on 29-30 sept. & 2 okt. 2002, Kulturpalast, Dresden

Frank Peter Zimmermann (viool), Staatskapelle Dresden o.l.v. Bernard Haitink

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/153tVZSck5ZwdQRcxmkc6a

(Spotify webplayer link)

Haitink in 2016 interview

Mozart violin concerto's on authentic instruments

A while ago I encountered an exiting CD from Italian violinist and conductor Fabio Biondi on Spotify. Mozart’s first three violin concerto’s on authentic instruments, including continuo, a sparkling and tingling fortepiano! Fiery playing, also, noted in the reviews I found online from the Gramophone and Classicstoday website. Suddenly, Mozart’s strum und drang is not very far away from the Mannheimers like Stamitz, Richter or Mysliveček. For variety I have interwoven the concertos with several famous serenades, like the Nachtmusik and Musical joke, played by Jordi Savall and the Les concert des nations.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)

Tracks 01 to 04

Serenade In G, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik KV 525 

Les concert des nations, Jordi Savall, conductor

Tracks 05 to 07

Violin Concerto No.2 in D major K.211

Europa Galante, Fabio Bondi violinsolo and conductor

Tracks 08 to 11

Ein Musikalischer Spaß KV 522 

Les concert des nations, Jordi Savall, conductor

Tracks 12 to 14

Violin Concerto No.2 in D major K.211

Europa Galante, Fabio Bondi violinsolo and conductor

Tracks 15 to 17

Serenade In D, Serenata Notturna KV 239 

Les concert des nations, Jordi Savall, conductor

Tracks 18 to 20

Violin Concerto No.3 in G major K.216

Europa Galante, Fabio Bondi violinsolo and conductor

Tracks 20 to 23

Notturno In D Für Vier Orchester KV 286 

Les concert des nations, Jordi Savall, conductor

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/50uc0JjlAotheEpFhzNQBe

(Spotify webversion link)

Happy Birthday Arthur Schoonderwoerd!

Today is the birthday of Dutch musicologist and fortepiano player Arthur Schoonderwoerd.
For many years he made thought provoking records of 18th century keyboard music.
I haven’t heard anyone else ever say anything but „I really love” or „I really hate” his rendering of Beethoven 4th pianoconcerto (included in the playlist), always a good sign ;-)

He is also an ambassador of lesser known Dutch composers from the early 19th century. Always spirited, Schoonderwoerd always *dives into the music* from his keyboard without any fear, thoroughly informed in the 18th century music practice….
So… Let’s give him a Birthday present and listen to:

and give him about $0.005 of every track play :-)
Happy birthday, Arthur!

Carolus Antonius Fodor (1768-1846)

Sonata In F Sharp Opus 2 Nr. 2 (1793)

Carolus Emanuel Fodor (1759-c.1799)

From: Petits Airs Connus Variés Pour Le Clavecin Ou Le Pianoforte, Opus 3

Air Du Tonnelier, Tempo di Menuetto (1782-c.1784)

Carolus Antonius Fodor (1768-1846)

Sonata In F Major Opus 2 Nr. 1 (1793)

Johann Wilhelm Wilms (1772-1847)

Rondo-Polonaise Pour Le Pianoforte In D Major (1809)

Henri Messemaeckers Jr. (1824-?)

Grande Marche Funèbre Pour Le Piano Composée à la Mémoire de S.A.R. Monseigneur Le Prince Alexandre Des Pays-Bas (1848)

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1828)

Piano Concerto No.4 in G major Op.58

Piano Concerto No.5 in Eb major Op.73

Piano Concerto No.3 in C minor Op.37

Piano Concerto No.6 in D major Op.61a (reworking by Beethoven!)

Piano Concerto No.1 in C major Op.15

Piano Concerto No.2 in Bb major Op.19

Arthur Schoonderwoerd, Fortepiano

Ensemble Christofori

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/4gtW5afWoj73m9XbhhrLWS (Webplayer link)

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 part II - Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann, Liszt, Wagner ea on Spotify

April of this year, I posted the Spotify link to a 20 CD box with the German born conductor Carl Schuricht (1880-1967). Here is the follow up of that box, with more recordings from the archive of the South-German SWF radio. More about there recordings can be read here:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2013/July13/Schuricht_collectionII_CD93292.htm

Hope you will enjoy these performances as well!

Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart, Carl Schuricht, conductor

Tracks: 01 to 08 BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 1 3/7/1961 (23:29). Symphony No. 3 2/29/1952 (45:56) 

Tracks: 09 to 16 BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 4 4/8/1959 (33:47). Symphony No. 5 4/10/1953 (31:22) 

Tracks: 17 to 25 BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6 2/14/1957 (37:20). SCHUBERT Symphony No. 5 4/11/1960 (24:28) 

Tracks: 26 to 33 BRAHMS Symphony No. 1 9/18/1963 (42:55). Symphony No. 3 12/2/1954 (34:47) 

Tracks: 34 to 39 BRAHMS Symphony No. 4 3/6/1964 (43:46). Alto Rhapsody Lucretia West (alt); SWR Vocal Ensemble Stuttgart; 3/5/1964 (12:16). Tragic Overture 1/29/1954 (13:08) 

Tracks: 40 to 49 SCHUMANN Symphony No. 3 9/15/1960 (29:44). R. STRAUSS Sinfonia domestica 12/14/1960 (42:05) 

Tracks: 50 to 55 WEBER Euryanthe: Overture 2/19/1962 (8:46). Oberon: Overture 4/10/1953 (9:32). WOLF Italian Serenade 2/14/1957 (7:17). TCHAIKOVSKY Hamlet Overture 10/24/1952 (19:05). VON REZNIEK Donna Diana: Overture 2/12/1960 (5:44). BLACHER Concertante Music for Orchestra 10/29/1951 (9:42) 

Tracks: 56 to 64 DEBUSSY La Mer 5/23/1952 (23:28). RAPHAEL Sinfonia breve 3/14/1952 (21:20). OBOUSSIER Violin Concerto Roman Schimmer (vn); 1/4/1955 (13:29) 

Tracks: 65 to 78 LISZT Ce qu’on entend sur la montagne 3/7/1961 (27:30). REGER Variations and Fugue on a Merry Theme by Johann Adam Hiller 1/10/1953 (39:54) 

Tracks: 79 to 82 Rehearsal Excerpts from: BRAHMS Symphony No. 2: Finale 3/15-16/1966 (17:48). WAGNER Parsifal: Act I Prelude, Act III Good Friday Music and Conclusion 3/15-16/1966 (32:20) 

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/0uupc6ECJ8sPfR6YhUf8Mn

(Spotify Webplayer link)

Ignaz Pleyel, the 18th century hope for the future on Spotify

Ignaz Joseph Pleyel’s music can be described in two quotes. His early music, full of promise, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in a letter to his father “It will be a lucky day for music if, when the time comes, Pleyel should replace Haydn”. Boom. Yet a later quote by an English newspaper called the morning herald of London shows why the mature Pleyel was so immense popular in the late 18th century, but is now almost completely forgotten: ”Pleyel is becoming even more popular than his master [Haydn], as his works are characterized less by the intricacies of science than the charm of simplicity and feeling.” 

The charm predominates, especially in the works selected below, with Pleyel’s speciality, the so called “concertante symphony”, a piano trio played by the excellent trio Joachim and a symphony of which the last movement sums up all qualities attributed to Pleyel in the London newspaper come forward. 

Ignaz Josef Pleyel (1757-1831)

-Symphony concertante in F major for 

flute, bassoon, oboe, horn and orchestra (1805)

Gaby Pas-van Riet, flute

Anne Angerer, oboe

Wolfgang Wipfler, horn

SWR Radio Symphony orchestra Stuttgart 

Johannes Moesus, conductor

-Piano trio in e minor op 16 no 5 (1788)

Trio Joachim

Massimo Palumbo, piano

Sulea Mullaj, violin

Sara Airoldi, cello 

-Symphony in C major op 66 (1803)

London Mozart players

Matthias Bamert, conductor

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/3iSwa8zSJyBKtAl75ErcU4

(Spotify Webplayer link)

Scandal at the Queen Elisabeth competition Vladimir Sverdlov on Spotify

Queen Elisabethcompetition 1999 and a young brat called Vladimir Sverdlov played the Schubert of his lifetime. Awesome, inspiring, poetic. Everybody was convinced he would win or, at least, be in the top three of the competition. When his *sixth* place was announced (see the video here) he was so upset that the handshakes and flowers were tossed away…

Sverdlov, nephew of pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy, by the way, sort of apologized and went on with his career. The very individualistic approach continued as well, working very well in Chopin’s mazurkas and nocturnes, rather less in the sonata, but what stays is the inheritance of the magnificent Schubert sonata D784 Sverdlov played in 1999, luckily preserved on Spotify!

Franz Schubert (1797-1828)

-Piano sonata in a minor D784

(live, Brussels, 1999)

Frederic Chopin (1810-1849)

-Mazurkas op 68 no 2 and op 33 no 4

-Nocturnes op 27 no 2 and op 48 no 1

-Preludes op 28 no 15 to 24

-Ballade no 1 op 23

-Sonata no 2 op 35

-Prelude op posthume

Vladimir Sverdlov, piano

https://open.spotify.com/user/otterhouse/playlist/4KgDFo36IHZYbX5Mm0BvoF

(HTTP link, if you want to play the list on the Spotify Webplayer)

One angry young man...

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)