Labor Op.3

[eschiss1]

(I assume it's Op.3 as noted, not Op.6 - I'll listen to it soon. Op.6 is a piano quartet, not a quintet. One of Labor's chamber works (quintet with clarinet, Op.11, 2nd movement, published 1901) provides the theme that can be heard, varied, in the finale of Franz Schmidt's clarinet quintet in A major (same instrumentation), by the way...)

Movements of the Labor Op.3 (first? published 1886, according to HMB- IMSLP has a 1912 2nd edition, or something, I guess.):
    1. Allegro (outer movements both E minor)
    2. Scherzo. Allegro vivace (G major) - Trio. Die Viertel langsamer als zuvor - Allegro vivace - II Trio. Mit Humor. Die punktierten Viertel wie die Viertel vorher. - Poco a poco più allegro - Presto - Tempo I
    3. Andante (C major) - Etwas bewegter - Tempo I
    4. Allegro ma non troppo

[semloh]

Belated thanks for those movements, Eric.

I am surprised that there doesn't seem to have been any responses to this work, generously uploaded by semi.serio on 2nd January.

I had no idea that Labor was blind, that he was an associate of so many great composers, or that his quintets were available on CD.  Silvertrust has recordings of Op.3 and Op.11. Their website
http://www.editionsilvertrust.com/labor-piano-quintet-op3.htm provides the following information....

Labor's Op.3 Piano Quintet in e minor dates from 1912 and is for Piano, Violin, Viola, Cello and Bass. This is the so called "Trout" instrumentation, taking its name from Schubert's famous Trout Piano Quintet for the same combination. The impetus for it, no doubt, was Labor's friendship with Frantisek [Franz] Simandl, a fellow Czech who was a virtuoso bassist whom most considered to be the equal of Dragonetti. Simandl was solo bassist with the Vienna Philharmonic for over 30 years and died in 1912 after a protracted illness. Labor dedicated the work to Simandl as a tribute and it is one of the few such works where the bass has an extremely important part with many solo passages and chances to lead the group.

The four movement work begins with a powerful and sweeping Allegro. The parts are integrated seamlessly and the melodies are compelling. Next comes a playful, light-hearted Scherzo, Allegro vivace, with two highly contrasting trios. The second trio is marked "Mit humor, basso buffo" and here the bass leads the entire way. For vitually the first half of the third movement, Andante, the cello alone, with the support of only the piano and very occasionally the violin, sings the gorgeous and highly romantic main theme, surely one of the longest solos in the literature. In the middle section, the bass takes over with a somber and plodding, march-like melody which is then heightened with help from the viola. The movement ends with the bass taking the lead again. The finale, Allegro ma non troppo, after a short thrusting introduction, begins with a hard driving and exciting theme which breaks loose with great forward motion. The bass is given powerful short solos bursting with energy as the moods alternate between dramatic and gentle romanticism. The works ends with a hyper dramatic and masterful coda.

Josef Labor (1842-1924), who was born in the Bohemian town of Horowitz and blinded by smallpox at the age of three, was, as a result, sent to Vienna to study at the Institute for the Blind. His precocious musical talent resulted in his being sent to study at the Conservatory of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde. For several years he had a career as a concert pianist and then later studied organ and today is mostly remembered for his compositions for that instrument. Labor knew and was on friendly terms with virtually every musician of importance in Vienna as well as many others living elsewhere, including Brahms, Richard Strauss, Bruckner, Clara Schumann, Gustav Mahler and Bruno Walter.

In our opinion, this quintet is a masterwork--Although there are other quintets for this combination by such composers as Jan Dussek, Ferdinand Ries, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Louise Farranc, Franz Limmer and Hermann Goetz, there are few from the late Romantic era. Josef Labor's is not only the best from this period but certainly can stand comparison to any of the others Long out of print, it is with pleasure that we reintroduce this wonderful music and warmly recommend it to professionals and amateurs alike.

I have enjoyed it enormously. It has sprightly melodies, transparent textures, and includes a wistful andante. To my ear, it receives a very fine, suitably crisp and nimble, performance, and is excellently recorded - so, many thanks to semi.serio. 

Do others share Silverlight's assessment?

[eschiss1]

Erm, btw, Silvertrust, not Silverlight. It's the fellow-in-charge's last name, not an assumed corporate identity or something.