Carl Frühling (1868-1937)
Piano Quintet in F sharp minor, Op. 30
Piano Quartet in D major, Op. 35
Oliver Triendl (piano); Daniel Giglberger, Nina Karmon (violin); Roland Glassi (viola), Floris Mijnders (cello)
rec. 2020-21, Klaus-von-Bismark Saal, WDR Funkhaus Köln
HÄNSSLER CLASSIC HC21062 [61]
In my hunt for neglected composers, I have previously come across the name of Carl Frühling and I was certain that I had one work of his in my CD collection but, despite extensive hunting, I was unable to locate it. Perhaps this is unsurprising as, despite the advocacy of Stephen Isserlis, he remains a little-known and even more rarely performed figure. His most famous work is his Clarinet Trio, Op.40 which has been recorded a couple of times but aside from that, there is little available in the catalogues.
Anyway, here we have a recent recording which includes his Piano Quintet. This is a muscular, well-constructed work lasting just under half an hour. The first movement ‘Allegro molto agitato ed appassionato’ is stuffed with good tunes combined with excellent writing for all the instrumentalists. There is plenty to do, especially for the pianist Oliver Triendl, who is well known for seeking out forgotten byways of Romantic repertoire and here we are in good hands as the piano underpins much of the music. There are some magnificent things to listen out for – the themes are strong and memorable and the playing throughout is superb; the four instrumentalists clearly enjoy working together and play this intricate music with considerable aplomb. The opening is powerful and quickly develops into an almost march-like theme which develops nicely along sonata form lines with well-contrasted passages for everyone. I particularly like the way the piano emerges from the maelstrom about 2’30’’ and then joins in the fun. Things calm down a little after that with some very Brahmsian writing, before slowly building towards a powerful outburst around four minutes in, where the piano pounds away in the bass while the strings provide additional support. Things develop from here with a couple of quieter and more reflective interludes which provide contrast to the generally restless nature of this movement. The ending is superb – powerful, uncompromising and exciting. Despite the numerous changes of mood and pace throughout this part of the work, everything holds together perfectly and the players clearly relish this music.
The second movement is a lovely ‘Andante cantabile’, mostly led by the strings and which slowly meanders along with some very attractive writing for all concerned. After about three minutes of generally slow music, the pace picks up a little with a jaunty little tune which bounces between the instruments in a very Brahmsian way, as with the opening movement. This is happy music but there are occasional hints of darkness in the bass which come to the fore about four minutes in before dissipating and then calm returns with a beautiful violin and piano duet. As this progresses, the other instruments are gradually reintroduced and the theme from the opening appears again, although with further embellishment compared to the opening statement. The close of the section is utterly wonderful; overall, this is a super movement, very well put together.
The following ‘Scherzo’ starts with some mad writing for the strings and bounces along playfully with plenty of difficult figurations for the violin and other strings. There is a brief spell about 2’50’’ in where a restless Trio section emerges. This is really great stuff – the music will stay with you for a long time. I detect and almost Scottish-sounding drone in the music here but it’s more of an impression than an actual specific Scottish tune. After this finishes, the bouncy opening theme reappears and bounds along, ending most charmingly. Unlike the first and second movements which are Brahms-like, I would say that the changes in mood and tempo here are more Schumannesque in nature.
The finale is marked ‘Allegro vivace’ and opens with a powerful statement by the piano. The other soloists then join in. This movement sounds predominantly in the minor key and contains some very clever fugal writing for the strings alone before they are skilfully combined with the piano. Frühling clearly had a great gift for melody and this is well demonstrated here. The last couple of moments are full of springiness (excuse the pun) and joy as earlier hints at music in a minor key are dispelled and replaced with outright happiness – I defy you not to smile while listening to this. I have to say that since I’ve become acquainted with this piece, it has become a firm favourite – it is every bit as accomplished as Brahms’s F minor Op.34 or Schumann’s E flat major Op.44 quintets for similar forces of piano and strings.
The following work, a piano quartet was even more lost than the quintet before it was recorded for this disc. The original manuscript is lost and the music survives only in fair copy in the New York Public Library. There is no date given on the work although I agree with the assertion in the notes that it must date from roughly the same time as the Quintet, as the writing is of a similar style, despite the slightly higher opus number. The opening is the longest of the four and is marked ‘Allegro moderato’. It contains some wondrous writing throughout for all concerned, where all the instrumentalists join to make a splendid sound. This work is perhaps more distinctive than the slightly earlier quintet – there is less of the influence of Brahms and Schumann and more of this talented composer’s unique voice. The opening is a sort of “once upon a time” theme that slowly develops and grows organically from this opening material. This is nicely developed with some interesting and cunning harmonic contrasts and some sprightly playing by all concerned. There is a particularly clever passage at about 7’33’’ where the tune builds up from the piano and continues by swooshing up into the strings – I’m not familiar with this effect from any other chamber music I know and it’s very skilfully done here. Following this and some recapitulation of the earlier themes, the movement gains in power and complexity before reaching an ecstatic conclusion.
The following ‘Scherzo, quasi presto’ is certainly very jokey and goes at an impressive speed. The opening is, if anything, more like Mendelssohn than anyone else – there is a restless energy to it as the strings provide a spiky accompaniment to the piano. The central trio (‘Moderato’) is rather beautiful – a semi religious theme begins on the piano and is later joined by the strings. This meanders gently along for a couple of minutes before the spikey opening music returns, initially quite gently but gaining in power and, as it draws to a close, it is combined with elements from the trio providing a thrilling conclusion to this part of the work.
The following slow movement is marked ‘Larghetto’ and for most of its length, remains in that realm. I particularly like quiet, almost hymn-like, opening which grows into a lovely duet for both piano and cello, then the strings join in and suddenly you find that the piano has been relegated to the background as the strings carry the main melody. The notes point out the excellent way that the instruments are integrated in this work. As the work progresses, it becomes increasingly passionate and there are more hints of Brahms, especially from 3’44’’ when a new and richer theme emerges and is embellished with considerable power and complexity before slowly returning to more peaceful music. The last couple of moments are a clever mix of themes from elsewhere in the movement, all skilfully combined to provide a fitting conclusion to this wonderful creation. The last theme to appear is a repeat of the hymn-like passage before the music fades away.
After the rather touching and calm ending of the third movement, the finale is a boisterous affair, full of contrasts between moments of good cheer and darker and more affecting passages. This is another “earwormy” movement with lots of cunning writing for all the instruments, all deftly put together into a well written and memorable movement, containing plenty of interesting music. There are some unexpected melodic twists here and there – especially as the theme is passed from one instrument to another. Each individual instrument has plenty to do; for example, the violin has some scurrying string writing to contend with but also moments of calm and peace. The opening minute or so is especially cheerful but this develops into something darker and deeper. This is one of those pieces you can just lose yourself in and it is a shame this isn’t longer. There is some particularly strident music about 3’30’’ but this is dispelled into a beautifully written and played section which is derived from the slower music from near the beginning. The central part is mostly playful and jolly and the last minute especially is again another exciting and spirited conclusion ending with a flourish, making a fitting ending to a splendid work.
The recording is very clear and the sound quality is exquisite. The slightly short cover notes contain an interesting potted history of this composer but there is scant information about him aside from the fact that he was born in Lviv and died in poverty in Vienna aged 69, so this is unsurprising. I do hope that there are more works by Frühling hiding in an archive waiting to be discovered and that this group of instrumentalists could be persuaded to record it, as it has been a thoroughly interesting and rewarding experience getting to know these two works. I also hope this CD will help to reverse some of the neglect of his music and persuade other recording companies to record some of his other works which have lain ignored since his death. It’s a shame that these particular works have taken so long to be exposed to a wider public.
Jonathan Welsh
