This is volume three in the Hänssler Classics series ‘Brahms and his Contemporaries’
performed by Munich-born
cellist Johannes Moser. I recently reviewed Moser in another
release for Hänssler in the Saint-Saëns
Complete Works for Cello and Orchestra. A ‘Record of
the Month’, the Saint-Saëns will be one of my Records of
the Year for 2009.
Together
with the two Brahms cello sonatas as the keystone of this imaginative
series we have already had cello works from his contemporaries
Robert Fuchs and Alexander Zemlinsky on volume 1 on Hänssler
93.206 and Heinrich von Herzogenberg and Richard Strauss
on volume 2 on Hänssler 93.207. This third volume comprises a rarely
heard arrangement of six Brahms songs and an unknown score each
from Giuseppe Martucci and Theodor Kirchner; both committed
supporters of the great Hamburg-born composer.
Giuseppe Martucci was born in the city of Capua in southern
Italy. He excelled as a concert pianist, composer, conductor
and as a teacher. A cosmopolitan, he conducted a broad range
of music from various countries and was influential in introducing
the operas of Wagner to Italy. Martucci met and championed
the music of Brahms in Bologna in 1888 and later befriended
Stanford, conducting his ‘Irish’ Symphony, again
in Bologna. Martucci’s interest
in the cello probably stems from days touring as accompanist
to the renowned cellist Alfredo Piatti. The opening movement
of his Op. 52 Sonata, Allegro giusto is of gentle and
even temper. Several stormy episodes hardly disrupt the underlying
warm Mediterranean feeling. The movement was rather overlong
for its material. Upbeat and playful cavorting of the Scherzo
is contrasted with the reflective and yearning quality of the
Intermezzo marked Andantino flebile. Martucci
provides sunny writing of an amiable and easy-going quality
in the final Allegro. Once again this movement rather
outstayed its welcome.
Brahms’s
arrangements for cello and piano are from a selection of his
Lieder. They were prepared by Norbert Salter. Better
known as an impresario Salter, a cellist, had played in the
Hamburg Symphony Orchestra under the young Mahler. Brahms would
probably have known of these Salter arrangements as they were
first published during his lifetime in 1896 by Simrock. I have
seen other arrangements of Brahms’s songs in transcriptions
for cello and piano. For example Peter Hörr prepared cello and
piano arrangements of Five Lieder from Brahms’s set of
Eight Lieder, Op. 52 for MDG SceneA.
The
opening arrangement of the set for cello and piano is the song
Feldeinsamkeit (Lonely Fields), Op. 86/2, a Hermann
Allmers setting from 1879. This is a romantic love-letter that
reminded me of the Sammy Fain and Irving Kahal song ‘I’ll
be seeing you’. Next is Wie Melodien zieht es (It
runs, like melodies), Op.105/1 a popular Brahms song for
low voice from 1886. This setting of a poem by Klaus Groth is
of a mild and consoling character. Charming and sensitive, the
Sapphische Ode (Sapphic Ode) (words: Hans Schmidt),
Op. 94/4 is from 1883-4.
The Wiegenlied (Lullaby), Op. 49/4 is the source
of the much loved and universally known ‘Brahms Lullaby’.
Originally published in 1868 as a one stanza song the Wiegenlied
is a setting of a selection of verses drawn from Des
Knaben Wunderhorn (The Youth’s Magic Horn);
the collection of anonymous fifteenth century German folk poems.
Six years later in 1874 Brahms added a second stanza using words
written by Georg Scherer. I
found the Robert Reinick setting Liebestreu (True
love), Op. 3/1, from 1853, a yearning and expressive outpouring.
The final setting Minnelied (Love-song), Op. 71/5,
dating from 1877 and using verses from the poet Ludwig Hölty,
is an amiable score with a winning charm.
Born in the German province of Saxony the pianist, organist and composer Theodor Kirchner first became
acquainted with Brahms in 1856B when they
became firm friends. With a prodigious
compositional output of mainly miniature scores Kirchner is
credited with having written over 1000 pieces for the
piano.
Kirchner’s Eight Pieces for Cello and Piano,
Op. 79 were published by Hofmeister in 1886. They proved
so popular that Kirchner also
prepared versions for violin or viola. Although intended to
be played as a set they are sometimes used as encores. Kirchner
may be an obscure name to many, however, these
Eight Pieces are marvellous, high quality miniatures
- real discoveries.
The
opening piece Andante cantabile is sophisticated and
serious. Miniature number two is a tripping Allegro scherzando
of foot-tapping jollity. The Andantino is a passionate
statement infused with pathos. The fourth, marked Allegro
vivace is brisk and frolicking with a vibrant rhythm. The
fifth, a Moderato cantabile is romantic music of poignant
regret and the Allegro scherzando has an unsettling spontaneity
infused with sensual lyricism. The beautiful penultimate piece
marked Ruhig, ausdrucksvoll is haunting with a
soul-searching quality. Marked Allegro ma non troppo the
final piece has a fresh and agitated mood that evokes the quivering
breeze and unsettled skies of Springtime.
This
disc is a fine achievement for the two soloists. Moser has the
innate ability to communicate the amiable personality of the
music. This attribute blends perfectly with a rock-solid technique
and the rich timbre of his cello. Playing splendidly pianist
Paul Rivinius accompanies with sensitivity.
In
the booklet notes there is
an interesting interview with Moser. The amount of basic information
given about the actual scores is very disappointing. It took
me only a little effort to research basic biographical information,
dates and title translations of the pieces. We are treated to
pleasing sound quality, clear and well balanced from the Kammermusikstudio
of SWR Stuttgart.
Michael Cookson
Footnotes
A Johannes
Brahms: Sonatas for Violoncello and Piano
Sonata No.1 in G major for piano and violin, Op. 78 (transcribed
for cello and piano by Peter
Hörr) (1878-79)
‘Five Lieder’ from of Eight Lieder, Op. 52 (arranged
for cello and piano by Peter Hörr)
Sonata No.1 in E minor for piano and cello, Op. 38 (1862-65)
Peter Hörr (cello) and Cora Irsen (piano)
Recording: Dec. 6-8, 2002 at Furstliche Reitbahn Bad Arolsen,
Germany. DDD
MUSIKPRODUKTION DABRINGHAUS UND GRIMM, MDG
SCENE 643 1197-2 [63:45]
B Johannes Brahms - A Guide to Research by Heather Anne Platt. Publ. Routledge (2003). ISBN:
0815338503 Pg. 57
Johannes Moser
(cello) 
