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 (http://klassik.s-fahl.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=944:robert-kahn-2-pieces-for-violin-and-piano-op-4&catid=277&Itemid=627&lang=en)
2) 1. Sonata for Violin and Piano (http://klassik.s-fahl.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=945:robert-kahn-1-sonata-for-violin-and-piano-op-5&catid=277&Itemid=627&lang=en) (Score on IMSLP (http://imslp.org/wiki/Violin_Sonata_No.1,_Op.5_%28Kahn,_Robert%29))
I hope you like the music...
fahl5
Thanks, Steffen, for doing this work and telling us about it.
...here we go with Robert Kahns 2. Sonata for Violin & Piano op.26 (http://klassik.s-fahl.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=946:robert-kahn-2-sonate-fuer-geige-und-klavier-op-26&catid=277:r-kahn-werke-fuer-geige-bratsche-klavier&Itemid=627&lang=en).
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 (http://www.udk-berlin.de/sites/max-rostal-competition/content/e261/e262/index_ger.html).
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
Oh man, can't wait to hear them!
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.
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 ;))
Quote
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?
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.")
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!
Here are the very first recordings of Robert Kahn's:
five Tonbilder op.36 (http://klassik.s-fahl.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=947:robert-kahn-5-tonbilder-f-vl-piano-op-36&catid=277&Itemid=627&lang=en-EN)
written in 1902 but as far critics indicate not played public before some Concerts with Helene Ferchland (http://mugi.hfmt-hamburg.de/A_lexartikel/lexartikel.php?id=ferc1879) 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
written in as well as published in, or perhaps written before?
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
OK here comes the first ever published recording of Robert Kahns:
3. Sonata in E-Major (http://klassik.s-fahl.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=948:robert-kahn-3-sonata-for-violin-and-piano-op-50&catid=277:r-kahn-musiic-for-violin-viola-piano&Itemid=627&lang=en)
premiered 1907 with Carl Halir (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karel_Hal%C3%AD%C5%99) 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
Ah, thanks :)
And tangentially to SadRobotSings - thanks for uploading the parts to the first string quartet to IMSLP :)
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!
OK,
here is the very first recording of Robert Kahns:
Suite op.69 for Violin and Piano (http://klassik.s-fahl.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=949:robert-kahn-suite-fuer-geige-und-klavier-op-69&catid=277:r-kahn-musiic-for-violin-viola-piano&Itemid=627&lang=en),
dedicated to the young Adolf Busch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Busch) who became with ca. 25 years the youngest Violin-Prof. at the "königliche Hochschule für Musik" in Berlin and played 1918 a couple of concerts with his colleague Kahn. Published in 1920, the first evidence of a concertprogramm with op.69 is a concert 1919 with the 23 year old Georg Kulenkampf-Post (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georg_Kulenkampff).
It is neither a large projected composition as Kahns Sonatas nor it is only a couple of romantic characterpieces, like Kahns "Tonbilder". It is in parts very brilliant music especially for the Violinist, that imho seem to give very talented violinists enough opportunity to show what they are able to both technically as musically.
I hope you like the music
greetings
fahl5
Here are the very first recordings of Robert Kahns:
4 Tonbilder for Viola and Piano (http://klassik.s-fahl.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=950:robert-kahn-4-tonbilder-for-viola-and-piano-ms-1905&catid=277:r-kahn-musiic-for-violin-viola-piano&Itemid=627&lang=en)
Two of the manuskripts are dated "April 1905" (Nr.2) and "Mai 1905" (Nr.4). Since Kahn played them several times (1907-08) in concert, we know that he himself obviously did not decided to publish them even in a time when nearly all his own music he performed was also published soon. But meanwhile he hesitated to publish the Tonbilder for Viola, he still seemed to liked them enough to play them publicly.
Some critics complained about missing great modern ingeniousness. However I still like them for being wonderful little romantic characterpieces.
(I am sorry that I can't give the scores, since to be sure, we still have to wait 8 years for that in Germany)
I hope you like them
greetings
fahl5
Like nearly all other recordings here this is anoher first time recording:
Two little pieces for Violin and Piano from manuscript (http://klassik.s-fahl.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=951:robert-kahn-2-pieces-for-violin-and-piano-ms&catid=277:r-kahn-musiic-for-violin-viola-piano&Itemid=627&lang=en)
There is neither any op. nor any date nor any evidence for any concert of them at all.
The only thing worth mentioning is a titlepage with the words "zu Weihnachten" (for Christmas) which indicates the composition to be obviously part of Kahns "privat musical life". While they are totally unpretentious they still show some quite lovely tasteful romantic ideas.
greetings
fahl5
completing the first time recordings of music for violin and piano of Robert Kahn with his latest works for these instruments
a) "Variationen über ein altes Lied" (manuscript) (http://klassik-resampled.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=952:robert-kahn-variation-on-an-old-song-ms&catid=277:r-kahn-musiic-for-violin-viola-piano&Itemid=627&lang=en)
Kahn performed it with Georg Kulenkampf 1925 with very friendly reactions of the critics.
It is definitely Kahns largest movement for Violin and piano and musically as technically likewise demanding.
b) Diary in music Nr.1132: Canzonetta (1948/49) (http://klassik-resampled.de/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=953:robert-kahn-diary-in-music-nr-1132-canzonetta&catid=236:1949&Itemid=611&lang=en)
more than twenty years after his last composition for Violin an piano he came back to the Violin one time among his very latest compositions with 84 years in his British exile. In so far this canzonettta could be understood as a document of Kahns lifelong love to the Chambermusic with piano and violin. It is the only piece of chambermusic he ever wrote after being emigrated. (It is impossible to date this composition exactly since Kahn missed to mark the change of the year 1948-1949 in his Diary in music. Meanwhile it is quite propable, that it is composed in early 1949.)
Perhaps I will complete my recordings of Kahns Duo-compositions with the three works for Cello later.
I hope you got at least a first impression of this great music.
greetings
fahl5
Bravo! These are so great, I've had the Moderato from the Viola piece stuck in my head all day. Can't wait to hear what's next! I'm dying to hear the rest of the movements from Aus der Jugendzeit, as well as the 1926 Piano Quintet. Are you planning on recording his arrangement of Schubert's Divertissement a la hongroise for winds and strings? That would be awesome!
By way of a by the way:
Kahn's 3 violin sonatas are soon(?) to be released by Toccata Classics, it seems from their "In Preparation" page (see http://www.toccataclassics.com/cddetail.php?CN=TOCC0021 (http://www.toccataclassics.com/cddetail.php?CN=TOCC0021).)
Hi Eric: see this existing thread...
http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,5197.0.html (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,5197.0.html)