Hans Huber (1852-1921)

[alberto]

I have Symphonies 8 and 4.
I rated them not striking.
Reading the forum, i'll try again...

[mike]

Just listen to the 2nd theme of the 1st movement of the 4th Symphony!  Elgar, Vaughan Williams, or Holst speak to me!  Yet in the 1st I hear Mendelssohn, and the 3rd...Anton Rubenstein!  Such music!  Huber is indeed unsung!

[Alan Howe]

Well, I think that comparison's a bit of a stretch; but some of the sonorities may be similar in Huber's string-based 4th Symphony. In general I can't work up much enthusiasm for his symphonies - too bland by far for my taste. I think his best music lies elsewhere...

[Double-A]

More than once in this thread there is a suggestion that maybe Huber's chamber music is what is mostly worth listening to.  It got me to check out youtube once more for Huber works.

Turns out there are a large number of those newly posted by "bnm-medien" (check it out--there are other unsung works in their repertoire).  Among those posted are the piano quintets 1 and 2 (complete except the fourth movement of number 1), two cello sonatas here and here (possibly also not entirely complete), several piano trios and other stuff (sorry, no more links, I am too lazy).

The common element in all those recordings is the pianist Jan Schultsz who must have worked a monster assignment (and maybe was be the main driving force behind the effort).

So far I have listened to the two piano quintets (Schultsz and the Basler Streichquartett) and I am impressed.  The piano dominates somewhat (Huber apparently wrote the part for himself to play) as it often does in this combination but the string parts are nonetheless well written and interesting to play, lovely solos for everyone, even for the second fiddler who often has a less than equal part in piano quintets (Schumann and Dvorak for example).  The music is engaging and does not outlast its welcome and the playing is very good as well.

These recordings will probably be taken down by bmn-medien when they have served their function of promoting the recordings.

There is also a strange recording of the sonata for two violins and piano which I like a lot less.  This recording is bad: There are intonation problems in the violins, dynamics is monotone, hardly any piano, 90% forte, and the audience can be heard having conversations.  It seemed rather unattractive as a composition but an interpretation on the level of the recordings above might just prove me wrong.

[Mark Thomas]

Professor Jan Schultsz is a fine musician and one of unsung music's good guys. He was the driving force behind several Raff recordings (piano quintets, piano quartets, piano trios and two song cycles) issued on the Divox label, and the series of YouTube videos is promoting his latest project: recording all Huber's chamber music for piano.

[Double-A]

He is certainly a very impressive pianist on top his other merits!

[BerlinExpat]

These are some really lovely pieces in YouTube. However, there is an error with the postings there for the 4th Sonata for violoncello & piano B flat major, op.130. The first and last of the three movements appear to have been reversed - at least when one compares with the printed score as follows:
Mov. 1 Adagio con molto sentimento, ma non troppo lento
Mov. 2 Allegretto grazioso e umoristico
Mov. 3 Allegro molto con fuoco

[Double-A]

The posting of those recordings appears to have been done in a rush.  There are plenty of very obvious errors (like "Erster Quintett").  But the recordings themselves are excellent without exception .

[Alan Howe]

Yes, 'Quintett' is neuter, so it should read 'erstes Quintett'.

[Rainolf]

Hans Huber's "Waldlieder" op. 117 is one of the most beautiful piano quartets I know. It's an ideal piece to commemorate this great Swiss composer on the 100th anniversary of his death.

[Ilja]

While Huber's chamber music is excellent, I must also express my fondness for his Third Piano Concerto, which has for years been among my favorites in the genre.


In fact, I also quite like most of his symphonies, although it has taken me a very long time to genuinely appreciate them. For me personally, the trouble is that his strongest music is generally in the middle movements, and the weaker stuff is in the outer ones - so you can see why people lose their motivation. Oh, and it's probably best to forget about their programs with the exception of the Boecklin Symphony (No. 2); they don't seem to make much sense as program music.