RECORDING OF THE MONTH     CHOPIN Waltzes and Impromptus Vladimir Feltsman £11 post free World-wide VIVALDI The four seasons London Mozart Players/Juritz £12 post free World-wide BEETHOVEN Symphonies 4 and 5 LSO/Yondani Butt £12 post free World-wide

AVAILABILITY Danacord

Friedrich KUHLAU (1786-1832) The Piano Sonatinas – A Selection Sonatina Op. 20 No. 1 in C major Sonatina Op. 20 No. 2 in G major Sonatina Op. 20 No. 3 in F major Sonatina Op. 88 No. 1 in C major Sonatina Op. 88 No. 3 in A minor Sonatina Op. 55 No. 4 in F major Sonatina Op. 55 No. 5 in D major Sonata Op. 60 No. 1 in F major Sonata Op. 60 No. 2 in A major Erik Fessel (piano) Recorded at Assendrup, Østermark, April 1996 DANACORD DACOCD 622 [77.08]

These are the famous – or if you’re a piano student, notorious - Kuhlau Sonatinas. They do tend to be churned out come examination time though that’s not to say that they’re arid examples, though it is to say that contemporary publishers did have more than one eye on the market for instructional material. They have plenty of up and down scalar writing and they do make demands on the technique though less so on matters of interpretive intimacy. Kulhau showed in his vocal works that he’d lent an ear to Schubert and there are hints that those influences had seeped into his piano writing. That said, it’s true to say that if they had it’s more like the piano writing of the Violin Sonatas (or Sonatinas) than the bigger solo piano works. The abiding influence however is Mozart’s. There are some surprises along the way, such as the lively clop of the Allegro Scherzando that ends the G major, Op.20 No.2 and the Alla Polacca that gives such free rein for display in the F major from the same set. It also gives opportunities to impress with pomposo left hand articulation though I doubt any student could begin to match Erik Fessel at such points. The Andantino of Op.88 No.1 is explicitly and attractively vocal, with its strong right hand melody line and simple, supportive left. The Alla Polacca finale (again) of the F major Op.55 No.4 has a sprightly strut and tests accurate rhythm. The Op.60 Sonatinas use variations on themes from Rossini’s Armida – like Beethoven, Rossini was a definite influence on Kuhlau but neither influence is really evident in these Sonatinas. Fessel plays them adroitly and with simplicity; the recording level is not over scaled and the acoustic is warm. There’s certainly some charm in these miniatures though the music is deliberately circumscribed to suit its market. Jonathan Woolf Advertising Rates Visitor stats MusicWeb International has over 40,000 Classical CD reviews on offer Discs received Having a problem Donating? Gerard Hoffnung Concerts & The Bricklayer Story   New Releases New Releases   MusicWeb sells the Polish catalogue CDAccord £10.50 post free W-W MusicWeb sells the Arcodiva catalogue £12.00 post free W-W £11.75 post-free world- wide MusicWeb can now offer you discs from the following catalogues: Prices include postage [Acte Préalable £13.50] [Arcodiva £12.00] [Avie from £6.25] [British Music Society £12.00] [CDACCORD from £13.50 ] [ClassicO £12.50] [Hallé from £11] [Heritage £10] [Hortus £14.99 ] [Lyrita ONLY £11.75 ] [Nimbus Special prices] [Northern Flowers £13.50] [REDCLIFFE £11 ] [Sheva £11] [Tactus £11.50 ] [Talent from £12.00 ] [Toccata Classics £10.50 ] Musicweb Special Offers Monthly Best Buys     Google Ads - for information about privacy matters, click here.  Amazon Musicweb International is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

Return to Index

Reviews from previous months Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.