Ignaz Brüll wrote well over one hundred piano works, many orchestral
and chamber pieces as well as numerous operas. Sadly, nearly all of
these have been ignored by the music establishment for over a hundred
years. The public have been denied access to Brüll’s qualities
as a composer; qualities so evident to his friend Johannes Brahms.
Even his close friendship with Brahms could not save him from the
anti-Semitism fuelled by Wagner and Liszt during the 19th century.
Hitler idolised Wagner, and he ordered that music scores of Jewish
composers be found and burned. Fortunately for us, many of them were
well hidden.
Salomon Jadassohn worked under the shadow of Carl Reinecke at the
Leipzig Conservatory. A combination of this and his Jewishness ensured
lack of significant performances despite a reputation as a teacher
which attracted the likes of Busoni and Grieg.
We owe a debt of gratitude to Cameo Classics for at least giving us
the chance to listen to some of the music of these two composers in
order for us to make our own judgements. Lovers of Brahms, Mendelssohn
and German romantic music in general will find Brüll especially
and Jadassohn up to a point to be attractive additions to their musical
diet. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed listening to these four discs.
The label should be congratulated for their sustained efforts on behalf
of neglected composers and orchestras who otherwise wouldn’t
be heard on commercial recordings. The Cameo catalogue, now distributed
and marketed by Nimbus, offers some hidden gems to those listeners
who have an inquisitive nature.
CC9048CD
The Macbeth overture owes its general style to Mendelssohn with
the occasional burst of Les Preludes thrown in for good measure.
The opening rising theme is virtually identical to Over the Hills
and Far Away by Delius. It’s a thoroughly professional
piece of work and gets a decent outing here once the orchestra settles
down from a somewhat untidy start, especially from the strings. There
is also an unfortunate edit at around the one minute mark but the
general recording quality is pleasantly reverberant with good detail.
The orchestra is obviously a small group but the acoustic adds some
bloom and body to what otherwise would have been a thin string sound.
It is claimed that Brahms envied Brüll’s abundance of melodic
ideas. The Violin Concerto is certainly full of melody and expertly
scored but to be honest it doesn’t reach anywhere near the heights
of the Brahms concerto. It is, however, a very good work and sits
comfortably with other concertos ranked outside the greats of the
violin repertoire:Brahms, Beethoven and Mendelssohn,for example. The
first movement is well structured and rather impressive but the following
Molto moderato quasi andante is a thing of real beauty and steals
the show. The finale takes us closer to the world of Dvořák
ith hints of Saint-Saëns along the way and that’s really
where the problem lies. This is good music that is well worth hearing
but Brüll doesn’t have a unique voice. There are no obvious
fingerprints that stamp him as a special composer. Ilya Hoffman makes
a good case for the concerto but there are some patches of less than
perfect intonation and a few scrappy moments from the orchestra. I
won’t hold my breath for a major orchestra and stellar soloist
to record this concerto. What we have here is a most worthy effort.
The Serenade for Flute and Strings Op. 80 was written to supplement
the repertoire of the New York Philharmonic Club and it’s a
real find. The music is clearly influenced by Mendelssohn but its
potential lack of originality isn’t the be all and end all.
Original doesn’t always equate to good. Indeed, the Serenade
is a lovely work and flautist Rebecca Hall is an excellent soloist.
The Notturno is the most memorable movement and this is followed
by a dashing but rather repetitive Tarantella. Some of the
orchestral playing is often rushed and lacking in poise - the soloist
deserves better support here. Compared to the sweet sounding Violin
Concerto the recording tends to become rather harsh in the high string
passages. This is an interesting disc with the Violin Concerto being
the star attraction.
CC9027CD
Brüll’s symphony is something of a discovery. Brahms 3
and 4 are two of my favourite symphonies and, in spirit, the Brüll
sits comfortably with both of them. The booklet note acknowledges
the shadow of Brahms hanging over the symphony but then claims that
the composer’s own individual voice is in no way obscured. I
have to disagree. I don’t hear an individual voice. What I do
hear is a Brahmsian symphony that can be enjoyed on its own terms
and what’s wrong with that? The orchestration is expert and
has a mellow Brahmsian feel with lovely inner parts on the strings
and subtle use of the wind soloists. The whole symphony has that poignant
sense of yearning so familiar in Brahms. There are also hints of Bruckner
at the very opening of the first movement and the Scherzo is a throwback
to Beethoven’s Pastoral; Rob Barnett felt the same in his review
of the disc. The finale opens with a solemn, moving introduction that
leads into a dynamic, thrilling allegro theme on the strings. The
composer keeps up the tension right to the end of the movement and
the work comes to a dramatic E minor close. The symphony receives
a fine performance. The orchestra plays with total commitment and
plenty of fire.
The Serenade No. 1 doesn’t reach anywhere near the heights of
the Symphony but it is attractive and well written. I probably won’t
return to it very often but the Symphony is another matter. It’s
a fabulous work and I’m delighted to have made its acquaintance.
The recording is very easy on the ear. The string section is especially
well captured. This is well worth tracking down especially for the
Symphony.
CC9031CD
Conductor Marius Stravinsky follows his version of the Brüll
Serenade No.1 with the Belarussian State Symphony Orchestra
with this recording of the Serenade No.2 from Malta. The
delightfully flowing first movement is more akin to Dvořák
than Brahms. This is followed by a somewhat banal March of
little consequence and a bright and breezy Allegro moderato.
Stravinsky gets some good attentive playing from the Maltese orchestra,
sounding in far better shape than they did in their companion CD (CC9048CD)
under Michael Laus.
We then get to hear two serenades by Jadassohn. This composer certainly
had a gift for writing catchy melodies and that’s no mean skill.
His music flows along and one tune is followed quickly by the next
with little or no apparent effort. His Serenade No.1 in Four Canons
has a somewhat academic title but this shouldn’t be off-putting
to the listener. This is light music, pure and simple. Its sole purpose
is to charm the ear and that’s exactly what it does. Serenade
No. 2 in D is another kettle of fish. Built on a grander scale,
the opening ceremonial flourish gives way to a splendid Nocturne.
The Menuetto offers yet another sideways glance towards Mendelssohn.
The Maltese orchestra is in generally good form in their realisation
of the Jadassohn serenades but the string section is on the small
side and doesn’t quite have the depth and fullness of tone required
to bring the music fully to life. The sound quality shares the same
reverberant, detailed characteristics given to the Violin Concerto
and Macbeth.
CC9045CD
Here, Brüll enters the sort of territory dominated by Schumann
with his Album for the Young and Scenes from Childhood
- short piano miniatures that are fairly easy to play and equally
easy to listen to. I’m not suggesting that the Brüll piano
pieces are in any way in the Schumann class in terms of being melodically
memorable but they are worth hearing all the same. The majority of
the pieces are two to three minutes in length and none of them outstays
its welcome. The opening theme of the Op. 45 Theme and Variations
is reminiscent of the Mozart A major sonata but that’s where
the similarity ends. Mozart is in a very different league. Breton
Melody and Ballad are hewn from the same melody used
in the variations so in essence Op.45 is really a three movement work
running for around 13 minutes. I found it to be the most satisfying
piece on the CD. The rest of the pieces offer some good contrasts:
a rocking Berceuse, lively Spanish Dance, the Schumannesque
March and a jovial In the Mill are especially good.
Janet Olney performs the programme most expertly. The piano isn’t
a very glamorous sounding instrument and the recording is close and
lacking something in depth and dynamic range … or is this limited
dynamic range a symptom of the playing? I would have welcomed some
information in the booklet notes about the instrument and the pianist.
This is a good addition to the catalogue without being in any way
a “must hear” recording. For Brüll fans it will,
however, be indispensable.
John Whitmore
Another review of CC9031CD Serenades ...
Gareth Vaughan's programme note to this recording refers to
the "serenade" of the nineteenth century as "the light
music of the time". To me, this sells these pieces short. Despite
being immediately accessible, they're constructed with a rigour
equal to that of most major symphonic works.
I'd known Ignaz Brüll primarily by his Second Piano Concerto,
a melodic and colourful score, with a Brahmsian scope, tonal weight,
and structural duscipline - I still have the first LP release as Genesis
GS 1016. The E major Serenade, however, draws its models from the
previous generation of German Romantics: from Weber, in the opening
horn phrases; from Mendelssohn, in the dancing second theme and the
tongue-in-cheek march; from Schubert's Rosamunde in
the finale. It's altogether charming.
On the other hand, I didn't know Salomon Jadassohn at all until
now. Vaughan's note cites rising anti-Semitism in Europe as
a cause of his obscurity as well as "the pre-eminence of his
contemporary, Carl Reinecke". The latter point may be true, though
it would be ironic, since Reinecke himself languished in the archives
until the Romantic revival on LP, circa 1970.
A "canon" is a piece of imitative writing - the kernel of
a fugue. The title of Op. 42 might thus suggest an arid, academic
score, which could not be further from the truth: it's simply
delightful. Indeed, you may well not notice the canons unless you're
listening for them, so neatly does Jadassohn weave them into the musical
fabric. The minor-key introduction to the first of the five short
movements adopts a severe, Brahmsian contour, but thereafter the music
relaxes into the sunny, singing major, and wears its counterpoint
lightly. In the Finale, the dotted rhythms being passed among
the various parts, provide a sense of festive propulsion.
The D major Serenade, while laid out in just three movements, is a
work of almost symphonic scope. The first movement seems to be a standard
sonata-form movement, until it unexpectedly moves into a de facto
slow movement. The central movement is a typical one-in-a-bar scherzo,
with a contrasting Trio in duple time. The finale's proclamatory
theme is set against a lighter-textured, Schumannesque second theme,
making for nice contrasts of energy and mood.
Marius Stravinsky proves a sympathetic interpreter. The D major's
more ambitious writing gives the Malta Philharmonic violins a few
bad moments in the outer movements, with dry tone and uncertain tuning.
Otherwise, the strings have a pleasing, soft-edged warmth; the woodwinds
are perky and polished. There's a passing sour moment or two
from the brass in the Finale of the Serenade in 4 Canons,
and co-ordination is a bit loose throughout; but the sonorities, and
the musical intent, are always clear.
The resonant recorded ambience is pleasing, only turning boomy when
the basses are busy or the timpani are active. The booklet offers
no dates of composition; I've supplied dates of publication
for the Jadassohn scores from the Petrucci website.
This release is apparently part of an extensive series of "world
premiere recordings of neglected works" on Cameo Classics, including
symphonic, chamber, and piano music of these and other composers.
If the other entries in it are of this quality, they will be well
worth investigating.
Stephen Francis Vasta
Stephen Francis Vasta is a New York-based conductor, coach, and
journalist.
Full Track-List
CC9045CD
Op. 45
Theme and Variations [6.51]
Breton Melody [2.29]
Ballad [3.57]
Op. 51
Berceuse [3.37]
Spanish Dance [1.47]
Op. 11
Romance [3.32]
Impromptu [3.52]
Mazurka [2.13]
Berceuse [1.44]
Op. 72
Song [1.48]
Mazurka [2.14]
March [3.42]
Slumber Song [1.41]
Waltz [1.22]
Scherzo [2.35]
In the Forest [1.46]
In the Mill [3.12]
Comments received
Dear Rob,
I am unsure if you are the correct person to contact about this but
there is an inaccuracy in the above review which I feel should be
corrected. The review refers to "anti-Semitism fuelled by Wagner
and Liszt" but I would like to point out that Liszt was not anti-semetic
and did not agree with his son-in-laws views. There are numerous instances
of Liszt helping out Jewish musicians during his life and, seeing
as there is quite enough bad feeling against Liszt anyway, I think
it is unfair to further add to the criticisms of him.
Best regards,
Jonathan Welsh
(CD reviewer for the Liszt Society)
