Draeseke Cello Sonata, Op.51 (1890)

[Alan Howe]

If you've never heard this wonderful work, audio excerpts are available here:
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Felix-Draeseke-1835-1913-Werke-f%FCr-Cello-Klavier/hnum/1618903

Wrote Henry Fogel in the July/August edition of Fanfare:

Now come the first two discs of his chamber music to be released by the International Draeseke Society, and one can only cheer. This is beautiful music, very beautiful music. It is hard to imagine a listener who responds to the music of Brahms or Schumann who would not find the music on these discs very appealing, though you should not take this to mean that Draeseke is imitative or derivative. If I had to start with one CD, it would be the cello disc, because the Cello Sonata strikes me as possibly being a masterpiece. I try not to overuse that word, and often object to the way it is bandied about. But after a half dozen hearings, the mysteries of this lovely Sonata are still being revealed, and that is one sign of great music--that it has something to give on every new hearing. Brahmsian in some ways in its basic color, and even a bit in the contours of some of its melodic material, this 1890 work is nonetheless clearly not by Brahms or by anyone else we already know. Its fascinating harmonic world, a world of unusual and even innovative harmonic relationships and shifts, is unique. It would appear that Draeseke has his own style, and that it is an identifiable one once we get to know a few of his works. It is rare to find a work this far off the beaten path that contains this level of melodic invention, harmonic originality, structural integrity, and contrapuntal complexity. The shorter cello works are lovely and somewhat simpler in their compositional direction (both are earlier). The five piano pieces come from different periods in Draeseke's output (from the 1860s to the 1880s), and show us the development of his unusual harmonic style as well as an innovative ear for keyboard coloration.

[eschiss1]

... it looks like jpc is offering most of the IDS/NA recordings for European distribution. This is very good news, I say. I have four of them (not the string quartet ones, unfortunately, though fortunately a new cpo recording of these works is in the, well, works) and while the sound isn't uniformly toprate (maybe the string quintets CD is a little- not sure the word. Orchestral in recording quality when listened to too closely? Not sure? ...) - still, I've relistened to them all repeatedly and find myself humming material from them all spontaneously, so I'm always glad to see that they're still in distribution. (And jpc does list right now the clarinet sonata, the string quintets WoO 25 & Op.77, the string quartets, the cello sonata, the Adagio and miscellaneous songs CD, the viola [alta] sonatas disc...)

(Never heard of the Telos set of his complete piano works played by Mr. Triendl, though, that I also see listed at jpc. That's neat.)

[Alan Howe]

And the Cello Sonata, Eric?

[eschiss1]

(Really? I leave the window and the post in progress window blanks? Seriously??)
I tend to agree with Fogel. Might have been better coupled with Draeseke's Andante (red) or Raff's or Urspruch's sonata perhaps, but late now.
The finale can be heard in full at draeseke.org.

[Alan Howe]

I tend to agree with Fogel

Good!!!

[Richard Moss]

A slight digression if I may (couldn't find where else to post). 

Does anyone have any update on the progress (or not) of the orchestration of Draeseke's Violin concerto?

Tks

Richard

[Alan Howe]

It was completed some time ago (in 2013):

FELIX DRAESEKE
Violinkonzert  e-Moll WoO [1881]
Neu instrumentiert und herausgegeben von WOLFGANG MÜLLER-STEINBACH
Partitur  in  Ganzleinen, EUR 154,—
ISMN  979-0-2019-7689-1
Klavierauszug, EUR 36,—
ISMN  979-0-2019-7690-7
http://noetzel-verlag.de/uploads/media/Wolfgang_Mueller-Steinbach-Ausgaben.pdf

Unfortunately, it's not yet been performed...

[Richard Moss]

Alan,

Tks for the update. As I'm  not able to read a score and imagine the sound, for now I'll have to make do with the piano/violin version I already have. Your last comment was really what I was after so I guess we'll all have to wait a bit longer unless CPO or Hyperion ride in to the rescue anytime soon).

Cheers

Richard

[Alan Howe]

Hyperion have rejected it (boo!)

Now back to the Cello Sonata...