I would love to hear about member's favorite obscure(more or less) 19th century chamber music including piano. I am very fond of the piano quartets of Franz Berwald, the Hummel Septet, and the Smetana Piano Trio, which is a glorious piece. Any ideas for some more CD shopping on my part?
Steven in NYC
Snap up the Piano Trio of Henselt, if you can. It's a favorite of mine. The Trio of Alkan isn't too bad either. The former is on MDG, the latter on Naxos. If you can find the old Mirecourt Trio release of the two (coupled with the Litolff Trio #1 and the Thalberg) on Genesis, so much the better. Actually, I don't know if the CD release includes the Litolff - they may have paired it with the Gerald Robbins rendition of the Concerto Symphonique 4. I'm quite fond of the Thalberg Trio, too. I don't know if it quite qualifies as unsung, but the Quintet for Piano and Winds by Rimsky-Korsakov is an absolute delight. A lot of us plump for Rubinstein's Piano and Wind Quintet, as well. Unfortunately there was a wealth of chamber music on one of the recent threads of our defunct Raff Forum. Speaking of Raff, just about anything of his in the chamber realm is recommended, but the Piano Quintet, Op. 107, is considered by many here to be his masterpiece.
P.S. I wonder if the budding young pop star Juliette Commagere is the daughter of the founder of Genesis, Robert Commagere?
Phew - where to start?
Félicien David - Piano Trios 2&3 on Marco Polo - gorgeous melodies
Waldemar Bargiel - Piano Trios 2&3 on MD&G - stunning
Wilhelm Berger - Piano Quintet Op.95 on MD&R - a huge, grand chamber work
Adolphe Biarent - Piano Quintet on Cyprés - Franckian and lovely
Tomás Bretón - Piano Trio in E on Marco Polo - A Spanish delight
Alexis de Castillon - Piano Quartet - advanced for its time
George Whitefield Chadwick - Piano Quintet - Americana from an all-American composer
Théodore Dubois - any of the Atma releases - obscure masterpieces of chamber music
Arthur Foote - lots of it on Naxos - lovely, singing ensembles
And that's just a few...
I have never heard the Henselt. I know the Concerto and the Etudes pretty well, so I can imagine. I have the Alkan on Naxos. A wild piece. Thanks for the lists!
Steven
I can never pass up an opportunity to mention Cecile Chaminade's Piano Trio #1.
(*mentioned*)
Quote from: Steven Eldredge on Tuesday 05 May 2009, 02:25
I have never heard the Henselt. I know the Concerto and the Etudes pretty well, so I can imagine. I have the Alkan on Naxos. A wild piece. Thanks for the lists!
Steven
You know the odds of hearing the Henselt on the radio as much as I do. Best you pick it up, on CD or download. The piano part, of course is full of the same insane stretches and resulting full sonorities as the Concerto and Etudes, yet there is truly a sense of balance between the instruments. There is a melancholy, yet dramatic first movement (in 6/8 time), a wonderful chorale-like slow movement and a rollicking scherzo, followed up with a frantic, yet eminently satisfying finale. It probably doesn't get performed very often for the same reason as the concerto, IMHO - the difficulty of the piano part.
You'd expect me to beat the drum for Raff and so I shall.
The Piano Quintet is one of his masterpieces and I recommend that you buy the new Divox recording with Il Trittico. You get the added bonus of the substantial Fantasie for Piano Quintet (itself a delight) and Goetz' Piano Quintet. Avoid the MDG disk which couples it with the String Sextet. That's a fine interpretation, but the Piano Quintet is dire.
Then there are the four Piano Trios, any and all of which are superb. There are two cycles: Il Trittico once again on Arte Nova (discontinued but easy to find) is a fine budet option and there are also two separate disks from Trio Opus 8 on cpo. All these recordings are reviewed at Raff.org (http://ww.raff.org).
Coming up, possibly as early as the end of the year, is a second Divox CD which features the premiere recordings of the two Piano Quartets. The players are Il Trittico once again and these are stunning performances of two more glorious works.
Raff really is at his consistent best in these eight works. If you like his orchestral music you'll be bowled over by his works for piano and strings.
My favourite is Rubinstein's Octet op. 9, without hesitation (by the Consortium Classicum on Orfeo).
The Henselt Piano Trio is gorgeous, but so are Raff's Quintet and 4 Piano Trios, like Mark says. I cannot make up my mind which of these Raff masterpieces I like the most. They are superb.
Since a week I have Rufinatscha's Piano Quartets. Very pleasant to listen to. According to Manfred Schneider in his booklet notes the 2nd in A flat major is more mature, but up to now I prefer #1 in C minor which sounds more sparkling.
But I have another suggestion and that is a CD with the Piano Trios of Thalberg (op. 69) and Moscheles (op. 84) by the Göbel Trio Berlin on the Signum label. Both very sparkling masterpieces, with my slight preference for Thalberg. Steven, I am absolutely confident that you won't be disappointed!
I reckon my favourite set of 2 CDs is of the 6 trios for violin, viola and piano by Ignaz Lachner on the Swiss Claves label: full of lovely melodies!
A much cheaper alternative choice would be Spohr's 3rd and 5th piano trios on a Naxos disk. Two other CDs of music for piano and wind or mixed ensemble I can recommend are The Nash Ensemble's performances of Spohr's Quintet Op. 52 together with his Septet Op 147 on CRD and Ignaz Moscheles's Sextet Op 35 with his Septet Op 88 on MDG.
If you like Scandinavian music in the late romantic/national romantic mould, I would recommend Sigurd von Koch's piano quintet.
Since you like the Berwald quartets, you should also try his quintets.
Joachim Eggert's piano quartet.
There are not enough Russians in this thread!
My first recommendation goes to Taneyev's Piano Quartet in E major Op. 20, his Piano Trio in D major Op. 22, and his Piano Quintet in G minor Op. 30. These are substantial works of great depth and structure. (Taneyev premiered Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto and completed his 2nd and 3rd concertos, and the major Russian chamber music competition is named for him, so he was well recognized in his own country, even if we've forgotten him now.)
Borodin's Piano Quintet is a fully engaging and enjoyable work. The Marco Polo CD that presents it with other Borodin chamber music is excellent!
I must mention cello sonatas, which are among my favorite chamber form. The two cello sonatas of Myaskovsky are very good indeed - beautifully melodic, melancholy, rhapsodic. One or more of them is often paired with his exquisite cello concerto or with Rachmaninoff's beautiful cello sonata.
Finally, my non-Russian choices. There are several CDs that couple the chamber music of Respighi with that of his teacher, Martucci -- piano quintets, cello sonatas, violin sonatas, etc. When I first heard these, I was surprised and delighted at just how good they are.
I'd have to say:
-Czerny's Nonet
-Eduard Franck's Sextets
-Richard Franck's Piano Trios
-Hans Gal's Violin and Piano Sonata
-Thuille's Cello Sonata
-Bortkiewicz's Violin and Piano Sonata
-Franz Mittler's Piano Trio
too bad this thread is only for Chamber with Piano there should be a thread for Strings only.
I'd add:
Raff Piano Quintet (Divox)
Raff Piano Quartets
Gernsheim Piano Trios (Antes)
Gernsheim Piano Quintets (recording forthcoming)
Draeseke Piano and Horn Quintet (MDG)
Fuchs Piano Quartets (Thorofon)
Taneyev Piano Quintet (DG)
Wilhelm Berger Piano Quintet (MDG)
Bargiel Piano Trios (MDG)
Noskowski Piano Quartet (Olympia)
I'm particularly fond of Ries' piano chamber music.
Quote from: Amphissa on Tuesday 05 May 2009, 16:44(Taneyev premiered Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto and completed his 2nd and 3rd concertos, and the major Russian chamber music competition is named for him, so he was well recognized in his own country, even if we've forgotten him now.)
Welcome back, Dave! I was wondering when you'd join us over here! Just a point of fact - Taneyev may have premiered Tchaikovsky's PC 1 in Russia, but the work was first premiered by Hans von Bulow in Boston, MA (although that was the first edition - maybe you're talking about the revised version of 1889?) And Tchaikovsky's 2nd PC was completed by Tchaikovsky (although it was later revised by Aleksandr Siloti). Only the PC 3 was left in fragments at Tchaikovsky's death.
But, getting back on track, I'm surprised nobody's mentioned the piano trios and quartets of Friedrich Kiel, considering how many of you guys praised them to the skies on the old Forum...
Hi all
You are quite right, Jiml. I would have chimed in earlier - it is the time zone issue. I would give Kiel's chamber music for piano and strings (quintets, quartets and trios) the highest possible gradings. And for what it is worth, his Piano Trio in G Major, op 34 has been my favourite in that genre since the time Cain and Abel were still exchanging birthday gift vouchers.
Mark - has stated the obvious. Raff was as much a master of chamber music as he was of works involving orchestral forces of whatever kind. Am pining for the Divox release of the piano quintet to arrive...could be the disc of the year judging from Mark's past remarks.
regards
Peter
PS: off topic - Syrelius, did you have any luck with Lalo's piano concerto at Amazon.com?
I guess these don't quite qualify as unsung, but Saint-Saen's two piano trios are both amazing...as are Faure's two piano quintets.
Yavar
I ordered the Henselt Trio and the Raff Quintet recordings. Very much looking forward to hearing them.
Someone mentioned the Piano Trio by Cecile Chaminade. That is a lovely piece, as is so much of what she wrote. Charming, tuneful, elegant, well-crafted.
It is astonishing how much music from the long 19th century disappeared, but it is indeed a blessing how much of it we can investigate on recordings now. There's always something yet to be discovered, which is what makes this forum so valuable.
I've just remembered that I didn't mention William Hurlstone's Piano trio. To me, a delightful work by such a promising composer who didn't quite make his 30th birthday.
Quote from: Steven Eldredge on Monday 04 May 2009, 23:55
I would love to hear about member's favorite obscure(more or less) 19th century chamber music including piano. I am very fond of the piano quartets of Franz Berwald, the Hummel Septet, and the Smetana Piano Trio, which is a glorious piece. Any ideas for some more CD shopping on my part?
I prefer orchestral music, but, if my memory is correct, the following are worth checking out:
Borodin: Piano Quintet
Dohnányi: Piano Quintet
Fauré: Piano Quartet No. 2
Furtwängler: Piano Quintet
Granados: Piano Quintet
Herzogenberg: Piano Quartet
Noskowski: Piano Quartet
Respighi: Piano Quintet
Wolf-Ferrari: Piano Quintet
Zarebski: Piano Quintet
But I must stress they I have not heard most of these for several years, and so my memory may be faulty!
Quote from: JimL on Tuesday 05 May 2009, 23:40Just a point of fact - Taneyev may have premiered Tchaikovsky's PC 1 in Russia, but the work was first premiered by Hans von Bulow in Boston, MA (although that was the first edition - maybe you're talking about the revised version of 1889?) And Tchaikovsky's 2nd PC was completed by Tchaikovsky (although it was later revised by Aleksandr Siloti). Only the PC 3 was left in fragments at Tchaikovsky's death.
Sorry that my statement required correction. Taneyev premiered the Tchaikovsky 1st in Moscow on Dec 3, 1875. Taneyev performed the Russian premier of the 2nd concerto as well. Taneyev completed the 3rd concerto.
I don't know how unsung this work is, but I've been terribly fond of the early Richard Strauss Piano Quartet ( Op. 13) for a long time.
I'm not sure whether this strictly fits here, but today I attended a concert that included two of Mozart's piano concerti (Nos. 12 & 13) arranged by him for piano quintet.
This evening I organized a small competition. Two delightful masterpieces in the chamber music genre. Two listeners: my wife and I. Raff's gorgeous Piano Quintet in A minor, op. 107 (1862) on the Divox label first and then the stunning 2nd Piano Quartet in A flat major by Rufinatscha (circa 1870).
My wife particularly loves the sparkling 4th movement of Raff's work, and I, well, I also find that movement thrilling, in fact the whole quintet. But Rufinatscha... what a masterpiece, and that beautiful and sensitive 2nd movement...Yes, that turns the scale. Today Rufinatscha is the winner.
Reading the interesting booklet notes by Dr. Avrohom Leichtling I see that Hans von Bülow thought Raff's Quintet the most important piece of chamber music since Beethoven. I wonder whether Von Bülow was familiar with Rufinatscha's Quartet. :)
Is there any member who knows why Raff dedicated his Grand Quintuor to King William III of the Netherlands (in office 1849-90)? I didn't even know this obstinate and unpopular king was interested in music at all.
Quote from: Peter1953 on Monday 08 June 2009, 22:23Is there any member who knows why Raff dedicated his Grand Quintuor to King William III of the Netherlands (in office 1849-90)? I didn't even know this obstinate and unpopular king was interested in music at all.
Peter, on the old Forum we had an entire thread on this work that was devoted almost completely to trying to answer that very question. About the only answer we could come up with was speculation that Raff was unsuccessfully trying to curry favor with his royal highness. However it was noted that William III's mother (and later on his wife, too, IIRC?) was quite the music lover.
I did consider another possibility. At the time (1862), Raff had just moved to Wiesbaden, had married years before, and was at last getting some recognition. Wiesbaden was at the time part of the dukedom of Nassau and its ruler was the increasingly autocratic duke Adolf (what's in a name). However, there were still strong family ties between him and the Dutch royal family of Orange-Nassau, who had been in charge of the dukedom in previous centuries. So I find it more probable that Raff was, indirectly, trying to humour the ruling monarch of his home town.
Adolf would be deposed by the Prussians in 1866 (after taking the Austrians' side in the war) and would finally become Grand Duke of Luxemburg in 1890, after the Dutch royals had to give up the territory for lack of male heirs (Salic law prevents women becoming rulers of Luxemburg).
I cant think of anything more serene and beautiful than the last three woodwind sonatas by Camille Saint-Saëns, namely the Clarinet, Bassoon and Oboe. This is absolute music!!! Its also remarked that he also intended to compose sonatas for flute and for cor anglais but died before he could complete it.
While this isn't exactly unsung lets not forget the Brahms Clarinet Quintet with its dreamy almost hesitant begining!
I have some more that I like (some of them without Piano!)
Glinka - Grand Sextet (A very memorable begining)
Edouard Lalo - Piano Trios
Glazunov - 7 String Quartets (very neglected!)
String Quintet
Berwald - String Quartets
Piano Quintets
Medtner - Piano Quintet in C major
Sinding - Piano Quintet
Max Bruch - Piano Quintet in g minore, String Octet (****************)
Robert Schumann - Works for Cello and Piano (It can't any more romantic than this people!!!)
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor - Piano Quintet, Clarinet Quintet
Reynaldo Hahn - Piano Quintet in f sharp minor!!!!
Following Ilja's contribution to the mystery of Raff, dedicating his Piano Quintet to the Dutch King William III, I have done some surfing on the web. Apparently William III inherited the musical temperament from his mother, the Grand Duchess Anna Paulowna of Russia. But more interesting is William's first wife, his cousin Princess Sophie van Württemberg (1818-77). It was a very unhappy marriage, but husband and wife shared a common interest in music. Although Sophie was much more intellectual and artistic, it was William who held between 1873-76 two times a year auditions for young talented singers and pianists. A few members of the jury were no one less than... Liszt and Wieniawski.
Back to what really matters. Most Raffians who love chamber music will probably have the Divox disc in their collections. But I can very strongly recommend the Rufinatscha as well. And it's not only the 2nd Piano Quartet which is most delightful, but also his first in c minor, full of catchy tunes in all four movements. You will not be disappointed!
Thanks Ilja, Peter and Jim on the question of why Raff dedicated the Piano Quintet to the King of the Netherlands. I have no idea, but the Nassau link does seem very plausible.
By the way, you're right to highlight the Divox CD - it is immeasurably better than the performance on the MDG disc, even though that has the benefit of a superb performance of the String SExtet as a coupling.
Cheers,
Mark