Von Glenck was born
in Zurich and studied with Karl Kempter.
He attended the Hochschule in Berlin
from 1900. In 1904, aged only 21, he
conducted one of his orchestral works
in Paris. He directed concerts throughout
Germany and the pinnacle of that era
was in 1908 when he flourished his baton
over the Berlin Philharmonic. He spent
three years as music direct of the Stuttgart
Opera until illness forced his return
to Switzerland for recuperation. After
the Great War he moved to Bavaria where
once again he conducted extensively
and where his compositions gained admiration
and a real following.
Robert Matthew-Walker
provides an essay and whets our appetite
for von Glenck's magnum opus Sinfonia
Carita Aeterna for solo soprano
and orchestra in 1905. There is also
a tone poem for orchestra Liebesklage
und Trauerhymnus 1910, a violin
concerto 1912, a piano concerto 1927
and, in 1951, a Symphonic Concerto for
cello and orchestra.
The Serenade for flute,
viola and harp is one of those idyllic-ecstatic
essays in the warmly-bathed style of
Ravel's Introduction and Allegro
and the Elegiac Trio and
Nonet by Glenck's close English
contemporary, Arnold Bax.
Nachklange is
a very beautiful song. I was not surprised
to read that the composer kept returning
to it to revise it. Louise Innes sounds
under some strain. Nachts is
a bass song where William Coleman sounds
distant but gives a good impression
of his songs - grave and mournful for
the most part. Nebel breaks from
tradition. It is very romantic
but here a more expressionist feeling
suffuses the piano line. This continues
into the soprano cycle Vier Lieder.
Nacht in particular has an impressive
slow-swinging gravity.
The Variations
Op. 17 are recorded here in the composer’s
version for two pianos. The original
is for full orchestra and dates from
1918. It was revised in 1930. The theme
is guileless little march of Mozartian
mien. Across five movements and almost
half an hour the theme is put through
a very inventive wringer. The shatter
and splinter of Prokofiev can be heard
in tr.14 and also in the finale. There
is a calmly rocking Ruhig which
radio producers for some nostalgic production
should note for future reference. Immanuil
and Rubio clearly enjoyed the challenge.
I hope they get the opportunity to present
this playfully inventive and sardonic
music in live concert. They relish the
sweep in the finale back to the unadorned
simplicity of the theme which returning
in reticence rather than triumph. Von
Glenck was clearly not intent on crowd-pleasing
display.
The recordings were
made in three locations in London and
Bristol but the sound is remarkably
consistent and fine.
Full texts and translations
are provided.
On this evidence von
Glenck was a gentle soul not pushing
the envelope towards atonality but gaining
momentum towards gentle dissonance as
he moved into the 1930s
Rob Barnett
Kalliopi Emmanuil, piano Isolda Crespi Rubio,
piano 
