Woldemar Bargiel

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Bargiel has slipped through postings in the past - but he deserves a thread of his own!

I've spent the last few days (when not head down in the Helene Raff book, a hugely absorbing thing) listening again to the three Bargiel Piano Trios (in their sole recording, the Trio Parnassus on MDG).

What utterly splendid works these are! Beautifully composed and crafted with perfectly balanced interplay between the three instruments, some lovely and fluent slow movements and exciting quicker movements with moments of real drama. I got so carried away that I had to remind myself that splendid as these works are, they don't reach the same pinnacle of truly great music such as the Brahms Trios. There is a depth and intensity of utterance in Brahms that Bargiel does not reach. But that does not matter a jot: someone who held a less than fully positive view of Bargiel on the grounds that his trios fell short of those of Brahms would be akin to someone who criticised Beethoven's middle period quartets on the grounds that they didn't match the searing intensity of the late quartets.

But why on earth don't we hear far more of Bargiel - even taking into account that he devoted most of his time to teaching rather than composition and the work list is relatively small? We have (thank heavens) recordings of these Piano Trios, the Octet, a Violin Sonata, a small number of Piano works - but none of the String Quartets (I believe there are 4, but worklists vary), most of the solo Piano works, or the orchestral music (including a solitary Symphony, and Overtures to both Prometheus and Medea - and I have no idea what those few orchestral works are like, though I remember Alan once pleading for a recording of the Symphony).

And I went on musing. My own preferences abound, but it struck me that music in the various Austro-German traditions written in the second half of the 19th century must be truly one of the highest epochs in Western music. I quickly compiled a list of composers born between, say, 1820 to 1840 and producing works in their maturity from c1850. There are, of course, the 'landmark' composers (like Brahms, Liszt, Schumann), but I then astonished myself producing a substantial list (composed straight off the top of the head and without consulting references) of what might be called 'high Upper Second class but knocking on the door of First Class' composers (including Raff of course!). Anyone can quickly compose such a list, but if you actually do so you'll be struck at how quickly you get to the bottom of the page and have to start a second.

And it then struck me as to why all this music in such a glorious period sometimes is so woefully represented in record catalogues. True, we have multiple recordings of the 'landmark' composers. You could probably fill a large record shop entirely with different versions of Brahms symphonies alone, although that would be a foolish enterprise. Hyperion (to whom we're so grateful for all its many inroads in this territory) can even provide a 99 CD set of every scrap of solo piano music by Liszt.

But what of, for example, Naxos? For the last couple of years they have been churning out 20 or so new CDs each month (plus all those Historical Naxos and other series), and seem to be pursuing the policy of recording just about everything that moves and gives off sound. They have an astonishing 'output' and seem determined to dominate the world of recorded music. With chamber music I'm hugely grateful to them for the strong representation of 20th century British chamber music (Britten, Bax, Rubbra, Howells, Rawsthorne, Bliss, Tippett and many many others). But what (and I stumble to the main point) of Austro-German chamber music composed in (roughly) 1840 onwards? In contrast, very weak! Series like the Naxos 'American Classics', 'Spanish Classics' and so forth are getting larger and larger catalogues (some welcome gems they contain alongside many a damp squib). But where, in the Naxos world, is the chamber music of (to take random names) Gernsheim, Thuille, Goetz, Dietrich, Draeske, Thieriot, both Lachners, Bargiel himself and many others? If Naxos are out to dominate the world, then why not record the heaps of chamber music here that is often not recorded at all or hard to obtain or only available on 'top end' labels? Couldn't Naxos have a field day, and often to themselves? And if they manage to successfully sell yet more Brahms or Schumann when the competition must often be intense, then why couldn't they successfully sell this music when the competition is either non-existent or small (rather than just, sometimes almost mindlessly, going on adding to American, Spanish, Historical or whatever Classics)?

Apologies - in customary rambling mode, and it really boils down to: I want more Bargiel.

Peter

[Alan Howe]

I think you have hit upon an extremely important point, Peter. In essence it is that the musical world in Austria-Germany between, say, the death of Beethoven and that of Brahms was so dominated by certain towering figures that a large number of fine-to-great composers (certainly of the stature of Parry and Stanford in Britain and, in a few cases, of considerably greater importance) were either eclipsed even in their own day or have become completely forgotten. For me it is the most interesting era in musical history.

To take one example: Rufinatscha is now emerging as a highly original voice, so progress is being made. However, an enormous amount more needs to be done...

[eschiss1]

An interesting-looking book/dissertation in German can be previewed in the US and probably Canada also here. The title is Das Echte und Innerliche in der Kunst: Der Komponist, Dirigent und Padagoge Woldemar Bargiel(1828-1897): Ein Beitrag Zur Musikgeschichte des unbekannten 19. Jahrhunderts, by Dean Cáceres; it was written in 2008 (poss. republished last year- Worldcat is inconsistent) and published by V&R unipress of Göttingen.  Lots of interesting and detailed info on Bargiel works and performance history, apparently!

[Peter1953]

A very interesting post, which I read with great interest, Senior! 

Like you, I'm very fond of both MDG discs with Bargiel's Piano Trio's (and a few other chamber works).
For anyone who loves romantic piano music I can very warmly recommend the MP release featuring Bargiel's opp. 5, 8, 12 and 31. Just wonderful.

[Balapoel]

I can heartily concur with all that has been said about Bargiel's chamber music. And the Violin Sonata in f minor, Op. 31? Stupendous. It grabs you from the very first arresting motif/theme.
Great stuff.

[jerfilm]

Just a question of clarification, is the Violin Sonata in f opus 31 or opus 10 as listed on Amazon?  Or are there two?  Unlikely I suspect in the same key.

Jerry

[Balapoel]

You are right, it's op. 10. A bit of re-editing my itunes now.

[Greg K]

But why on earth don't we hear far more of Bargiel - even taking into account that he devoted most of his time to teaching rather than composition and the work list is relatively small? We have (thank heavens) recordings of these Piano Trios, the Octet, a Violin Sonata, a small number of Piano works - but none of the String Quartets (I believe there are 4, but worklists vary), most of the solo Piano works, or the orchestral music (including a solitary Symphony, and Overtures to both Prometheus and Medea - and I have no idea what those few orchestral works are like, though I remember Alan once pleading for a recording of the Symphony).

Did you miss the Symphony in our archive?

[Balapoel]

Keep in mind the date (2011) - I pulled this from the depths, so as not to start a new thread.

[eschiss1]

There are actually I think 3? quartets- counting 1 in MS- and - erm, -- change?.

Caceres has a PDF worklist in German that (if the language poses no barrier or if one can run it through a translator) is most informative - see http://www.v-r.de/data/files/389971719/Werkeverzeichnis%20Bargiel.pdf.  Quartets opp. 15b in A minor (no.3, 16 April 1851) and 47 in D minor (no4, published 1888) were published; quartet no.1 has the date "September 48" on the autograph (see page 16 of the PDF). If I had to guess what quartet 2 was, it would be the 1st movement of the octet op.15a in C minor, which was arranged for string quartet. Not positive, though...