Unsung Composers

The Music => Recordings & Broadcasts => Topic started by: Alan Howe on Thursday 21 April 2022, 10:35

Title: Hiller Piano Quartet No.3 Op.133 & Piano Quintet Op.156
Post by: Alan Howe on Thursday 21 April 2022, 10:35
...featuring that great advocate and performer of unsung repertoire, pianist Oliver Triendl!
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/ferdinand-hiller-klavierquartett/hnum/9730024

(https://media1.jpc.de/image/w220/front/0/0761203531226.jpg)
Title: Re: Hiller Piano Quartet No.3 Op.133 & Piano Quintet Op.156
Post by: Mark Thomas on Thursday 21 April 2022, 11:30
Yes, the man's a marvel. This is a very appealing release.
Title: Re: Hiller Piano Quartet No.3 Op.133 & Piano Quintet Op.156
Post by: izdawiz on Thursday 21 April 2022, 17:30
wOot Woot Bring it on.. Looking forward to it :)
Title: Re: Hiller Piano Quartet No.3 Op.133 & Piano Quintet Op.156
Post by: Gareth Vaughan on Thursday 21 April 2022, 21:48
I think (I certainly HOPE) that we may find this release contains some of Hiller's best music.
Title: Re: Hiller Piano Quartet No.3 Op.133 & Piano Quintet Op.156
Post by: britishcomposer on Thursday 21 April 2022, 22:16
Both works/recordings are in our downloads archive kindly uploaded by Jerry in 2011. (German music folder).
The link should perhaps be removed
Title: Re: Hiller Piano Quartet No.3 Op.133 & Piano Quintet Op.156
Post by: eschiss1 on Friday 22 April 2022, 01:01
I remember those recordings. I liked them alot (and the music on'em) and wish their commercial release all the best! They really are Hiller in fine form.
Title: Re: Hiller Piano Quartet No.3 Op.133 & Piano Quintet Op.156
Post by: Mark Thomas on Friday 22 April 2022, 22:24
QuoteBoth works/recordings are in our downloads archive kindly uploaded by Jerry in 2011. (German music folder).
The link should perhaps be removed
I've deleted the posts. Thanks for the reminder.
Title: Re: Hiller Piano Quartet No.3 Op.133 & Piano Quintet Op.156
Post by: Alan Howe on Thursday 12 May 2022, 21:34
The CD has arrived and I can confirm that the Piano Quintet is an absolutely wonderful work, although I'm glad I'm not a string-player, especially in the finale. Nevertheless, this is both melodically engaging and rhythmically exciting throughout.

I don't expect this release will sell in huge numbers. It absolutely ought to, though.
Title: Re: Hiller Piano Quartet No.3 Op.133 & Piano Quintet Op.156
Post by: John Boyer on Saturday 14 May 2022, 03:20
I concur with Alan's assessment.  Both works are solidly crafted.  I listened to them last week and again today, finding my enjoyment grew upon re-hearing them.  They earn an easy recommendation for anyone who likes mid-19th century German chamber music.
Title: Re: Hiller Piano Quartet No.3 Op.133 & Piano Quintet Op.156
Post by: eschiss1 on Thursday 03 November 2022, 19:36
btw there was another recording of the quintet in 2015, coupled with Robert Schumann. Wonder how they compare...
Title: Re: Hiller Piano Quartet No.3 Op.133 & Piano Quintet Op.156
Post by: John Boyer on Thursday 03 November 2022, 22:50
Quote from: eschiss1 on Thursday 03 November 2022, 19:36btw there was another recording of the quintet in 2015, coupled with Robert Schumann. Wonder how they compare...

Well, I'm sure most would find the Schumann much better.  😉
Title: Re: Hiller Piano Quartet No.3 Op.133 & Piano Quintet Op.156
Post by: John Boyer on Tuesday 08 September 2026, 23:22
I have been listening to these again the past few days and wondered what the critical opinion of the release was. I found reviews in the Grammophone and Music Web International.  To my surprise, the opinions expressed were the opposite of what I expected. I had assumed that, encountering unfamiliar music, the Grammophone (which Siri insists on rendering as "grammar phone" or "grandma phone") would be negative while Music Web International would be more accepting. Instead, the Grammophone published a positive review that pointed out the many felicities of these two works, while Music Web International was unequivocally negative. You never know.
Title: Re: Hiller Piano Quartet No.3 Op.133 & Piano Quintet Op.156
Post by: Ilja on Thursday 10 September 2026, 12:30
I took the trouble to re-read that review (https://www.musicweb-international.com/Classrev/2022/Oct/Hiller-chamber-5553122.htm), and I can't say I'm particularly impressed. I'm not complaining about the reviewer's opinion (with which I don't even entirely disagree), but rather about the way he writes it down. Sentences such as "I don't intend to discuss the two pieces individually, as they are very much peas in a pod" suggest a certain laziness, and the rest of the review is similarly infuriatingly uninformative about the music. Unfortunately this is something I've noticed more often in MusicWeb reviews; it seems that they don't have a very stringent editorial statute.