Erwin Schulhoff (1894-1942)
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, Op 11 (1913)
Der Bürger als Edelmann: Concert Suite for Piano, Seven Winds, and Percussion (1926)
Michael Rische (piano)
WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln/Israel Yinon (Concerto)
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin/Gerd Albrecht
rec. 1998, Kölner Philharmonie, Köln, Germany (Concerto); 1999, Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin Dahlem, Germany (Concert Suite)
HÄNSSLER CLASSIC HC21042 [52]
Erwin Schulhoff’s music is deservedly receiving greater exposure now. Schulhoff was one of the Czech Jewish composers, including such others as Pavel Haas, Hans Krása, and Gideon Klein, who perished in the Nazi concentration camps. Schulhoff was such a gifted composer that one can only imagine what more he would have contributed to twentieth-century music had he not died from tuberculosis in a Bavarian camp at the age of 48. The works on this disc have not appeared before to my knowledge. It’s hard to comprehend why it took so long to have them issued, since they were recorded nearly 25 years ago. They display two separate periods in Schulhoff’s career.
The Piano Concerto on this disc is not the mature work that one might have expected. That Concerto for Piano and Small Orchestra of 1923 has been recorded several times and has shades of Impressionism in the manner of Ravel with the influence of jazz readily apparent. The pianist here, Michael Rische, also recorded the later concerto, the CD which Steve Arloff reviewed (review). The 1913 concerto, one of the composer’s earliest works, is an attractive piece in its own right. Neo-classical in nature, it has something in common with Hindemith’s Kammermusik in its light and transparent orchestration, but also, as Rische indicates in the CD notes, of Schulhoff’s teacher, Max Reger, in “combining different keys from the start.” Schulhoff features the winds throughout the work, no more prominently than in the first movement that also contains a long solo cadenza lasting nearly a quarter of the movement. The short second movement begins with a pensive chorale, where the piano is accompanied by two clarinets, two bassoons, and two horns. There is a lovely viola solo in the middle of the movement. The finale bursts forth with a virtuosic piano part, rhythmic and memorable, with the orchestral textures maintaining lightness. Contrasting this is a slow, middle section reminiscent of the second movement and whose theme reminds me of Grieg. Then the first section reappears and the work concludes with a flourish by the orchestra. Rische and the orchestra clearly have the measure of the concerto, a work that deserves continued exposure.
Der Bürger als Edelmann was Schulhoff’s response to a commission by the National Theatre in Prague, whose production of Molière’s Le bourgeois gentilhomme was in German translation. Richard Strauss composed his famous score for this play more than a decade earlier, but Schulhoff’s is no imitation of it. His score was a huge success at the play’s premiere in 1926. So, two years later he extracted a concert suite for piano, seven winds, and percussion. The percussion have a field day in this delightful suite and the atmosphere of European jazz is keenly felt throughout. The work consists of an overture and a number of dances. The CD is organized in four tracks: Overture, Dance of the Tailors, Banquet (Otaguf alla Foxtrot), and Grand Ballet of the Finale (itself including eight dances). The whole suite lasts well under a half-hour, but contains a great deal of variety. After a solemn introduction, the Overture takes off with exuberance in its liveliness and jazzy rhythms. It is as catchy as anything by Poulenc or Kurt Weill, both which come to mind here. The Dance of the Tailors continues the boisterous mood with trombone slides, trumpet flutter-tonguing, and xylophone. Brilliantly composed, it reminded me a bit of Hindemith’s Kammermusik. Superbly played here, the dance ends abruptly on a quiet piano chord. The Banquet’s foxtrot is naturally jazzy with plentiful xylophone and other percussion before a march ensues at 1:38 with a solo trumpet, piano, and xylophone and concluding with snare drum and a quiet stroke on the bass drum. Stravinsky, then, looms large in the finale with obvious references to Petrushka, specifically the Russian ballet’s last tableau where there are several near quotations. The piano is present throughout, but more in an accompanying role here. It is all very entertaining and the orchestra’s musicians whether performing bassoon, bass clarinet, trumpet, horn, trombone, or percussion (including whistle and ratchet) are clearly enjoying themselves, after which the suite concludes most decisively.
With excellent performances in vibrant sound, this disc fills a notable gap in the Schulhoff discography. The music is both well-crafted and infectious and a nice change from the standard repertoire of the early twentieth century. Listening to it several times, it put a smile on my face.
Leslie Wright
Previous review: Jonathan Woolf
