I knew next to nothing about this Swedish label and, indeed
the artists recorded here (although Rosengren has appeared on Sony Classical),
until listening to this disc. However, if this release is typical of the
quality produced by either then I would like to hear much more. The subtitle
of "selections of German music for clarinet and piano" didn't exactly
have me on the edge of my seat in anticipation but, in this case, I probably
should have been. Not only are the performances and recording superb,
the music chosen is suitably varied yet thematically consistent in offering
an excellent and appropriate overview of the development of the form in
the "German tradition", while reminding us of, say, Hindemith's debt to
Weber, not only but certainly not least in his celebrated Symphonic
Metamorphosis. It also celebrates, in Hindemith and Brahms, two composers
who have often been, unfairly as far as this listener is concerned, on
the receiving end of what is known as a "bad press". Some of the creators
of the greatest musical turning points in the early 20th century
owe a great debt to Brahms (Charles Ives and Carl Nielsen, both truly
essential and charismatic figures, would have been nowhere originally
without him, and the same goes for the composer who kick-started the British
revival, Charles Villiers Stanford). As for Hindemith, I would contend
that he is, in many ways, just as significant as the ubiquitous Stravinsky
(Mathis der Maler, Ludus Tonalis, Nobilissima Visione
etc., masterpieces all).
Anyway, diatribe over, what about the music? Weber's
Grand Duo, which gives this CD its title, is very much indebted
to his operatic background. The booklet notes, which, incidentally,
are excellent, focus on its "spontaneity and brilliance" and it is an
inherently dramatic piece. In the third movement, the music is suggestive
of a "mock-sinister episode" from Der Freischütz. A virtuosic
work then that is absolutely not background music.
Robert Schumann is probably one of the composers this
listener is least temperamentally disposed to but the Phantasie Stücke
are no doubt masterpieces of their kind, lyrical if ultimately slight.
Hindemith's Sonata was written as the storm
clouds of the Second World War gathered over Europe. It sits alongside
a number of other sonatas composed around the same time (harp, violin,
trumpet etc.) and its four sections last for the best part of twenty
minutes. It is beautifully put together and wears a generally optimistic
tone considering when it was first realised. Yet another piece that
defies the description Gebrauchsmusik (functional music) to which
Hindemith's detractors perpetually refer,
and one whose lyricism, at times, I swear, could have been penned by
Finzi (or at least Martinů!). It is very pastoral in inspiration,
anyway, perhaps a musical equivalent to Hesse or Mann's literary "montane
idylls" (before the descent into chaos and carnage?).
On to Brahms, then, and I would say at the outset that
this masterpiece, written only three years before the composer's death,
should appeal to anyone who loves, say, the flowing, tumbling but often
melancholy lyricism of Herbert Howell's equivalent piece. The booklet
notes in fact make a strong case, to which I would subscribe, for this
and the other late clarinet pieces (Quintet, Trio etc.)
representing Brahms' greatest achievements in the chamber music field.
The performance featured here does everything to enhance that viewpoint
and the disc as a whole is a superb achievement. A testament to the
dedication and artistic integrity of the protagonists and a worthy tribute
to, in particular, the unique talents of Brahms and Hindemith.
Neil Horner
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