Ferdinand Hiller

[petershott@btinternet.com]

News of the imminent release by Querstand of Hiller's 'The Destruction of Jerusalem' sparks off a cluster of questions:

First, a quick perusal of works and documents on 19th century musical history demonstrates clearly that Hiller was viewed as a major figure in his own time. Why the current neglect? Schumann is quoted in Grove as saying that "despite mastery of formal techniques...[his music]...lacked that triumphant power which we are unable to resist". Is that a fair judgment?

Second (and I suppose it is the same question), there is an extensive body of compositions in most genres, and nearly all of it unrecorded, and (at least in the UK) unperformed in concerts. Why? I gather that the (6?) operas did not fare well. But then there are a significant number of quartets and trios. At the present time (lucky us!) there are new young String Quartets emerging all over the place (and I'm generally dazzled by their high level of competence), and many are casting round for distinctive material on which to stamp their own mark and hence establish themselves. So why the neglect of the Hiller quartets?

Third, what of the 1840 oratorio Die Zerstorung Jerusalems itself? Does anyone know it? Any good?

The only music of Hiller's with which I'm familiar are the piano concertos (the Howard Shelley disc on Hyperion), and some piano works (Alexandra Oehler on CPO). Judged by those two discs I certainly want to hear more Hiller. So why just two discs of a composer once reckoned to have a central place in 19th century German music? (OK, yes I know bits of Hiller are available on other discs. But these two are the only easily available 'mainstream' recordings).

[Alan Howe]

My guess is that Hiller's music is at least interesting and, at its best, well worthy of revival. More, please!

[JimL]

The two chamber works I know (the 3rd Piano Quartet and the Piano Quintet) certainly have that "triumphant" quality that Schumann was talking about, IMHO.  As do the 2nd and 3rd PCs.

[edurban]

The American Symphony performance of this piece in 2008 was very well received, not only by those of us receptive to unfamiliar 19th century repertoire, but also by the New York Times. 

David

I append the Times review:

Leon Botstein, the music director of the American Symphony Orchestra, is a tireless champion of the also-rans in music history. On Sunday afternoon at Avery Fisher Hall, he presented the remarkable results of his latest salvage operation when he conducted the orchestra, the Concert Chorale of New York and a fine roster of vocal soloists in the American premiere of "The Destruction of Jerusalem," a two-part, two-hour oratorio from 1840 by the German composer Ferdinand Hiller.

The son of a wealthy Jewish merchant in Frankfurt, Hiller (1811-1885) was a prolific composer, a gifted pianist and a respected teacher who won the support of powerful colleagues, especially Mendelssohn, though they had a falling-out in 1843 when Hiller replaced Mendelssohn as the director of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.

In the assured performance conducted by Mr. Botstein, "The Destruction of Jerusalem" made a strong impression. The music balances German Romantic sweep with compositional intricacy. The program for the performance reprinted two admiring reviews of the work by Schumann. The piece holds its own with the oratorios of Mendelssohn. So what happened?In program notes Mr. Botstein suggested that Hiller's oratorio was a work of its time, aimed at an audience with shared cultural values. Later generations have fixated on composers who were visionaries. But for Hiller, like Mendelssohn, large-scaled composition "needed to speak entirely to the present moment, communicating simply and without undue evidence of a narcissistic desire to shock the audience with startling originality and lay waste to the past," as Mr. Botstein wrote. If "The Destruction of Jerusalem" was never startling, it was consistently pleasing. It tells the story of the Babylonian threat to that sacred city during the reign of Zedekiah, the King of Judah. The prophet Jeremiah repeatedly warns the king of a coming attack. Enraged by this prophecy, Zedekiah has Jeremiah imprisoned. After the Babylonians besiege the city, Jeremiah prophesies that ultimately God's house will stand taller than the mountains. The choral episodes, vibrantly sung by the excellent chorale (James Bagwell is the director), are the most impressive elements of the score, starting with the opening "Chorus of Israelites," vigorous music that swings broadly in a marching triple meter, as the voices sing proclamations in thick block harmonies, until a complex middle section when the choristers break into a studious fugato.

Hiller shows sure dramatic instincts in the way urgent passages of dramatic recitative segue seamlessly into reflective arias and choral outbursts. The demanding role of Jeremiah ideally wants a powerful baritone, and in some passages Lucas Meachem sounded as if he were straining his warm, robust but essentially lyric voice. Still, he gave a courageous account of this challenging music.

[Mark Thomas]

I used to assume that Hiller was lacklustre and uninspired, and then I started listening to his music. There's quite a lot of it available for download here at UC:

Piano Quartet No.3 op.133 (1868)

Piano Quintet op.156

Cantatas: "Israels Siegesgesang" op. 151 (1871) and "Loreley" op. 70 (ca. 1873), Symphony in E minor op. 67 (1848) "Es muss doch Frühling werden" - 1st. Movement. All here.

Overture: Demetrius op.145

All of it fine music, if not the music of genius. I'd love to hear the other three movements of the Symphony. I suspect that Hiller's reputation declined because he became a much more conservative composer and an establishment figure as he grew older and, sad to say, because he was Jewish.

[Alan Howe]

The music of his that really caused me to sit up recently was the first movement of the Symphony in E minor - a really meaty, dramatic piece which demands to be recorded (in its entirety, of course). At his best, he's clearly a very fine composer indeed.

[Peter1953]

Peter Senior, are you familiar with the double CD with Hiller's piano music, played by Adrian Ruiz (recorded in 2009)? The first disc is filled with 24 Etudes, op. 15 (divided into 6 Suites). The 2nd disc features amongst other pieces the 3 short Piano Sonatas opp. 47, 59 and 78. Maybe interesting to explore, although personally I'm not such a big Hiller fan...

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Thanks for the reference, Peter. I appreciate it.

Yes, I know of this double CD set - and of course know of Ruiz's reputation in performing late romantic piano works. But I don't have the set in my collection, and thus haven't actually heard it (or any of the works it contains played by others).

So far I'm rather a Hiller agnostic. Not because I don't respond to the music I've heard, but rather that I've lacked the opportunity to listen to many of his works given the dearth of recordings (apart from the piano concertos - which I like).

I'm looking forward to the forthcoming release of 'The Destruction of Jerusalem'. David very kindly provided us with the review of the 2008 Botstein performance - and that really whetted the appetite. If, as a result of listening to the new CD of a different performance, I become a firm Hiller enthusiast then I shall certainly seek out the Ruiz set (which would seem to be an expensive acquisition).

In the meantime thanks again for the suggestion, and Ruiz is added to that ever increasing 'wants list' (reading tantalising comments on the UC forum causes it to expand yet further!)