First recordings of music for Violin & Piano by Robert Kahn

[fahl5]

I just finished the (as far as I know) first complete recordings of two early compositions by Robert Kahn for Violin & Piano.
You must have heard Kahns Sonata op.5 and you understand, why Clara Schumann, Joseph Joachim and Johannes Brahms liked Kahns music.
1) two pieces for Violin and Piano op.4
2) 1. Sonata for Violin and Piano (Score on IMSLP)
I hope you like the music...
fahl5

[Alan Howe]

Thanks, Steffen, for doing this work and telling us about it.

[fahl5]

...here we go with Robert Kahns 2. Sonata for Violin & Piano op.26.
AFAIK it is the only Piece of Kahn for Violin & Piano wich is already available as recording, since a Health-ensurance from Kahns Birthtown "Mannheim" sponsored a CD with Chambermusic with relation to Mannheim.
This Piece also is Part of the Max-Rostal-Competition Repertoire.

However I hope my recording is not to awful to give at least a tiny Idea of Kahns great music.

(Stay tuned since there are still Pieces op.36, 3. Sonata op.50, Suite op69, and from manuscripts two pieces for Violin & Piano, five pieces for Viola & Piano, a Variation for Violin & Piano and a little Piece from Kahns Diary in music for Violin and Piano...... to come  and none of them seem to me available in any recording yet - what is really a shame if you look at the quality of the compositions)
best
fahl5

[SadRobotSings]

Oh man, can't wait to hear them!

[mjkFendrich]

Inspired by this thread, I started a quick Google search and have just discovered
that jpc is going to release several chamber works of Robert Kahn:

• a 2CD album with his complete piano trios is ready for release by end of this month!

                (I have missed the corresponding thread in our forum - so this is no news anymore)

• (some of) his violin sonatas have been recorded (in 2012) with Elina Vähälä & Oliver Triendl - release date currently unknown

I have just ordered the trios.

[fahl5]

It seems to me quite optimistic to think about  a "release date" for a recording only mentioned on the Website of an engineer and dated already "2012".
Perhaps my at least "first available" recordings may inspire more of the gifted Violinists to study and perform this great music, which in my opinion defenitly deserves it.
I am quite curious for the trios to...
(....but if they will let us wait again another two years, I'll will not wait and realise them myself  )

[mjkFendrich]

It seems to me quite optimistic to think about  a "release date" for a recording only mentioned on the Website of an engineer and dated already "2012".
(....but if they will let us wait again another two years, I'll will not wait and realise them myself  )

One reason for cpo's enormous delays - as stated by them in the case of other CDs  - might be the long time
to finish their booklets! So you could perhaps assist them in writing the accompanying text in order to speed up
their release cycle?

[eschiss1]

Well, I see that the editors (or at least one of ...) who are putting together the Kahn-worklist-in-progress @ IMSLP knew of one of the books you (fahl5) wrote about his music, I see it in the references. ("Tradition der Natürlichkeit. Zu Biographie, Lyrikvertonung und Kammermusik des spätromantischen Klassizisten Robert Kahn.")

[SadRobotSings]

That was me! The work list in Steffen's book is really thorough, his analysis of Kahn's works seems to be likewise. I wish I could read the rest of it but I don't speak German!

[fahl5]

Here are the very first recordings of Robert Kahn's:

five Tonbilder op.36

written in 1902 but as far critics indicate not played public before some Concerts with Helene Ferchland in 1904-5  summing up the contemporary critics from that time no one pretends that those little pieces are anything like a "Hauptwerk" of Kahn while there are enough critics that perceive subtle tasteful and melodic warm composed music. This is exactly why and how I do also like them.

They seem to me more influenced by Brahms late pianomusic as well as from Kahns own in his early years very successful composition of the romantic "Kunstlied" what makes some of them kind of "lieder ohne Worte" in chambermusic, the last one has an Hungarian flavour like Brahms Hungarian dances.

I hope you like the music.
greetings
fahl5

[eschiss1]

written in as well as published in, or perhaps written before?

[fahl5]

You are right:  published 1902 this is just the earliest dating I  have found for those Pieces, what means nothing else but that they can't be written after. Earlier datings remain logical possible but just speculative without any other evidence. I hope 1902 still allows at least a rough musichistorical orientation.
best
fahl5

[fahl5]

OK here comes the first ever published recording of Robert Kahns:

3. Sonata in E-Major

premiered 1907 with Carl Halir at the Berliner Singakademie. (Yes eschiss, for this one we know from mentioning  in privat letters, that Kahn was already 1906 busy with composing this sonata.)
It is one of the most ambitious Works for Violin and Piano composed by Kahn.

1) Andante sostenuto - Presto
Unlike the most sonatas the first movement is the shortest,

2) Allegro molto vivace
the second movement is kind of a vivid scherzo.

3) Adagio - Allegro energico - Andante sostenuto
The third movement is the most important, most ambitious of the sonata. The whole movement is larger than the first two together. It starts with an adagio Introduction the only really slow part of the sonata. The following allegro energico contains as brilliant as complex fugato ending with a reprise of the beginning of the first movement.

I hope you like this (imho) great romantic music
greetings
fahl5

[eschiss1]

Ah, thanks

And tangentially to SadRobotSings - thanks for uploading the parts to the first string quartet to IMSLP

[SadRobotSings]

Happy to do it!

Hearing these pieces is such a treat! The Tonbilder are awesome, and this last sonata is really quite interesting (that's a hell of a scherzo!). I'm planning on pushing all of these pieces on every violinist friend I have.

Keep them coming!