More Gernsheim!

[Alan Howe]

Advertised as a new issue at jpc is this (very cheap) Brilliant Classics CD of Gernsheim's 1st and 3rd Piano Quartets...

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/SESSIONID/fb2168f227aec203db41480801eeeed3/classic/detail/-/art/Friedrich-Gernsheim-Klavierquartette-Nr-1-3/hnum/7556107

[Mark Thomas]

Whoop de do! If the quality of these works is as good as the Piano Trios and Piano Quintets then they're a real must by.

[Peter1953]

Good news, Alan! I've just ordered the CD, and because of the relatively high P&P costs, together with another one, the Piano Sonatas by J.P.E. Hartmann (I hope these are worth listening...).

[thalbergmad]

Does anyone know if the Gernsheim piano concerto has been recorded yet?

What would be the best introduction to his works, as to date, i have heard nothing.

Thal

[JimL]

Other than the chamber works already out, the late Cello Concerto, a relatively brief one-movement work is available from Hyperion on their sadly unpursued Romantic Cello Concerto Series.  Aren't the symphonies available, too?

[Mark Thomas]

The four symphonies are on a budget 2 CD set from Arte Nova. The Piano Concerto was recently broadcast by German Radio, which is usually ia prelude to a CD issue if we're patient.

[Alan Howe]

The Brilliant Classics CD is an absolute steal. It's at bargain price and contains, in the 3rd Piano Quartet, some of the most heart-easingly glorious chamber music written in the latter part of the nineteenth century. It's comparable with Brahms, certainly, although Gernsheim's is in general a gentler, more lyrical muse (having said which, the 2nd movement scherzo has some distinctly modern-sounding passages). A chamber music CD to treasure...

[Peter1953]

I can only echo your words, Alan. Very beautiful chamber music. I have a slight preference for the 1st, but the 3rd is also very lovely. The CD is really value for money, but for this music the price doesn't matter. By the way, is the 2nd recorded?

______________


I have to correct myself, after listening to the disc this morning again. The 3rd is more stunning, and the Andante cantabile is a very moving, heavenly piece of chamber music. Just gorgeous. The final movement of the 1st is very "Mendelssohnian".
What a beautiful chamber music Gernsheim wrote. Is it comparable with Von Herzogenberg's chamber music? That's the next composer on my list to explore.

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Enthusiasm leads me to add my twopence worth to remarks of Alan & Peter in an earlier post. This Brilliant classics CD of two of Gernsheim's Piano Quartets is a gem and one to treasure. As far as I recall it was released at much the same time as the Toccata CD of the two Piano Quintets, and all the hugely justified clamour made when that was released rather put the former in the shade. That Toccata disc was a stunner, and the Brilliant one in my view is of equal distinction.

The Pf Quartets - both of them - certainly keep the same exalted company as Brahms. There is a similar depth and profundity of feeling, and nobility of expression. But also, as Peter remarks, resemblances to Mendelssohn - the sheer deftness and fluency of the writing. As with both composers there is wonderful mastery over the structure and form of each piece. Only a few moments into the Allegro opening of the 1st Quartet you just know Gernsheim is a composer who knows exactly where he's going and how to get there. None of the occasional awkwardness of much of the Schumann chamber music. And for me time just stood still in the Andante of the 1st quartet - the sheer utter loveliness of it! (Which, on reflection, is a damned daft thing to say, for in a world where time was suspended we wouldn't have music!)

This CD - the performances, the clarity of the recording, the full and well written accompanying notes - are at least on the same level as, for example, a top notch Hyperion chamber music disc. And at bargain price. Bravo Brilliant!!

And both the Toccata and Brilliant discs produce a longing for the 4 String Quartets. I'm aware that two have been recorded on separate CDs (in each case c/w Brahms). I haven't heard them, and nor am I aware of any recordings of the other two Gernsheim quartets. I do hope some enterprising company quickly spots this hole in the Gernsheim 'discography'. His total 'output' was relatively small - but, gosh, what quality!

Peter

[Alan Howe]

Actually, Gernsheim's oeuvre is roughly comparable with that of Brahms. There are 92 opus numbers, plus about a dozen works without opus numbers. Here is a list of his major orchestral/instrumental works (I've omitted the choral ones!):

Piano Sonata Op. 1, Lpz. u. Winterthur 1861, Rieter-Biedermann;
Violin Sonata No. 1 in C minor Op. 4, Lpz. u. Winterthur 1865, Rieter-Biedermann;
Piano Quartet No. 1 in E flat, Op. 6, Lpz. 1865, B & H; 
String Quintet No. 1, Op. 9, Bremen u. Hbg. 1868;
Cello (also Violin) Sonata No. 1, Op. 12, Mainz 1868, Schott;
Piano Concerto in C minor, Op. 16, Bln. 1869, Ries u. Erler;
Piano Quartet No. 2 in C minor, Op. 20, Bln. 1870, Simrock;
Piano Trio No. 2 in B flat, Op. 23, MS
String Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 25, Bln. 1872, Simrock;
Piano Trio No. 3 in F, Op. 28, ebda. 1873;
String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 31, Bln. u. Lpz. 1875, Luckhardt, later Bln., Simrock;
Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Op. 32, Bln. 1875, Simrock;
Fantasiestück for Violin  and Orchestra/Piano, Op. 33, ebda. 1876,
Piano Quintet No. 1 in D minor, Op. 35, Bln. 1877, Simrock;
Piano Trio No. 4 in B major (H?), Op. 37, Lpz. 1879, Rieter-Biedermann;
Violin Concerto No. 1 in D, Op. 42, Lpz. 1880, Rieter- Biedermann;
Symphony No. 2 in E flat, Op. 46, Lpz. 1882, Rieter-Biedermann;
Piano Quartet No. 3 in F, Op. 47. ebda. 1883;
Violin Sonata No. 2 in C major, Op. 50, Lpz. 1885, Rieter-Biedermann;
String Quartet No. 3 in F op. 51, ebda. 1886;
Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 54, Lpz. 1888, Rieter-Biedermann;
Symphony No. 4 in B flat, Op. 62, ebda. 1896;
Piano Quintet No. 2 in B minor (h?), Op. 63, ebda. 1897;
Violin Sonata No. 3 in F, Op. 64, Lpz. 1898, Rieter-Biedermann;
String Quartet No. 4 in E minor, Op. 66, ebda. 1900;
Cello Concerto in E minor, Op. 78, Lpz. 1907, Forberg;
String Quartet No. 5 in A, Op. 83, ebda. 1911;
Violin Sonata No. 4 in G, Op. 85, ebda. 1912;
Violin Concerto No. 2 in F, Op. 86, Lpz. 1914, Zimmermann; (also piano)
Cello Sonata No. 2 in E minor, Op. 87, Ms.;
String Quintet No. 2 in E flat, Op. 89, Ms.;

[eschiss1]

There used to be a site with a biography and this list up linked from Wikipedia but I believe it went down. (Maybe it moved )
String Quintet no.1 is in D major, btw - but then it and the Fantasiestück I think are  at IMSLP so no surprise there. Piano Trio no. 2 in
There is a list of the premiere dates, or what are said to be the premiere dates, of many of his works up to the early 1900s, here (google books, possibly not PD-EU. the title is "Programme, Volumes 1910-1911 By Boston Symphony Orchestra", starting around p.1022 or so.)

the Altenberg trio website mentions 4 trios, 1 in E-flat major and no.2 in B-flat (op.23)- not yet recorded I believe; the two that have been are, chronologically, indeed nos. 3 and 4. (H is German B- I don't know why the 'H?' in that list throughout...) op.23 is also a Romance for piano, though.
Eric

[Alan Howe]

The link to which Eric refers is, I believe, to this site (scroll down):

http://www.warmaisa.de/index.php?id=4595

[eschiss1]

Right- thanks
btw for those few whose German is even poorer than mine, ebda.=ebenda= something like from the same place, the same thing, the same publisher, the same, even so (eben da... er, no, that would be ebenso. Hrm. Help?)
Eric

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Many thanks, Alan, for the list (and Eric for the addendum!). There are some awfully rich pickings here for an adventurous record company - at present we're deprived of opportunities to hear this wonderful composer apart from the handful of available CDs. We need far more Gernsheim, and perhaps fewer of the endless recyclings of Brahms or Schumann (not that I begrudge those!)

And the comparison of the Brahms and Gernsheim worklists? True, the latter creeps up on the former, and Brahms only really has the higher number on account of all those opus numbers devoted to song collections. It did strike me, when looking at the full list on IMSLP, that Gernsheim published a far smaller number of keyboard works. That's odd considering he was a renowned pianist. However, hurrah for Gernsheim for there are 5 quartets compared to 3 of Brahms. So come on, record companies - get to it!

Peter

[Alan Howe]

ebda = ibid