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Chamber Music

Sergei Ivanovich Taneyev
(1856-1915)

String Trio in E Flat Major, Op. 31 (1910-11)
String Trio in B Minor (1913)
String Trio in D Major (1879-80)

Leopold String Trio
Hyperion CDA67573 67:29

Taneyev was initially a very conservative composer with little time for the efforts of other composers working in Russia at the time, thus the D Major trio sounds like Haydn. The other two, written in the later part of his career, show clear evidence of his having been more accepting of the work of his contemporaries. The Leopold String Trio is Isabelle Van Keulen (violin), Lawrence Power (viola), and Kate Gould (cello).

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[ Sheet music by this composer: Sheet Music Plus - Musicnotes.com ]

Erwin Schulhoff
(1894-1942)

String Quartet in G Major, Op. 25 (1918) ¹
Sonata for Solo Violin (1927) ²
Duo for Violin and Cello (1925) ³
String Sextet (1924) ⁴

^1,2,4 Conrad Muck, violin
^1,3,4 Gerhard Süssmuth, violin
^1,4 Friedemann Weigle, viola
^1,3,4 Hans-Jaokob Eschenburg, cello
⁴ Rainer Johannes Kimstedt, viola
⁴ Michael Sanderling, cello
Petersen Quartet
Capriccio 10539 76:45

The Czech composer Schulhoff's compositions show a variety of styles, sometimes within the one work. His early influences were Dvořák, Brahms and Schumann, evident in the string quartet. Later he turned to the influences of the Second Viennese School, to folk elements and jazz. He tried to emigrate to flee the developing World War II but was arrested, and succumbed to tuberculosis in a German concentration camp. His other music for string quartet has been recorded by the Petersen Quartet on another Capriccio CD.

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[ Sheet music by this composer: Sheet Music Plus - Musicnotes.com ]

Richard Franck
(1858-1938)

Piano Trio in B Minor, Op. 20 (1893)
Piano Trio in E Flat Major, Op. 32 (1900)

Christoph Schickedanz, violin
Thomas Blees, cello
Bernhard Fograscher, piano
Audite 97.487 62:57

Franck is one of a German musical family which boasts several interesting composers, including his father, Eduard. Despite their late nineteenth-century dates, these trios are strongly influenced by Schumann.

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Lars-Erik Larsson
(1908-1986)

Late Autumn Leaves, Op. 20 (1940)
String Quartet #1, Op. 31 (1944)
String Quartet #2 "Quartetto alla serenata", Op. 44 (1955)
String Quartet #3, Op. 65 (1975)

The Stenhammar Quartet
Daphne 1035 72:11

As the dates show, the Swedish composer Larsson wrote infrequently for string quartet, but his final quartet – his last significant work – differs little in style from his earlier compositions in that form. Late Autumn Leaves, in six movements, is virtually a serenade. The three quartets are progressively shorter, the last just over ten minutes. The music has some similarities to Nielsen, but there are many traces of Larsson's own sound: somewhat angular writing in the faster movements contrasting with passages of great beauty.

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Carl Nielsen
(1865-1931)

String Quartet #3 in E Flat Major, Op. 14 (1899-1900)
String Quartet #4 "Piacevolezza" in F Major, Op. 44 (c. 1919)

Oslo String Quartet
Naxos 8.553907 57:01

There are four extant string quartets by Nielsen, the other two pre-dating those on this CD and also available on Naxos. Anyone familiar with his orchestral music or his more well-known Wind Quintet will recognize his distinctive way with harmony and rhythm, but for those yet to discover the wonderful music of this Danish composer, this is as good a place as any to start.

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[ Sheet music by this composer: Sheet Music Plus - Musicnotes.com ]

Thomas Dyke Acland Tellefsen
(1823-1874)

Cello Sonata, Op. 21 (21:50)
Piano Trio, Op. 31 (32:58)
Violin Sonata #1, Op. 19 (26:10)

Einar Steen-Nokleberg, piano
Atle Sponberg, violin
Øysten Birkeland, cello
Simax PSC1226 80:58

Tellefsen was a Norwegian pianist and composer who came from a musical family in Trondheim. He later studied with Friedrich Kalkbrenner, and then with Frédéric Chopin. This relationship was pivotal and Tellefsen was strongly influenced by Chopin's music, eventually writing his own mazurkas and nocturnes for piano.

Tellefsen concertized all across Europe and was regarded as one of the outstanding pianists of his time; he was especially admired for his interpretations of Chopin's music. He is primarily remembered today for his piano music, though he wrote several chamber pieces, including the major works performed marvelously here (this is also the longest single CD I have ever encountered). Two more important compositions are the piano concertos, also available on CD (Simax PSC1232).

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Franz Danzi
(1763-1826)

Three Wind Quintets, Op. 56 (1819-20)
Sextet in E Flat Major for 2 Horns, 2 Clarinets & 2 Bassoons

Michael Thompson Wind Quintet
Naxos 8.553076 73:20

Naxos has recorded several albums of Danzi's music for wind ensemble and it's also available on other labels. As you'd expect, there's a lot of Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven in these unfailingly charming works.

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[ Sheet music by this composer: Sheet Music Plus - Musicnotes.com ]

Franz Krommer
(1759-1831)

String Quartet in F Major, Op. 19 #2 (1801)
String Quartet in D minor, Op. 74 #3 (c1808)
String Quartet in A minor, Op. 103 #3 (c1821)

Marcolini Quartet
Ami Music 8553142

The prolific and successful Czech composer Krommer (František Vincenc Kramár) is best known, if he is remembered at all, for his wind concertos and Harmoniemusik. But he wrote a great deal of chamber music for strings as well, including 26 string quintets and at least 73 published string quartets. Their composition spans nearly his entire mature output, from the three Op. 1 quartets of 1793 to the three quartets Op. 103 written about 1821. The early works owe a debt to Mozart and Haydn, but the later quartets reflect Krommer's embrace of romanticism. The Marcolini Quartet (Jörg Buschhaus & Franke Pöhl, violins; Stefan Schmidt, viola; and Martin Fritz, cello) play on period instruments.

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[ Sheet music by this composer: Sheet Music Plus - Musicnotes.com ]

Adolphe Blanc
(1828-1885)

Septet for Clarinet, Horn, Bassoon, Violin, Viola, Cello & Double Bass, Op. 40
Trio for Clarinet, Piano & Cello, Op. 23
Quintet for Piano, Flute, Clarinet, Horn & Bassoon, Op. 37

Les Vents de Montréal
Atma ACD2-2224 73:20

Apart from his work as a composer, Blanc worked as a violinist in chamber groups and in orchestras in Paris. His compositions were almost exclusively chamber works. The delightful music on this CD makes one wonder at his long neglect; the opening theme of the trio, for example, is one that Schubert would not have disowned.

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Ludwig van Beethoven
(1770-1827)

Piano Quartet in C Major, WoO 36 #3
Piano Quartet in E Flat Major, WoO 36 #1
Piano Quartet in D Major, WoO 36 #2

New Zealand Piano Quartet
Naxos 8.570998 64:13

These three early works from 1785, written when Beethoven was only fourteen, are infrequently recorded. While the influences of Haydn and Mozart are apparent, there are plenty of indications of his later style. They are immediately enjoyable and deserve investigation.

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