Friedrich Gernsheim Piano Trio in B major Op.37

[eschiss1]

whether no.2 or no.4 (what with 2 unpublished early trios...), published in 1879-- just wanted to mention that  there's a performance of it, uploaded by its pianist, on YouTube (4 videos). Is there a commercial recording? I'm not aware of one offhand... I can put in the links here, I'm doing so in the IMSLP entry for the work also (I admit I haven't gone and listened yet, but I like all the music I've heard by him so far...)

[jerfilm]

A 2007 Antes release by the Arensky Trio.....

J

[eschiss1]

Ah thanks, I thought maybe at least one of them was recorded, but had forgotten. Fortunately this is not (unless someone is playing silly games- it seems legitimate) that recording, but a new one (there's little enough legitimate unsung chamber music uploaded by performers on that site- though another exception is a fine Medtner piano quintet recording...)

I wonder if those aforementioned two early, pre-published trios survive, or are just known of...

Thanks!

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Further to Jerfilm, the disc is Antes BM-CD31.9229. And it contains the Op. 28 Pf Trio in F major and the Op. 37 in B major. Very good it is too!

[Alan Howe]

It is indeed a superb CD; and I think we now know enough of Gernsheim to admit him to the front rank of unsung composers.

[eschiss1]

Haven't heard the CD yet, though I intend to. I've listened to part of the YouTube performance of Op.37 so far (the pianist has also uploaded some of the composer's preludes op.2, I see, and some other works...) and find that quite good- but yes, thanks again for the reminder. Hope someone records the 2nd piano quartet, among other things. (And I think I see the cpo release of syms. 1 and 3 announced in Records International this month. Good fortune, good fortune... )

[petershott@btinternet.com]

I've got no difficulty at all with Alan's "let us admit him to the front rank of unsung composers". Absolutely!

Can't resist adding to the thread, but doing so is probably superfluous since other Gernsheim enthusiasts will already know of the information.

There were two CD releases last year of Gernsheim which, being on Brilliant Classics, I considered to be utter bargains of the year.

The first (Brilliant 93997) contained the Piano Quartet No 1 in E flat, Op. 6, and Piano Quartet No. 3 in F major, Op. 47.

The second (Brilliant 94403) contained some Violin Sonatas and other works for Vn & Pf.

Both wonderful CDs the purchase of which would hardly make formidable demands on the bank account. These CDs came, as it were, out of the blue. As far as I know it wasn't a case of Brilliant releasing material that had previously been on another label. They seemed to be brand new newly minted recordings straight from the recording studio. A resounding 'Thank you' to Brilliant from me!

Then there is the Toccata disc of the two Piano Quintets. Glorious music and wonderful played (and recorded). For me a clear 'Magnificent but Absolutely Not Awful' disc!

And I've grumbled about this one before. Gernsheim wrote 5 String Quartets. We have a first class performance of one of them (Op. 31 in A minor) by the Mandelring Qt on Audite. And absolutely no commercial recording of any of the others. Inexplicable!

I consider Audite misguided in issuing that recording together with the Brahms Op. 51 No. 1. All those folk who complain of 'duplicates' will probably not buy the disc because they already have one (or more) recordings of Brahms. If that is true then it is a great pity because Audite will have missed out - and so will many people who otherwise would have heard a first rate quartet.

A final anecdote: I got very cross a few weeks ago when having an interval chat with someone who professes themselves to be a knowledgeable and properly discriminating authority on music. His comments went something like this: "All very well saying that people like Gernsheim, Bargiel, Dietrich et al should have greater promotion in concerts, festivals, recordings and so on. But actually they are pretty small fry compared to Brahms. Brahms was the great master of music in the second half of the 19th century, and Gernsheim etc were just second-raters composing fairly unoriginal works and very much in the shadow of Brahms."

Absolute piffle, eh? A wonder the chap didn't end up with a black eye!

[eschiss1]

I agree, it would be great to have a commercial recording of the other quartets. Or any recording of quartet no.4 in E minor. Or cello sonatas nos. 2 and 3 (or a CD version of cello sonata no.1). Or the violin concertos...  In the meanwhile there's still a recording of string quartets nos.1, 3 and 5, string quintet no.1, and his In Memoriam Op.91 at IMSLP...

That wasn't so much Audite's idea as the Mandelring's, I believe. It was part of what was intended to be a (or was?) a 3 part series, coupling each of Brahms' quartets with a quartet by a friend of Brahms- Herzogenberg, Gernsheim, and either perhaps Fuchs, Dessoff, or someone else, they were considering for the third release, I seem to recall- but I don't think that third release ever happened... (these releases never made it to my side of the pond, though, or anyway not by the usual channels- though more and more there -are- no "usual channels" and most classical purchases are online anyway, so what do I think I'm talking about... as the fellow at Records International noted, the distributor Qualiton closed shop this month, for what that says or doesn't.)

That said:

an Amazon.com review of the Audite Brahms/Gernsheim release never fails to cheer me up (person happens on recording, buys recording, enjoys work he hasn't heard, goes in search of Gernsheim sheet music, finds it easily (hopefully even more easily now it's available online...) , joins his string quartet friends, and plays it! I think that's the ideal result...)

[john_christopher]

All three Manderling Brahms quartets were released:

Brahms + Desoff
http://www.audite.de/en/product/CD/97505-string_quartets_by_brahms_op_51_no_2_dessoff_op_7.html

Brahms + Herzogenberg
http://www.audite.de/en/product/CD/97504-string_quartets_by_brahms_op_67_herzogenberg_op_42_no.1/reviews/review/10440-fanfare-jerry_dubins.html

Brahms + Gernsheim  (UPDATE: URL corrected per eschiss1's note below!  Oops.)
http://www.audite.de/en/product/CD/97503-string_quartets_by_brahms_op_51_no_1_gernsheim_op_31.html

[eschiss1]

That last link seems somehow the wrong one for the Brahms/Gernsheim, but I'm aware it was released at one point Anyhow, thanks !