Karl (1812-1883) and Hermann (1844-1929) Graedener

[Double-A]

I know that.  But I do typesetting sometimes just to get to know a piece.  I can't really read harmony, so I use playback to hear the chords.  Also I find myself skipping too much when just trying to read a score.  It really was curiosity about the piece in the first place that made me do it (or rather begin to do it).

Further on:  If the piece turned out worth it I could get a regular violin part out of it.  That score is an awkward thing to sight read out of (and to page turn).

[matesic]

I only just discovered the soundbites of Hermann's String Quartet No.1 Op.33 on editionsilvertrust.com. With distinct hints of Dvorak in the finale and rather less evidence (to my ears) of Brahms, it seems a more interesting piece than the second quartet. Could Santo possibly divulge which group we hear playing and where the recording comes from?

[Mark Thomas]

Yes, Santo,  that would be good to know.

[Santo Neuenwelt]

The soundbites of the Hermann Gradener String Quartet No.1 are from a radio recording by the Munchnser Streichquartett. Can't remember where we got them from, but it could have been here...

[Santo Neuenwelt]

Guess it wasn't here Mark since you too want to know.  After typing the last sentence, I walked away from the computer to check our CD library and sure enough, I found a CD of it there. But, it was a CD someone, wish I knew who, made for us. On the disk, it says, "Concert performance at the Lucerne Festival, 13 August 2006. Broadcase by BBC Radio 3 on 5 March 2007. It was coupled with Klughardt's String Quintet Op.62

Mark, are you sure you did not make this for us?

[Alan Howe]

I have this recording, but I didn't make it, so...

[Mark Thomas]

I'm not at home at present, Santo, so I can't check. It'll be embarrassing if it turns out it came from me! Bear with me until Sunday, please...

[Mark Thomas]

To my shame I never followed up Santo Neuenwelt's query but now, after more than a year, I can make amends. Although I had obviously quite forgotten about it at the time, I was indeed his source for the recording of Hermann Grädener's String Quartet No.1, excerpts of which can be heard at Edition Silvertrust's site. It isn't my recording but, as it's of a radio broadcast, I have posted it in our Downloads Board here. It's a very pleasant work, but I suspect that it would benefit from a rather fierier peformance than it gets here.

[matesic]

Thanks very much, Mark. I'm looking forward to getting properly acquainted with the first quartet, the parts of which aren't available on imslp. But when (oh when?!) will a couple of enterprising quartets get together to record the octet?

[eschiss1]

And we've already, as I noted elsewhere, had one good and missed opportunity for an appropriate place to record some of Hermann's orchestral music instead of a duplication...

[sadsmiley]

For all those interested in Hermann Grädener:
Good news!
Violin Concertos No.1 and 2 will be recorded in July 2018. Label of publication not yet clear, perhaps Naxos.
Score of Concerto No.1 got lost in 2nd world war (was publ. by Breitkopf & Härtel). Newly rewritten now. The first concerto had been premiered on 21.12.1890 in a concert of the Vienna Philharmonic, cond. Hans Richter, soloist Adolf Brodsky.

[Mark Thomas]

That is indeed good news, thanks for passing it on.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Score of Concerto No.1 got lost in 2nd world war (was publ. by Breitkopf & Härtel). Newly rewritten now.

What does this mean, please? Is it reconstructed from orchestral parts? Is it newly orchestrated from the piano/violin score? Can you explain please?

[sadsmiley]

According to Breitkopf in Germany, Score and orchestra material of the 1st Violin Concerto are lost. You cannot rent it from them.
The last copies apparently got destroyed or lost in WW2.
After a long search, a handwritten copy (in a copyist's handwriting) of the score was found. Comparing it with the violn/piano edition, there are minor changes besides a lot of obvious writing errors. Apparently, Grädener had changed a few things in the process of creating the piano reduction or while proofreading it. Usually, the composers at that time made the piano reductions themselves if not otherwise mentioned.
That means, score and parts will be newly written after comparing them carefully with the printed violin/piano edition, which is almost without misprints.

[Gareth Vaughan]

Thank you. This sort of thing happens ocasionally. At least there was a full score (even if it wasn't the autograph) so the composer's original orchestration could be used. I recall working on the MS of Brull's VC, since there was no published full score or set of parts and finding a few not insignificant differences between the autograph MS and the printed piano/violin score.