inexplicably, both these Quintets
by Bruckner and Schmidt are rarely
performed and recorded. One demands
to know why these magnificent works
are not part of the standard repertoire.
Here the scores are given performances
of the strongest advocacy by the Vienna
Philharmonia Quintet. The recordings
were made for Decca over thirty years
ago and they remain among the finest
examples of late-Romantic chamber
music on record.
As early as 1861, Bruckner was asked
by violinist Joseph Hellmesberger
to write a new work for his string
ensemble. Seventeen years were to
pass before Bruckner was able to provide
them with the F major String Quintet.
There was an earlier String Quintet
in C minor, written for his composition
teacher Otto Kitzler, but Bruckner
discounted this as a mere student
work.
In 1878 Bruckner had just completed
revisions to his third and fourth
symphonies and was about to embark
on writing his sixth. Given this background
it is only to be expected that the
four movement String Quintet should
be symphonic in scope. Bruckner makes
extraordinary demands on the technique,
commitment and grasp of style of the
players. The work can be justly acclaimed
as one of the masterpieces of the
genre. Joseph Hellmesberger said he
found the scherzo too difficult
and requested an easier movement.
Bruckner duly composed the intermezzo
in D minor, which shares the same
trio as the scherzo of
the String Quintet. The original scherzo
is played by the Vienna Philharmonia
Quintet on this recording.
The opening movement has a real ‘chamber
music’ feel and we can detect shades
of Mendelssohn but with denser textures.
The approach of the Vienna Philharmonia
Quintet has a refreshing naturalness
with a chosen tempo that sounds comfortably
right. There is a wealth of sparkling
ideas in the scherzo which
has been described as grotesque and
endearing. The performance from the
Vienna players, in this unusual and
sinister movement, is selfless and
dedicated. Although I would have preferred
a touch more vitality in their playing;
which feels a little measured. The
sublime passion of the adagio is
the emotional centre of the whole
score. The movement, which could be
mistaken for a transcription of a
slow movement from a symphony, ends
in a mood of great peace and serenity.
The Vienna players offer a deeply
searching reading, free from expressive
exaggeration. The structure of the
concluding movement, that includes
a profusion of short motifs, takes
the music ahead of its time. This
finale has been described as
containing orchestral texture and
over-adventurous counterpoint. Bruckner
could be said to have written an immense
symphonic movement for solo strings.
The Vienna players in the finale
display well judged tempos with
an abundance of light and shade.
From my collection, I would not wish
to be without the 1993 account of
the F major String Quintet, which
also includes a version of the intermezzo
in D minor, from the Raphael Ensemble
on Hyperion CDA66704; c/w Strauss’s
Prelude to ‘Capriccio’ for
String Sextet.
The lesser known late-Romantic composer
Franz Schmidt was an inheritor of
the Bruckner tradition. Born in what
is now Bratislava he moved to Vienna
with his family in 1888. He studied
at the Conservatory in Vienna and
received composition instruction with
Robert Fuchs, cello tuition with Ferdinand
Hellmesberger and studied theory with
Bruckner, graduating “with excellence”
in 1896. Schmidt beat thirteen other
applicants in obtaining a post as
cellist with the Vienna Court Opera
Orchestra, with whom he played, often
under Mahler, until 1914. As a composer
Schmidt was slow to develop, but his
reputation, at least in Austria, saw
a steady growth from the late 1890s
until his death in 1939. Schmidt worked
mainly in large forms, including the
composition of four symphonies, several
oratorios and two operas. His output
includes a quantity of important organ
music and several chamber scores.
Schmidt continued to develop the Viennese
classic-romantic traditions that he
had inherited from Schubert, Brahms
and his own master, Bruckner.
Schmidt’s compositions are considered
relatively complex and are also notoriously
difficult to perform, requiring considerable
technical accomplishment. The score
to the four movement G major Piano
Quintet falls into that category and
contains an unmistakable Viennese
flavour. In 1926 Schmidt composed
the score for his friend Paul Wittgenstein,
the pianist who had lost an arm during
the Great War. Friedrich Wührer took
Wittgenstein’s single piano part and
made a two-hand arrangement, which
is the version that we hear on this
recording.
A winning spontaneity regularly marks
the playing of the VPQ in the terse
and agitated opening movement of the
Piano Quintet. Perhaps the first movement
is overlong for its material and the
main themes could have been more memorable.
The second movement is an adagio
in the style of a ländler and
is one of the loveliest pieces Schmidt
wrote. The performance of the Vienna
ensemble is refined and well judged
with pianist Eduard Mrazek displaying
nobility and command. The third movement
has a slow introduction, after which
comes a vigorous, bubbling dance.
It is quite remarkable how much style
and authority the Vienna players provide
in the third movement with its slow
introduction, after which comes a
vigorous, bubbling dance. The Piano
Quintet closes with a tremendous rondo,
finale which is thematically related
to the adagio. The Vienna ensemble
secure a confident grip on this eventful
music. There is a special integrity
in their reading which is highly compelling.
The piano part dominates throughout,
yet the responsive playing of Eduard
Mrazek never threatens to swamp the
quartet of strings.
Recorded at the Sofiensaal, Vienna
in 1974, the sound engineer Gordon
Parry has provided a clear, warm and
well balanced sound for both scores.
The well written but uncredited annotation
is concise, interesting and informative.
Hidden gems of the late-Romantic chamber
repertoire, marvellously performed
and recorded. A thoroughly enjoyable
release.
Michael Cookson
see also review by Paul Shoemaker
Vienna Philharmonia Quintet:
Wolfgang Poduschka, Alfred Staar, violin I, II; Josef Staar, Helmut Weis
(Bruckner only), violas; Wolfgang Herzer,
cello; Eduard Mrazek, piano (Schmidt only)
