Robert Kahn - Quintet, Romanze & Lieder (Ensemble Émigré)

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Composer: Robert Kahn

1. Romanze in F minor, Op. 25 No. 1
2. 's ist ein so stiller heil'ger Tag, Op. 27 No. 2
3. Novemberfeier, Op. 20 No. 2
4. Idyll, Op. 52 No. 1
5. Liebestrost, Op. 42 No. 10
6. Tagebuch in Tönen: No. 500 (Variations on No. 1) in A flat. Andante
7. Tagebuch in Tönen: No. 3 in C sharp minor. Allegretto non troppo
8. Tagebuch in Tönen: No. 4 in C sharp minor. Andantino con moto, quasi improvisato
9. Tagebuch in Tönen: No. 5 in F minor. Assai sostenuto ed espressivo
10. Tagebuch in Tönen: No. 53 in E. Allegretto con moto
11. Tagebuch in Tönen: Jeanne Suite: No. 473a in G. Moderato
12. Tagebuch in Tönen: Jeanne Suite: No. 473b in G. Poco allegretto
13. Tagebuch in Tönen: Jeanne Suite: No. 473c in G. Allegretto vivace
14. Tagebuch in Tönen: Jeanne Suite: No. 474 in E minor. Andante sostenuto
15. Tagebuch in Tönen: Jeanne Suite: No. 475 in G. Vivace
16. Liebesbrief, Op. 31 No. 2
17. Die Unke, Op. 31 No. 8
18. Feuerbestattung, Op. 38 No. 5
19. Gebet, Op. 47 No. 9
20. Quintet in C minor, Op. 54: I. Allegro non troppo
21. Quintet in C minor, Op. 54: II. Presto assai
22. Quintet in C minor, Op. 54: III. Andante sostenuto
23. Quintet in C minor, Op. 54: IV. Allegro agitato

Ensemble Émigré

Danny Driver, piano

Christopher Gould, piano

Gemma Rosefield, cello

Emily Sun, violin

Ingrid Pearson, clarinet

Flora Bain, horn

Norbert Meyn, tenor & director

Date: 2021

Label: Rubicon

https://rubiconclassics.com/release/robert-kahn-leaves-from-the-tree-of-life/

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Review

The rediscovery of music suppressed in the Third Reich continues with this release of music by Robert Kahn (1865-1951), a composer whose ‘less is more’ maxim is evident in the works featured here. Dominating his output is the compendious Tagebuch in Tönen, its 1160 items begun in 1934, after the composer had been ‘relieved’ of his teaching posts, and continued in exile at residencies in Surry then Kent. As a musical diary its nearest equivalent would seem to be Fibich’s Moods, Impressions and Reminiscences – in each case, brief evocations alternate with more substantial pieces such as the insinuating Variations in A flat or winsome ‘Jeanne Suite’: just a sample of those 1160 individual items that are deftly rendered by Danny Driver.

Also featured is a selection of Kahn’s more than 200 songs, eloquently sung by Norbert Meyn, which confirm his rootedness in the lineage of Brahms and Loewe. Gemma Rosefield brings due tenderness to the early Romanze, while Ensemble Émigré similarly do justice to the Quintet in C minor (1911), whose unorthodox scoring (could it have been prompted by meeting Vaughan Williams, whose work for this combination was written in 1897?) demonstrates textural ingenuity over its four compact movements.

Kahn’s music has latterly found greater recognition, with several chamber works having been recorded by CPO, but this astutely planned release enables listeners to sample a judicious selection in sympathetic performances. If such appeals, there is no need to hesitate.

-- Richard Whitehouse, Gramophone

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Robert Kahn (21 July 1865 – 29 May 1951) was a German composer, pianist and teacher. He studied at the Königlichen Hochschule für Musik in Berlin, and with Joseph Rheinberger in Munich. Kahn composed a vast quantity of chamber music, writing in an intimate, lyrical style that is reminiscent of Mendelssohn, Schumann and Brahms. His music were almost entirely forgotten after World War II, but are being rediscovered by musicians and audiences. As a teacher, Kahn trained some of the best-known musicians of the 20th century, such as Arthur Rubinstein, Wilhelm Kempff, Ferdinand Leitner, and Nikos Skalkottas.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Kahn_(composer)

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Ensemble Emigré

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