Intimate Chamber Music by Johann Molter and Colleagues

The liner notes for this release note that the Karlsruhe court "for reasons of cost" eschewed foreign soloists. This implies Johann Molter and other court composers had to keep their vocal writing relatively simple for the local talent. Perhaps so, but the end results were anything but second-tier.

Molter has three solo cantatas on this release. All three charmed me with their simple, direct melodies and tastefully restrained ornamentation. They very strongly reminded me of Handel's vocal writing.

Soprano Julia Mende is well-suited to this music. She has a clean, clear tone that complements the simplicity of the melodies. Her ornamentations are well-executed, and never fussy-sounding.

The Hof-Capelle Carlsruhe fills out the program with instrumental music from Molter and his contemporaries. Giacinto Schiatti, Friedrich Schwindle, and Sebastian Bodinus may not be household names, but they were competent craftsmen who knew how to put music together.

The ensemble has a clean, transparent sound. The instruments are close-mic'd, so there's not a lot of room ambiance. And that's OK. These are modest works. The intimacy of the recordings makes them all the more attractive.

Molters Miniatur-Opern und Kammermusik vom Kalsruher Hof Johann Melchior Molter, Sebastian Bodinus, Giacinto Schiatti, Friedrich Schwindl, Joseph Aloys Schmittbaur Hof-Capelle Carlsruhe; Julia Mende, soprano Profil PH17050

Louis Glass Complete Symphonies Vol. 2 - Insightful Performances

Volume 2 of CPO's series present two Louis Glass works with a common theme. Both the works have strong theosophist elements. Glass found inspiration in the movement's mystical imagery.

The 1912 Fantasia for Piano and Orchestra bears this motto: "From the spirit’s eternal canopy tones calling man sound down. And man turns away from the world and remains alone in order to find peace."

That quote pretty much sums up the organization for the work. The Fantasy unfolds gradually, as an eternal canopy should. Glass uses very simple elements -- open fifths, diatonic arpeggios, repeated notes --  to set the stage. These building blocks pile up in increasing complexity, suggesting the busyness of the world. The piano finally takes control, resolving the work in calm, peaceful beauty.

Glass subtitled his Symphony No. 5, completed in 1919, "The Wheel of Life," after a key theophosit symbol. Each movement follows the progress of that wheel: Daily Life, Rest, Shades, Dawn. Bruckner and Franck are often cited as inspirations for Glass. In this work, I'm reminded of a few composers, too -- Arnold Bax, Carl Nielsen, and perhaps a little Richard Strauss.

As with the Fantasy, the musical elements Glass works with are quite simple. And yet he uses them in such imaginative ways! Even without known the program, the symphony works. The first movement (Daily Life) is tightly constructed, bustling allegro energico with a satisfying resolution. The second movement (Rest) is a restful andante tranquillo, and so on.

The Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie have a warm, clean sound I find quite appealing (especially with this material). Glass was an exceptional pianist, and Marianna Shirinyan does justice to his writing in the Fantasy. Her performance is wonderfully expressive, without being overly so. It's the right tone for Glass, I think.

CPO isn't the first label to record Glass's symphonies. Danacord has a cycle with Nayden Todorov and the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra. Marco Polo released the 5th and 6th symphonies with Peter Marchbanka and the South African Broadcasting Corporation National. These performances compare quite favorably with those, I think and offer slightly different insights into Glass' music.

Louis Glass: Complete Symphonies, Vol. 2
Symphony No. 5 in C major, Op. 57
Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 47
Marianna Shirinyan, piano; Staatsorchester Rheinische Philharmonie
Daniel Raiskin, conductor
CPO 777 494-2

#ClassicsaDay #Bernsteinat100 Week 1

August 2018 is the centennial of Leonard Bernstein's birth. Many classical radio stations, performance groups, and writers marked the occasion. And so did #ClassicsaDay.

Bernstein was known as a composer, conductor, performer and an educator. Since #ClassicsaDay is primarily a music feed, I concentrated on the first two of those roles (and occasionally the third).

My contributions alternated between Bernstein the composer and Bernstein the conductor. And I tried to steer away from the more obvious choices for Bernstein compositions. His catalog is quite extensive, and I found it interesting to explore some of the lesser-known (and in some cases, less-successful) works.

Here are my posts for the first week:

Leonard Berstein - Facsimile - Choreographic Essay for Orchestra

Berstein finished Facsimile in 1944 and recorded it for RCA three years later. He would reuse some of its material in "On the Town" and "West Side Story"

Gustav Mahler - Symphony No. 5

Leonard Bernstein did two complete recording cycles of Mahler symphonies. They brought Mahler's symphonies from the fringe into the core repertoire. Bernstein felt the strongest connection with the 5th symphony. He was buried with a copy of the score. "

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Leonard Bernstein - Psalm 148, for Voice and Piano (1935)

Berstein completed this work the same year he entered Harvard. He studied composition there with Walter Piston and Edward Burlingame Hill, two composers with distinctly American styles.

Line Mar Match Box Construction 098 - Thrasher

I found a Line Mar Match Box Construction Set from the 1930s, complete and with instructions. The box claimed the set made 100 different toys. I decided to test that claim -- one toy at a time. You can read all the posts for the Line Mar construction project at 100 Toys.

098. Thrasher

The thrasher went together pretty easily. The only issue was with the original illustration. If you look closely, it appears that the long girder has six holes. It only has five. 

Plus, it looks like there's a fiberboard washer at a hole that lines up with the edge of the base. Well, that's not possible. So the braces aren't positioned exactly as shown. But they still lift the bin high enough to clear ear the cross brace.  

Quattro Mani Restructure Piano Duo Concept

The new release from the Quattro Mani is aptly titled "Re-Structures." Steven Beck and Susan Grace restructure the concept of a piano duo, making it more of a keyboard duo. And that's an important distinction.

The program features works for two pianos as bookends. Paul Lanksy's brisk and brief "Out of the Blue" opens the set, while Ofer Ben-Amots' "Tango for the Road" closes it. Both are refreshingly original works for a traditional piano duo.

Poul Ruder's "Cembal D'more" is a dialogue for harpsichord and piano. This set of eight miniatures explores the sonic differences between these two instruments. Beck and Grace are each playing different types of keyboard instruments, both with slightly different technical demands.

Tod Machover's work "Re-Structures" pays homage to Pierre Boulez. Machover reworked music from his two pianos series, "Structures," and added live electronics. The resulting piece is an exciting journey that moves past the sonic world of just two pianos.

The oldest work on the album is also the most challenging (and not just for the listener). Lebenslauf (Életút), op. 32 by György Kurtág is for two pianos and two basset horns. The pianos are tuned a quarter-tone apart. The tension between the two instruments gives the work its energy.

Susan Grace and Steven Beck are not just accomplished performers. Their chemistry makes the Quattro Mani work -- and work well. "Re-Structures" is an adventurous program. And I think it succeeds in expanding the scope of what two pianists can do.

Quattro Mani: Re-Structures
Steven Beck, Susan Grace, duo piano 
Works by Paul Lanksy, Poul Ruders, Tod Machover, György Kurtág, and Ofer Ben-Amots
Bridge Records 9496