Today we have one great piano concerto in digital simulation. Sampler below is 200 bars from the 1st movement.
This concerto is still a work in progress by Darrell Hoffmann, which the complete 1st movement is already available in his new Patreon channel.
This has whetted the appetite for more!
Personally,I feel that every encouragement should be given to unearthing the works of this composer, after his shabby treatment at the hands of Hans Franke et al
Quote from: promusician on Wednesday 09 July 2025, 07:19Today we have one great piano concerto in digital simulation. Sampler below is 200 bars from the 1st movement.
This concerto is still a work in progress by Darrell Hoffmann, which the complete 1st movement is already available in his new Patreon channel.
Is it just me (and my settings) or do others also see a large empty space between the two sentences rather than the sampler mentioned. And what is the name of the Patreon channel, please?
Quote from: Wheesht on Wednesday 09 July 2025, 07:50Is it just me (and my settings) or do others also see a large empty space between the two sentences rather than the sampler mentioned. And what is the name of the Patreon channel, please?
I PM-ed you
This work immediately supersedes the Haarklou concerto as the unreleased work that I look forward to most from your channel!
Wikipedia has this as dating from 1892. It certainly has an absolutely stunning opening. More, please!
It was published a bit later, 1893 (as per the score I found in the Berlin Staatsbibliothek). I found this review of (among others) the Piano Concerto in the Hamburger Fremdenblatt (https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/newspaper/item/S6QYMQEUGXZGMCPB7E6Z3DHQXQJAOSOM?fromDay=25&toYear=1899&fromYear=1890&toDay=13&toMonth=12&fromMonth=2&query=%5C"fritz+kauffmann%5C"+magdeburg&hit=&issuepage=20), 11 August 1895:
Kauffmann: Clavier-Concert, op. 25. Partitur Preis 15M. - Dramatische Ouverture, op. 28, Partitur Preis 6M Netto. - Lieder, op. 24 und op. 26 für eine Solostimme mit Pianoforte-Begleitung. Preis eingeln 60p bis 1M30p. Berlin. Carl Paez.
The compositions of the artist, presently 41 years old, are enjoying widespread popularity as a result of their increasingly recognised value. Fritz Kauffmann was born in Berlin on 17 June 1855. After completing his secondary education, he turned his attention to the natural sciences. However, his great love of music prompted him to devote himself exclusively to it, and so, after spending time in Leipzig and Hamburg, he became one of Friedrich Kiel's only students in Berlin in 1878, whose thorough instruction was responsible for a significant part of his musical-theoretical education. His diligent hard work and the mature fruits of his labour were rewarded in 1881 with the award of the Mendelssohn Scholarship. From that point on, Kaufmann became a popular teacher in his hometown and enjoyed widespread acclaim until 1889, when he was called to Magdeburg to conduct the society concerts there. In 1893, Kaufmann was awarded the title of Royal Music Director. Among the publishing companies that take on his compositions and quietly ensure their distribution is the well-established Carl Peitsch, whose promised shipment of the same is now briefly discussed here.
The Piano Concerto Opus 25, whose public performances have been crowned with success on various occasions, is a valuable work that one can take a keen interest in. The only reservation about the connection between the three movements is that the first movement seems disproportionately long. The treatment of the orchestra in relation to the solo demonstrates the skill of serious musical work. What might have been desirable here and there in terms of novelty of invention is replaced by the elegant style that negates everything ordinary. The themes are clear, the treatment of the piano part is rewarding, and so this subtly conceived work is likely to enjoy many more successes.
The Dramatische Ouvertüre, Opus 23, is even more significant than the concerto. Its score displays strokes of genius that speak for a more praiseworthy independence of invention. One of the focal points of this effective work is that the rich sound of the skilfully crafted instrumentation is not the essential element, and the motifs, stripped of their colourful embellishments, can still be considered absolutely valuable. Kaufmann's Opus 23 is highly recommended as an introduction to a significant concert. The songs Opus 24 and Opus 26, a sequel to the earlier Opus 13, 17, 19 and 22, are poetic bagatelles, blossoms of the rich German spring of song. Their performance will make an impression in concerts and halls, provided that the interpretation is a distinguished one.
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Die Kompositionen des heute im 41. Lebensjahre stehenden Künstlers erfreuen sich in Folge des mehr und mehr anerkannten Werthes reicher Verbreitung. Fritz Kauffmann erblickte das Licht der Welt in Berlin am 17. Juni 1855. Nach Absolvirung der Gymnasialstudien wandte er sich der Pflege der Naturwissenschaften zu. Seine große Liebe zur Musik veranlaßte ihn jedoch, sich ihr ausschließlich zu widmen, und so wurde er, nachdem er sich in Leipzig und Hamburg verschiedentlich aufgehalten hatte, 1878 in Berlin einer der einzigsten Schüler von Friedrich Kiel, dessen gründlicher Unterweisung der einen wesentlichen Theil seiner musikalisch-theoretischen Ausbildung verdankt. Der rege Fleiß und die reifen Früchte seines Schaffens wurden 1881 belohnt durch die Erteilung des Mendelssohn-Stipendiums. Von diesem Zeitpunkt an wurde Kaufmann als Lehrer in seiner Vaterstadt beliebt und erfreute sich weitgehenden Zuspruchs, bis ihn 1889 der Ruf nach Magdeburg führte, um dort die Gesellschaftskonzerte zu dirigieren. 1893 wurde Kaufmann der Titel eines königlichen Musikdirektors erteilt. Zu denjenigen Verlagsfirmen, die sich seine Kompositionen annehmen und in ruhiger Weise für deren Verbreitung Sorge tragen, gehört die bewährte Firma Carl Peitsch, deren zugesangene Sendung derselben nunmehr hier kurz besprochen wird.
Das Klavierkonzert Opus 25, dessen öffentliche Vorträge verschiedentlich mit Erfolg gekrönt wurden, ist ein wertvolles Werk, für das man sich warm interessieren kann. Das einzige Bedenken gegen den Zusammenhang der drei Sätze ist, dass der erste Satz unverhältnismäßig ausgedehnt erscheint. Die Behandlung des Orchesters zum Solo zeigt berät die Geschicklichkeit einer ernsten musikalischen Arbeit. Was in Bezug auf Neuheit der Erfindung wohl hier und da erwünscht gewesen wäre, ersetzt die vornehme, alles gewöhnliche negierende Stilweise. Die Themen sind klar, die Behandlung der Klavierpartie ist dankbar und so dürfte dem feinsinnig erdachten Werke noch manch schöner Erfolg beschieden sein.
Die Dramatische Overtüre Opus 23 ist noch bedeutender als das Konzert. Ihre Partitur wirkt geniale Züge auf, die für eine rühmenswertere Selbstständigkeit der Erfindung sprechen. Ein Schwerpunkt des wirkungsvollen Werkes ist dahin zu erblicken, dass das reiche Klangspiel der geschickt gearbeiteten Instrumentation nicht das Wesentliche bildet und die Motive würden sie ihres farbenreichen Schmuckes entkleidet, doch als absolut wertvoll gelten können. Als Einleitung zu einem bedeutsames bietenden Konzert ist Kaufmanns Opus 23 warm zu empfehlen. Die Lieder Opus 24 und Opus 26, eine Folge der früheren Opus 13, 17, 19 und 22, sind poesie-reiche Bagatellen, Blüten des reichen deutschen Liederfrühlings. Im Konzert und Saalen wird ihr Vortrag Eindruck machen, vorausgesetzt, dass die Interpretation eine vornehme ist.
By the way, I also have the score of the Dramatische Ouvertüre should anyone be interested.
The Neue Zeitschrift für Musik of 19 April 1893 had this review of the premiere of the piano concerto:
The second piece in this section was the new grand piano concerto in C minor, Op. 25, by our highly esteemed compatriot Fritz Kauffmann. We have now heard the work several times, including the rehearsal, and have also read the arrangement for two pianos, and if we now declare it to be a very significant and valuable addition to the concert repertoire, a work that demonstrates complete mastery in every respect, we do so not out of mere politeness or local artistic enthusiasm, but solely because we believe we have discovered in it the influence and inspiration of a significant creative force. This concerto – to characterise it briefly, for such a thing cannot be described – essentially has the character of a symphonic poem in three movements, a grand orchestral fantasy in which the concertante piano does not play the role of an imperious ruler, but rather that of a welcome and helpful ally: even if the part assigned to it appears significant and responsible. The orchestra is masterfully conducted in its heights and depths, in its changing timbres, with great and often charming effect, making use of the art of modulation. The main ideas, the musical themes, emerge decisively and expressively, and the entire structure of the various movements demonstrates a consistent respect for the laws of musical architecture. The first Allegro announces its heroic, sombre character right from the orchestral introduction, which is only temporarily softened by a lovely secondary theme in E flat major. The intimate song of the A-flat major Andante, in which the rougher wind instruments are completely silent, is utterly charming, and the whole work concludes cheerfully and lively with a graceful, dance-like episode in the major key in the finale. The concerto naturally breathes the spirit of musical neo-romanticism, without, however, committing itself to its excesses in invention, structure, and composition. The piano part, whose difficulties are not as easy to master as elsewhere, was performed by our guest, a pianist of great renown and high standing, Mr. Jose Viana da Motta, with commendable flexibility and bravura, so that when stormy applause broke out at the end, the composer was justified in pointing to him as his deserving ally.
(Original German:) Die zweite Nummer dieses Theils war das neue große Clavierconcert in C moll, Op. 25 unseres hochgeschätzten Landsmanns Herrn Fritz Kauffmann. Wir haben das Werk – die Probe eingerechnet – nun mehrmals gehört und zugleich in der Bearbeitung für zwei Claviere nachgelesen, und wenn wir es nun für eine sehr bedeutende, sehr werthvolle
Bereicherung der Concertlitteratur, für ein Tonwerk, das in allen Zügen die volle Meisterschaft bekundet, erklären, so geschieht es nicht vom Standpunkte leidiger Höflichkeit oder aus künstlerischem Localenthusiasmus, sondern lediglich weil wir darin das Walten
und Wehen einer bedeutenderen Schöpfungskraft zu entdecken geglaubt haben. Dies Concert – um es kurz zu characterisiren, denn schildern läßt sich so etwas nun einmal nicht – giebt sich wesentlich mit dem Gepräge einer symphonischen Dichtung in drei Sätzen, einer großen Orchesterphantasie, worin das concertirende Klavier nicht die Rolle als gebietender Herrscher, sondern als willkommener hülfreicher Bundesgenosse spielt: wenn auch die Stelle,
die ihm angewiesen ist, bedeutend und verantwortlich erscheint. Mit meisterlicher Hand ist das Orchester in seiner Höhe und Tiefe, im Wechsel seiner Klangfarben, mit großer, oft reizender Wirkung die modulatorische Kunst verwendet. Die leitenden Gedanken, die musikalischen Themen, treten bestimmt und ausdrucksvoll aus, und die gesammte Structur der verschiedenen Sätze bekundet eine durchgehende Achtung vor den Gesetzen der musikalischen Architektonik. Das erste Allegro kündigt gleich in der orchestralen Einleitung seinen heroisch-düsteren Character an, welcher nur im Verlauf von einem lieblichen Seitensatz in Es dur zeitweise gemildert wird. Ganz reizend, ich möchtc noch mehr sagen, ist der innige Gesang des As dur-Andantc, in welchem die rauheren Bläser ganz schweigen,
und heiter und munter, mit einer anmuthigen tanzartigen Episode schließt sich das Ganze im Finale in der Dur Tonart. Das Concert athmet, wie natürlich den Geist der musikalischen Neuromantik, ohne sich indeß zu ihren Ausschreitungen in Erfindung, Anlage und Structur zu bekennen. Den Clavierpart, dessen Schwierigkeiten nicht so aus der Hand liegen, wie anderswo, führte unser Gast, ein Pianist von großem Ruf und hohem Range, Herr Jose
Viana da Motta mit löblicher Anschmiegsamkeit und Bravour aus, so daß, als am Schlüsse stürmischer Beifall laut wurde, der Componist mit Recht auf ihn als seinen verdienstvollen Bundesgenossen hinweisen durfte.
Thanks for this! I had no idea Vianna da Motta (then 24 years old) premiered the concerto. That they were able to get such an already famous soloist to perform says something about Kauffmann's reputation, I think.
A most arresting opening, and a clear candidate for Oliver Triendl to record I'd have thought, now that Hyperion's RPC series seems to have bitten the dust.
He seems to have been an unlucky composer - clearly popular in his day, and the works which are surfacing are substantial. But ill-served by posterity.
Magdeburg was a bit of a musical backwater of course. You could say the same about Gernsheim and Rotterdam, or Grimm and Münster. On the other hand, it's the local connection that has kept these people's name at least a little alive...
Thanks Ilja for uploading the full score of Dramatische Ouverture (https://imslp.org/wiki/Dramatische_Ouvert%C3%BCre_(Kauffmann,_Fritz)#IMSLP979991) by Fritz Kauffmann, now waiting for someone to simulate it...
Quote from: Ilja on Wednesday 09 July 2025, 13:57Thanks for this! I had no idea Vianna da Motta (then 24 years old) premiered the concerto. That they were able to get such an already famous soloist to perform says something about Kauffmann's reputation, I think.
Thanks for (inadvertently) introducing me to Vianna da Motta! I had never heard of him as a pianist or a composer... but then I see he has only been mentioned here once, in passing.
His Piano Concerto in A major, Fantasia dramatica for piano & orchestra and Ballada, Op. 16 for solo piano were recorded by Artur Pizarro with the Gulbenkian Orchestra under Martyn Brabbins for Hyperion's RPC series (released in 2000).
A site search on "Vianna" reveals rather more mentions than _that_, including entire threads.
You are right, of course. I must have only looked for Viana da Mota, and that brought up one post by Mike Hopf.
It would be helpful if members could check spellings from other sources before posting or conducting searches (although I know this can be time-consuming). In this case the correct spelling is José Vianna da Motta. We do try to correct misspellings as we go along and it is always helpful when members check these spellings themselves before posting, but in the end mistakes with foreign names are always liable to happen.
The problem in this specific case is that the spelling according to current Portuguese orthography (post-1946 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reforms_of_Portuguese_orthography), I believe) is "Viana da Mota"; I've seen articles referring to him under that name. So it's probably wise to look under both this and the old name, the more so since for some time since both versions would have been used side by side.
Apologies for contributing to the departure from Kauffmann's (excellent sofar) PC...
Here's the entirety of Kauffmann's superb PC:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIocHxcJEnQ
First listen - impressive!!
I just realized that the main theme of the first movement can seamlessly be transformed into the theme of the finale of Volkmann's Konzertstuck for Piano and Orchestra! Both themes are my favorites.
Since a real recording/performance is far from sight, I have make some effort in re-touching up the whole work.
One of the few things we can be quite indirectly grateful for towards Hans Franke is how he - entirely unwittingly of course - pointed us towards Fritz Kauffmann, a composer who otherwise might have remained forgotten. This is a wonderful concerto, I think, and particularly well-balanced in every regard.
I like the headline "A Misattributed Genius".
I echo every word that Ilja has written.
I am tremendously impressed by promusician's tweaks to this strongly-argued composition of Kauffmann. I now suspect that cpo might,one day, now issue a commercial recording,if anyone there listens to this powerful piece of advocacy.