Chamber Music by Stephan Krehl

[eschiss1]

The String Quartet in A major/minor and Clarinet Quintet in F major (edit: A major; Naxos has it wrong...) by German composer Stephan Krehl will be released ("exclusively for digital streaming and download", not as a physical CD) next month on the Naxos label (Larchmere String Quartet ; Wonkak Kim, clarinet.)

(A performance by Steve's Bedroom Band of the string quartet can be heard @ IMSLP. A half-minute of the string quartet from the Larchmere(s) can be heard here (from their YouTube channel). They also provide a similar "teaser" of the clarinet quintet.)

The clarinet quintet has been recorded before, but perhaps not the string quartet (not counting Steve's recording...!)

(Naxos- or rather their notes-also conflate publication and composition dates ("Brahms' quintet of 11 years before" [1891]); Krehl's quintet was published in 1902, but as noted @ IMSLP it was performed in 1901 and perhaps earlier.)

[Alan Howe]

Oh, well spotted, Eric. Here's Naxos' blurb:

Stephan Krehl is remembered for numerous influential textbooks on music theory, harmony and counterpoint written during his distinguished tenure at the Leipzig Conservatory. As a composer he unfashionably adhered to the late German Romantic tradition of Brahms and Schumann, his superbly crafted String Quartet Op. 17 covering every emotion from mystery and lyrical wistfulness to wit and dramatic passion. Krehl's Clarinet Quintet is modelled on that of Brahms, but its content reveals a unique compositional voice filled with quixotic moods, expressive tenderness and extrovert theatricality.


Here also is the rear inlay:
http://www.naxos.com/SharedFiles/pdf/rear/9.70173r.pdf#

[Mark Thomas]

What an intriguing release in prospect. It's also interesting that it won't be released by Naxos as a physical CD. The shape of things to come, perhaps?

[Alan Howe]

And yet this entry at Amazon suggests that a CD is to be released:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B018GFKJCO?keywords=naxos&qid=1452270217&ref_=sr_1_14&s=music&sr=1-14

[petershott@btinternet.com]

I have written to Naxos in each of Hong Kong, USA and the UK telling them that I very much want to purchase this (physical) disc and feel very frustrated that it has been announced as a 'digital product'. I guess I am in a minority here, but I positively don't want a 'digital product' and I'm too set in my ways to learn (and buy) new technologies. I want a physical product (and set of notes) that I can see and touch, add to my library, and which, subject to the physical laws of nature remaining fixed, will remain a permanent item on my shelves and not liable to disappearing into the ether if my computer performs a wobbly. I'm also especially frustrated because Krehl appears an interesting figure in the history of music, and this recording, as far as I'm aware, is the only recording of any of his works. Thus, for me, if no physical CD, then no Krehl. And that seems inconsistent with one of the aims of Naxos: that although it is a commercial enterprise, and has to operate within the market, it nonetheless seeks to make available the widest range of music and to make it readily accessible to anyone.

I've had a whole series of responses from people within Naxos across several continents. Despite addressing a clear fuddy-duddy they have been quite remarkably polite and courteous, and tell me that they fully understand and indeed sympathise with my concerns.

It emerges that a limited number of physical CDs will be manufactured. One source of the CD will be what Naxos calls 'the artist's website'. That is of limited hope since it depends on the 'artist' making copies available for sale at a cost determined by themselves and then fees, postage costs or whatever would be added. Much more hopeful is a purchase from Naxos itself - in the shape (in the UK at least) of Naxos-Direct. They have the facilities available to manufacture physical CDs upon demand. Over the last couple of years I've obtained several back-catalogue Naxos or Marco Polo discs that are now deleted and unobtainable from normal commercial outlets such as MDT or Presto. The service has been excellent.

I noted the Amazon link referred to by Alan towards the end of December when the 'product' (whatever it is) was advertised for release. It is clear that Amazon are uncertain at this stage of just what it is that they are offering for sale. It has a digital only prefix, but nonetheless is advertised as being an 'audio CD'.

With fingers tightly crossed I've ordered it from Amazon. If, like me, you've stumped up the modest annual fee for Amazon Prime you can buy the 'product' for £5.99 post free and the right to a no-quibble return if the 'product' turns out to be unwanted. A bargain price to get your hands on the Krehl recording surely? If my order is fulfilled by anything other than a physical CD then straight back it goes with no cost whatsoever.

Things look good. Amazon accepted my order a week or so ago, and tell me the item will be delivered between 14-15 January. That suggests to me, and I hope I'm right, that someone somewhere is currently making me a physical CD. One of my replies from Naxos seemed to suggest that a number of physical CDs will be manufactured in the USA, so possibly right now a batch are on their way to Amazon-UK.

If anyone is interested I'll certainly post here a statement of what exactly I receive on 14-15 January. But, yippee, it looks like being a CD.

And, please, let us not get into a long lingering tiresome debate on whether or not physical CDs are Good Things, whether or not someone such as myself in refusing to use anything other than a physical CD should be consigned to history, or whatever. The focus here is solely upon Krehl and how to access these two pieces. As for me, inhabitating a house where a good number of walls are covered with floor to ceiling shelves of CDs I am irrevocably committed to the medium until such time as I'm carted off to the final resting place. And on a purely self-regarding note, I'd be most delighted if considerable numbers of people, like me, ordered from Amazon or Naxos or whatever. This would demonstrate to Naxos that there is a continuing demand for CDs, and that they are shooting themselves in the foot, if they started to release solely 'digital only' products.

[eschiss1]

I don't know about Naxos' downloads, but I can say for sure that Amazon-downloaded mp3 CDs have never put up a fight about being burnt by my CD-burner -onto- physical CDs... they just don't look professionally packaged. (With Naxos you do get the CD notes- of whatever factual quality- downloadable from the site, and often full texts when applicable (anyone who downloaded a certain Urspruch opera awhile back from here might want to note that libretto PDF feature) as well, I notice...)

[brianeb]

The "digital product only" approach is a disturbing and ill-conceived trend; I prefer the CD medium; mainly because they sound better than the lossy mp3's that are most widely commercially available.  (I am no audiophile, but it seems clear to me that classical music, more than any other genre, suffers sonic deficiencies when compressed into an mp3 format.)  I also prefer professionally manufactured CD booklets/liner notes instead of the crude imitations I am able to cobble together through downloading and printing pdf copies (to the extent these are even made available, often they aren't).  The CD booklet is far more important in classical music than other genres that do not utilize liner notes, but this seems to have been mostly forgotten in the mad rush to be "up to date."

[Alan Howe]

I've ordered the physical CD from Amazon.co.uk, so we'll see what happens...

[Martin Eastick]

Has anyone yet received a copy of the physical CD? In line with others here, I placed an order for this with Amazon UK after the initial posts were made here  last month, but today have received a notification from Amazon stating that they were awaiting a revised date from their supplier.

[Alan Howe]

I've received the same message.

[Alan Howe]

My CD copy has now arrived, though not from Amazon themselves - I cancelled that order and bought from marvelio-uk via Amazon.

[Alan Howe]

I now have the CD - and absolutely gorgeous stuff it is too, although not wildly distinctive. Definitely very Brahmsian, but who cares? Reminded me of Carl Frühling...