How about this mouthwatering forthcoming release from cpo?>>
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/August-Klughardt-Symphonie-Nr-5-c-moll-op-71/hnum/4929552 (http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/August-Klughardt-Symphonie-Nr-5-c-moll-op-71/hnum/4929552)
Now that's really something to look forward to!
I've never heard it before. What is the work like?
Tom
Well, I know it's an arrangement of his sextet in C-sharp minor (from ca.1890?) (lowered a semitone in arrangement...), op.58 and was published in 1900 (made in 1897, my mistake.), but aside from that... (his -4-th symphony - opus 57 and also in C minor - is the subject of an article on the German Wikipedia (http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/4._Sinfonie_%28Klughardt%29), with music examples (and also has a page on IMSLP (http://imslp.org/wiki/Symphony_No.4,_Op.57_%28Klughardt,_August%29) with downloadable full score), and his 3rd symphony has been recorded.)
(Edit- arrangement of sym. 5 from sextet made in or premiered in 1897, but published in 1900. not published in 1897. :) )
(Corrected the de.wikipedia page for Klughardt symphony 4 (though not the typesets, of course- that's beyond my abilities- they're not mine...) since the work was composed ca.1890 and published ca.1892, not 1897 as mistakenly stated. That 1897 is too late seems fairly clear from HMB if nothing else.
A radio broadcast of the late Festouvertüre included on the forthcoming CD (with the same performers) can be heard here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GopeeFnBgtM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GopeeFnBgtM)
The YouTube recording is the same as the one that's been available for some time in our own Downloads Archive board here (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,1373.msg34711/topicseen.html#msg34711).
Oops, apologies! Not a great piece, though. Somewhat empty, I thought...
I agree. Pièces d'occasion often are.
Ooh, I say - that's yer actual French...
Sofistercated? Moi?
Back on topic, it'll be interesting to see if Klughardt's style evolved in Symphony no. 5 from the Mendelssohnian/Schuamannesque style of Symphony no. 3 and the VC. I'm hoping that Klughardt absorbed the influences of his contemporaries (Brahms and possibly Wagner) in his later works rather than sticking to the early-mid romantic rulebook.
That's possible for the 3rd symphony (and an interesting question) but not (literally, time-wise, I think?) for the violin concerto, a later work than the symphony (which I believe, anyway is just a straight-up transcription of a ca.1890 string sextet- lowered a semitone, maybe some other changes required by that- - hrm.. - I don't know how much was changed, it's true, as I know neither work, I admit it. Yet, anyway.)
The violin concerto (said to be the 2nd of two, the other from a year earlier??), btw, was premiered in mid-1895.
Brahms may prove to be a late influence on Klughardt, I don't know, but Wagner's was an influence which he'd already grown out of and discarded by the time he wrote his Third Symphony and Violin Concerto. In contrast to those works, Klughardt's earlier Wagner period is exemplified by the Symphonic Poem / Symphony No.2 Lenore (sound bites from the Sterling recording here (http://www.sterlingcd.com/catalogue/cds1096.html)).
(Hrm. Downloading Gerlach's 1902 book August Klughardt: Seine leben und Seine werke from Google Books... will see if I can work out from the German - though his worklist doesn't even mention the string sextet, his op.58 is another work entirely. Odd...
Really? That in itself is interesting since the 2nd symphony and 3rd symphony are -much- closer in time than the 3rd symphony and violin concerto. I mean much closer... I think...
Let's see. Lenore - aka first symphony- finished 1872, premiered 1873.
Third symphony- premiered 1879.
Violin concertos - 1894 (maybe?), 1895.
He didn't take much time at all to throw off that Wagner influence...
I may be wrong but, IIRC Eric, it was when he was living in Weimar and so very much immersed in the whole Liszt/Wagner tradition there. Once he'd left it's hold on him went.
Makes sense. Ah, he left Weimar in 1873...
Actually isn't his symphony No. 1 the Forest Symphony "Waldleben"? Does this still exist. I didn't know there were 2 Violin concertos. Is this another typo or...
Repeating someone's claim as to that first concerto- hrm. Probably wrong, I expect. Thanks for the correction as to sym. 1.
I really have to sit myself down soon, and my limited but not zero memory of German, and a translator :), with Gerlach's brief and interesting book as downloaded, and read about Klughardt's life and works...
Quote from: Mark Thomas on Saturday 07 September 2013, 23:33
Brahms may prove to be a late influence on Klughardt, I don't know, but Wagner's was an influence which he'd already grown out of and discarded by the time he wrote his Third Symphony and Violin Concerto. In contrast to those works, Klughardt's earlier Wagner period is exemplified by the Symphonic Poem / Symphony No.2 Lenore (sound bites from the Sterling recording here (http://www.sterlingcd.com/catalogue/cds1096.html)).
Oh yes, I forgot about the
Lenore Symphony, which I enjoyed a bit more than Symphony no. 3 and the VC. It's a similar situation with von Herzogenberg, whose lush, Wagnerian
Odysseus Symphony came from early in his career. Soon after, he (to my mild disappointment) fell under the influence of Brahms and composed in his general style for the rest of his life.
I find the compositional trajectories of Herzogenberg and Klughardt fascinating. My view, FWIW, is that neither composer's early works are all that convincing. It is as if they were trying too hard. Clearly the natural metier of their maturity was music of a more traditional stamp - for this reason I find their later works far more fluent and satisfying. You have to turn to a composer such as Draeseke to discover what a composer who started off as something of a radical achieved by way of an innovative synthesis of Wagnerian/Lisztian ideas with the symphonic tradition. To my mind this is what raises Draeseke far above such composers as Herzogenberg and Klughardt, interesting as they both are and glad as I am to be able to sample their music.
Alan, is it worth buying the Klughardt? I still cannot find audio samples, and today is the last day I can order the disc at a reduced price from jpc without paying for postage.
If you mean Klughardt 3/VC, then yes, it's definitely worth buying. In fact, I'd snap up anything by him.
Here's an appreciative take on the 3rd Symphony from Robert Markow in Fanfare magazine:
<<The Third Symphony, too, will bring much joy to listeners in search of traditional, four-movement Romantic symphonies, this one composed in 1879. Its key of D Major (like the Violin Concerto) almost guarantees that it is going to be an affirmative, joyful work, and that it certainly is. Its opening may bring to mind the opening of the finale of Brahms's Second Symphony. The historian Hermann Kretzschmar described the third movement as being "like a merry ballad telling of olden times, of the mighty deeds of knights and heroes, of tournaments and courtly quests, of escapades and adventures." If this begins to sound like Bruckner's Fourth, you're not far off, at least in spirit.>>
Klughardt 3 has a delightfully unbuttoned, outdoor quality to it. Sometimes I'm put in mind of, say, Dvorak, but Klughardt's music is definitely Germanic in flavour. It also has a certain feeling of pageantry and bygone days to it - almost Meistersingerish at times, especially in the second half of the work. To my mind it doesn't really sound like Brahms or Bruckner or Wagner overall, which I suppose is quite a compliment...
Alan, your Dvorak comparison has inspired me to revisit this work! I prefer Dvorak to Brahms most days and I love the open-air feel of his music.
which late festouverture are we talking about? Comparing its themes to this (http://opac.rism.info/search?documentid=461010200), they seem to be the same to me. And that manuscript is dated 1877. It may have been -published- in 1898... (and probably revised before publication, I don't doubt, to be fair... The full title is Fest-Ouverture zur Feier des 100 jährigen Bestehens des Herzoglichen Hoftheaters zu Dessau, and I would think the occasion may have been in 1898, but the music seems to date from earlier. Or something. I am I admit confused :) )
Oh! 1877 is in fact dated from the dedication information etc.. It was then published in a revised form (now that I finally translate the page- foolish Eric to not do so sooner) as op.78 in 1898. "slow introduction part identical, faster Mainpart first cuts, later largely newly composed". (Largely newly composed though- so more of a revision than usual, so 1877/1898. So I am in fact mostly wrong here, I apologize...)
As for the Klughardt 3rd Symphony: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEzNOo2JgHA (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEzNOo2JgHA)
By all means listen to it on YouTube - but then remember to buy or download the CD!
Some glorious-sounding excerpts are now available at jpc:
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/August-Klughardt-Symphonie-Nr-5-c-moll-op-71/hnum/4929552 (http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/August-Klughardt-Symphonie-Nr-5-c-moll-op-71/hnum/4929552)
Reaffirms my faith in the importance of the key of C minor! The scherzo seems very interesting. I look forward to hearing this as the original, String Sextet, Op. 58 seems to be lost according to CPO! All in all a very promising release. Just hope that they might do the Waldleben symphony [assuming the manuscript exists.] It would be another interesting parallel with our beloved Raff's own 3rd Symphony other than the Lenore case.
I'm fairly sure that I've read that that the score of the Waldleben Symphony is lost, unfortunately.
Well.... we do have the other 2 unrecorded symphonies to look forward to. No. 2 & 4 (?)
It appears from the excerpts at jpc that the Symphony has five movements...
or, there's one overture-etc. not mentioned in the brief description there that accounts for the extra track. We'll know soon... (though yes, otoh, maybe it does, as the first and fifth sound like symphonic first movements and finales, with the second-fourth movements slow movement, scherzo, intermezzo in some order. Got it :) )
According to Lockbuch-Dessau (http://lockbuch-dessau.de/904) Hermus has also conducted (part of?) his 4th symphony, also. (Unless this was a preliminary announcement in 2011 of recording of the 4th and they decided to record the 5th instead. Still, it might mean that they've recorded both...)
As to earlier parts of the thread, while the first symphony he composed was I suppose Waldleben, his "Symphony No.1 'Lenore'" still exists so far as I know, as do four others (two of which - nos.3 and 5 are in commercial recordings); if Waldleben were to be found that would make six symphonies in all.
I understand that cpo are supposed to have recorded the 4th Symphony too.
Whoop de do!
Quote from: eschiss1 on Saturday 21 September 2013, 22:29
.......two of which - nos.3 and 5 are in commercial recordings.....
Symphony No. 1 "Lenore" was commercially released by Sterling (last year?).
Indeed.
Is not the Lenore symphony Klughardt's symphony no 2 (as stated by Jpc.de or have they made mistake)?
Have just checked out Klughardt's profile on Wikipedia and see that Klughardt's first symphony opus 27 is indeed the Lenore symphony. I am very surprised that jpc.de made this mistake, not only in the CD title but also in the musical description!
Gerlach's 1902 book on Klughardt backs me up in this also, I think (though he does not I think? even mention the (missing) string sextet, for instance, so I'm not suggesting taking him as one's sole source...)
May I refer everyone to the late Alan Krueck's excellent article available here:
http://www.raff.org/resource/krueck/3lenores.htm (http://www.raff.org/resource/krueck/3lenores.htm)
...which answers these questions.
Hrm. (Ok, (1) I didn't read very carefully and Gerlach certainly did not back me up on this- bad Mr. Gerlach! Bad! No cookie.) and (2) Very interesting...)
I am really taken with Klughardt's music. I already had his Symphony no 3/violin concerto, which I have been listening to again these past 3 days and enjoying the music immensely (his symphony no 3 reminds me quite a bit of Schumann's music, makes me think at times of certain passages in Schumann's Great Symphony). Consequently I have been listening to all available sound bites available. I am certainly going to order the CDs of Symphony no 5 (CPO) and Auf der Wanderschaft Suite (Sterling). I am also going to order of course the Sterling CD of Klughardt's Lenore Symphony (it attracted my attention because of the Lenore connection with Raff - I don't know why I didn't spot it earlier!). Speaking of Klughardt's Lenore Symphony, I was a little surprised that no-one made any comment re-the confusion on the numbering of this symphony i.e. Symphony no 1 or 2? As per my earlier post on this thread, I ascertained via Wikipedia that the Lenore Symphony Op 27 is Symphony no 1- not symphony no 2 as stated by jpc.de). However today, whilst listening again to sound bites of the symphony, I re-read all the previous posts on this thread, including Mark's post 7 September re-directing us to the Sterling website where sound bites of the Lenore symphony are available. I was very surprised to read on the Sterling website, above the sound bites, the heading"Symphony No 2" !!! So, not only have Jpc.de got it wrong but also Sterling! This leads me to ask the question, whether historically, there was some confusion regarding the numbering of the symphony? Can anyone shed any light on this?
Dear Dennis,
See this article which I mentioned above: http://www.raff.org/resource/krueck/3lenores.htm
(http://www.raff.org/resource/krueck/3lenores.htm)
Gareth
Sterling (in the booklet accompanying the Cello Concerto & other works) mentions that Lenore of 1873 is his first symphony but remained unnumbered after an earlier withdrawn Waldleben of 1871. [BTW Liszt had high opinions about Klughardt's Lenore.... Hopefully someone familiar with the Sterling version can give a review of it! :)] any reference to Lenore as No. 2 will be because of the reference to the earlier Forest Symphony so there should be no more confusion. Hopefully this is the end to this mild confusion.
I just returned to the Violin Concerto after all this talk of the forthcoming release. I can't believe that my ears were so closed to this magnificent beast! Beautiful, big boned and masculine, this has entered my fav. list. Listened to it 2 times in a row. As for some mentions in the forum as to the numbering of this concerto, I wrote to Mr. Rob Barnett who reviewed the CD on musicweb asking him if he had a source for making a claim that the recorded violin concerto [1895] was the second of two, the first dating from 1894. He replied that any references would be based on CPO or Sterling booklets ".. or from some internet source unverified." Since neither CPO nor Sterling make any claims to the existence of two Violin concertos, I wrote to him that CPO mentions that the " ...violin concerto is 2 of Klughardt's solo concertos one for Violin and another for cello. ". He wrote that he may have misread the booklet causing the mistake and he would correct this when he would get a moment! The imslp entry might be an error unless someone can identify the source and verify these "claims". Personally, I wouldn't mind another Violin concerto from Klughardt. :D :D
Many thanks Gareth and FBerald for your replies. It was quite fascinating reading Alan Krueck's masterful paper on "A tale of 2 Lenore's or is it 3?"I now understand exactly why some refer to Klughardt's Lenore Symphony as his symphony no 1 and why others refer to it as his symphony no 2.
Thanks again,
Dennis
Well, as I think I'm responsible for the mistaken entry in the list of works by Klughardt on IMSLP, that would indeed be the case. Will fix.
Gareth, I meant to add to my earlier post "apologies for not having read your previous post on Alan Krueck's article".
Cheers
Dennis
I've just had delivery of the new CPO CD of Klughardt's 5th symphony and I certainly find it a completely different kettle of fish from No3! I particularly enjoyed the dramatic outer movements. Its very difficult for me to imagine this music being played by a string sextet. I think I like both Nos 3 & 5 equally but for different reasons. He's certainly a symphonist worth hearing in the concert hall.
Cheers,
John.
That's good to hear, John. My copy's on its way...
As John has said, Klughardt 5 is quite different from No.3. It's certainly much more of a Sturm und Drang work in its outer movements (hardly surprising for a C minor Symphony, I suppose). What's interesting, I think, is the idiom of the work. Though pretty conservative for 1892-7 (the period in which what was originally a String Sextet became a fully-fledged orchestral work), it is nevertheless recognisably of a more advanced cut than, say, his Symphony No.3. There are, for example, echoes of Wagner (the sleevenote suggests Tristan) in the slow movement, even of Bruckner (in the majestic climax about 4-5 minutes in); it's certainly an advance on Brahms' idiom. And the first movement is without doubt the most powerful thing I've yet heard by this composer.
All in all, a very convincing and enjoyable symphony. Recommended without reservation - and the performance sounds authoritative and well-prepared. The audio quality is just superb.
For some reason (unimportant now) I was less impressed than I was expecting to be by my first hearing of Klughardt's Fifth. A couple of airings later, though, and I must say that this is a very fine work. I very much like the way that Klughardt is his own man, how he resisted the then-modern trend towards giganticism and produced a convincing and satisfying work which belies its relatively modest proportions. The outer movements, particularly the opening one, are powerful statements, by no means all pretty music, which have plenty of drama and incident. A very different listen to his Third. The second movement, a glowingly lyrical Adagio, is quite lovely with, as Alan has written, a wonderful Brucknerian climax two thirds of the way through, and it's followed by an attractively propulsive Allegro vivace movement in the best "open-air" style. Personally, I'm less convinced by the fourth of the five movements, an intermezzo-like Andante. It's pleasant enough in a Griegian way but, for me at least, seems out of place beside the other four and provides four minutes of relaxation which I don't feel the Symphony needs. I think that the work would have made even more impact without it. The big finale picks up the mood of the opening Allegro, and is just as successful a piece of writing. Klughardt's writing for the orchestra is transparent and full of detail, the textures clean and crisp. One might regard this mature style (so different to the Wagnerisms of Lenore) as harking back to Mendelssohn, but it is perhaps more akin to the Raff of twenty years before, and looks forward, like Raff's late works, to the palette of the next century's neo-classicists.
The two overtures are both attractive pieces; the early Im Frühling is pretty much what you'd expect from a romantic composer portraying the onset of spring, and it's none the worse for that, whilst the shorter Festival Overture is better than many such pièces d'occasion, and again I was reminded of Raff's several essays in that genre.
Overall, some very worthwhile discoveries.
Thanks for your detailed reports, Mark and Alan. It appears that the symphony would be right up my alley!
Thank you, Mark and Alan, for those detailed descriptions. There are so many I want, but maybe there will just be room in Santa's sack to add this one! (it is only 8 weeks away - and a good excuse to make a dent in the wants list!) :)
Just received my copy in the mail and will play today for sure.
Tom