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Monday, April 17, 2017

Erich Wolfgang Korngold; Franz Schmidt - Music for Strings and Piano Left Hand (Leon Fleisher)


Information

Composer: Erich Wolfgang Korngold; Franz Schmidt
  1. Korngold - Suite for 2 violins, cello & piano left hand, Op. 23: I. Präludium und Fugue. Kräftig und bestimmt
  2. Korngold - Suite for 2 violins, cello & piano left hand, Op. 23: II. Walzer. Nicht schnell, anmutig
  3. Korngold - Suite for 2 violins, cello & piano left hand, Op. 23: III. Groteske. Möglich rasch
  4. Korngold - Suite for 2 violins, cello & piano left hand, Op. 23: IV. Lied. Schlicht und innig. Nicht zu langsam
  5. Korngold - Suite for 2 violins, cello & piano left hand, Op. 23: V. Rondo-Finale (Variationen). Schnell, heftig
  6. Schmidt - Quintet in G major for 2 violins, viola, cello & piano left hand: I. Lebhaft, doch nicht schnell
  7. Schmidt - Quintet in G major for 2 violins, viola, cello & piano left hand: II. Adagio
  8. Schmidt - Quintet in G major for 2 violins, viola, cello & piano left hand: III. Sehr ruhig
  9. Schmidt - Quintet in G major for 2 violins, viola, cello & piano left hand: IV. Sehr lebhaft

Leon Fleisher, piano
Joseph Silverstein, violin
Jaime Laredo, violin (1-5)
Joel Smirnoff, violin (6-9)
Michael Tree, viola
Yo-Yo Ma, cello

Date: 1991 (1-5), 1993 (6-9)
Label: Sony Classical


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Review

PERFORMANCE: ***** / SOUND: *****

Music for one-handed piano is naturally less well-known than music involving both hands. But begin to explore the astonishing range of music commissioned by Paul Wittgenstein – the celebrated pianist who lost his right arm during World War I – and some unexpected gems emerge. The latest is Korngold’s Suite for Two Violins, Cello and Piano Left Hand, which has come to CD at last. Fleisher, Silverstein, Laredo and Ma give a performance stamped with both authority and a deep appreciation of the combination of Viennese Romanticism and bursts of expressionist fantasy that was characteristic of Korngold at the time of this work. Their sweep, grandeur, beauty of tone and lightness of touch are exemplary. Equally crucially, they never lose sight of the work’s shape. The Suite can now take its rightful place as one of Korngold’s most significant chamber works. Further recordings of it are expected. The Quintet by Schmidt (Fleisher, Silverstein and Ma are joined by Joel Smirnoff and Michael Tree) is another previously buried treasure. Lighter and more transparent in texture than the Korngold, this work harks back more to Bruckner and Brahms; its tone is lyrical, intense and utterly compelling. Schmidt wrote no fewer than six compositions for Wittgenstein, and one hopes that this recording will inspire their further exploration.

-- Jessica Duchen, BBC Music Magazine

More reviews:
http://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/korngoldschmidt-works-for-strings-and-piano
http://www.musicweb-international.com/korngold/SK48253.HTM
http://www.amazon.com/Korngold-Schmidt-Music-Strings-Piano/dp/B000006O66

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Erich Wolfgang Korngold (May 29, 1897 – November 29, 1957) was an Austrian-born composer and conductor. He was a noted pianist and composer of classical music, along with music for Hollywood films, and the first composer of international stature to write Hollywood scores. Along with such composers as Max Steiner and Alfred Newman, he is considered one of the founders of film music. Korngold's serious music, with his late romantic style, has recently undergone a re-evaluation and a gradual reawakening of interest.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erich_Wolfgang_Korngold

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Franz Schmidt (22 December 1874 – 11 February 1939) was an Austrian composer, cellist and pianist. He studied at the Vienna Conservatory with Robert Fuchs, Ferdinand Hellmesberger and Anton Bruckner. Schmidt was also a brilliant pianist. 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. In his music, Schmidt continued to develop the Viennese classic-romantic traditions he inherited from Schubert, Brahms and his own master, Bruckner.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Schmidt

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Leon Fleisher (born July 23, 1928 in San Francisco) is an American pianist and conductor. He was one of the few child prodigies to be accepted for study with Artur Schnabel and also studied with Maria Curcio. He is particularly well known for his interpretations of the piano concerti of Brahms and Beethoven, which he recorded with George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra. In 1964, Fleisher lost the use of his right hand, due to a condition that was eventually diagnosed as focal dystonia. He then started performing and recording the left-handed repertoire.

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