Hiller & Urspruch Cello Sonatas etc.

[Martin Eastick]

This looks most interesting! https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/vergessene-schaetze/hnum/9893931

[Mark Thomas]

Doesn't it, though?

[Gareth Vaughan]

Warmly seconded. How exciting! And the sound bites are delicious.

[Jonathan]

Agreed, Urspruch is a much underrated figure (IMHO) and Hiller is also very good.

[Alan Howe]

This is a must-buy! How had I missed it? Thanks, Martin.

[Alan Howe]

...in fact I've now must-bought it!

[Alan Howe]

And I'm playing the Urspruch as I type. It has definite Brahmsian echoes, but initially the idiom is lighter and perhaps slightly more elusive - until we arrive at the final movement Adagio molto lento - Allegretto tranquillo which starts off as if speaking of darker things. All in all, a most impressive achievement which, at 25 minutes in length, doesn't fall into the trap of over-extension rather typical of, for example, the Symphony and Piano Concerto, much as I love them. It's a late work (1895), so perhaps the composer was heading in the direction of greater concision and classicism. What it retains, however, is the long, often arching phrases familiar from other works of his. And the final section, Allegretto tranquillo is glorious, by turns cheerful and melancholy, before closing on a livelier, positive note.

The fact that cellists don't know this wonderful piece is an absolute scandal. And it requires a fine pianist too! Fortunately this performance is first-class in every way: both sonics and performance are exemplary.

[Alan Howe]

...and I've now turned to Hiller's lovely Cello Sonata No.2 in A minor, Op.172, which dates from 1878 and is therefore a late work (he died in 1885). It's a substantial piece, lasting over 32 minutes in this performance, and can be described as 'Mendelssohn/Schumann plus', tending almost to a Brahmsian breadth and depth of utterance. The finale in particular side-steps into mysterious areas that sound very far from Mendelssohn or Schumann. It's another wonderful discovery.

The playing of Polish-born cellist, Joanna Sachryn, is absolutely marvellous. Her intonation is spot-on, her tone rounded and beautiful, her range of dynamics often daringly wide. She is evidently a very fine artist.

My sincere thanks go to Martin Eastick for pointing out this superlative release. All I can say now is: Buy it!

[eschiss1]

Maybe I can get my library to look into this, when they reopen. (Wouldn't be wholly out of character for them. It's a county library, but they already have some -neat- MDG CDs and things. Nothing from Kaleidos yet, but they could- though they tend to shop from Amazon, not jpc. ... still, hrm.) Looks interesting, I know the other music I've heard by these composers is really impressive (actually, don't we have a radio broadcast of the Urspruch from other performers? I recall already having heard and thinking well of it...) and- anyway. Thanks!

[Sharkkb8]

All I can say now is: Buy it!

Done!  (hoping it comes while I'm still alive.  Understandably, deliveries everywhere are affected by the pandemic, but more than one jpc order from APRIL have yet to arrive....)