Recently Published Chamber Music

Virtually all of the chamber music that RICHARD STRAUSS (1864-1949) composed was written before 1900 with the exception fo his STRING SEXTET FROM THE OPERA CAPRICCIO which initially was not intended to be a stand alone piece of chamber music but only as an introduction to the first scene of the opera. However, soon after finishing the opera in 1942, Strauss changed his mind and permitted the work to published as a stand alone piece of chamber music. It is a work full of charm and elegance and one which can certainly serve for a shorter entee in a sextet concert. It is also well within the range of experience chamber music amateurs.	Today, the name of the composer ANDREAS HALLEN (1846-1925) is virtually unknown outside of his native Sweden. But during his lifetime, it was known not only in Sweden but also in Germany and Austria. Despite the fact that the few pieces of chamber music he wrote received ringing positive reviews upon their premiers, soon after they all inexplicably disappeared from the concert hall.. His very well-sritten PIANO QUARTET IN D MINOR is elegant, graceful and romantic, reflecting his training from his teachers at the Leipzig Conservatory who idolized Schumann and Mendelssohn. It is a work which will be enjoyed by audiences who hear it in the concert hall and also by amateurs since it is not at all hard to play.
We are pleased to offer two first rate cello sonatas by two undeservedly little known women composers. Russian pianist and composer LEOKADIYA KASHPEROVA (1872-1940) studied with Anton Rubinstein and toured as a soloist throughout Europe, Today, if she is remembered at all, it is as Stravinsky's piano teacher. Her CELLO SONATA NO.1 IN G MAJOR is elegant, graceful and romantic, with melodies which have the flavor of late Russian romanticism showing the influence of Rimsky Korsakov and Tchaikovsky. Dutch pianist and composer HENRIETTE BOSMANS (1895-1952) enjoyed a career as a touring soloist, teacher and composer. Her CELLO SONATA IN A MINOR, dating from 1919, is an incrediably dramatic and powerful work. It certainly deserves the epithet of masterpiece. Audiences will be riveted from start to finish. There is really very little like this fine work in the repertoire	Most scholars believe that one of the most trusted biographies, in fact the first biolgraphy, of Beethoven, was by his friend, student, copyist, and agent FERDINAND RIES (1784-1838) who was a virtuoso pianist, fine violinist and first rate composer. His STRING QUARTET NO.19 IN C MAJOR is just one of several such works which remained moldering away in a German state library in Berlin until recently.This appealing early Romantic era work is an example of Ries' fine compositional talent as well as his gift for melody. It would make an excellent choice for concert but can also be recommende to amateur ensembles..
While he was alive and throughout the first half of the 19th century, the name of FRANZ KROMMER (1759-1831) was routinely mentioned, along with those of Haydn and Mozart, as one of the three most important composers of string quartets from the classical era. (Beethoven being considered a Romantic era composer) Krommer's quartets were sought after by the leading publishers of the day and were immensely popular throughout Europe and even reached the United States. They could regularly be found along side of the quartets of Mozart and Haydn on chamber music programs. His STRING QUARTET IN B FLAT MAJOR was a typical example of a work which would appear on those programs but would also have been popular among Vienna's home music making amateur ensembles.	Up until LOUISE FARRENC (1804-1875) appeared on the scene there were no women professors at the Paris Conservatory. It was only in 1842 that whe was appointed permanent Professor of Piano. She was the only woman to serve as a professor at that Conservatory througout the 19th century. Besides being one of the leading piano soloists of the day, she was also a first rate composer and several of her compositions also contributed to her appointment. Her PIANO TRIO NO.1 IN E FLAT MAJOR was the kind of work which showed that she was a first rate composer. This piano trio, in many ways, harks back to Beethoven's early piano trios both in the writing and the treatment of the instruments as her model. It is an appealing work filled with fetching melodies and one which certainly deserves concert performance. And, it is also a work which can be managed by amateurs with a first rate pianist.
FRANZ DOPPLER (1821-1883) today is remembered as one of the greatest flute virtuosos of the 19th century. But he was much more than that. Having studied composition with Franz Liszt, he became a top notch orchestrator as well as a composer. He wrote several successful operas and his orchestration of Liszt's Hungarian Rapsodies, published with Liszt's permission, are still used today. If this were not enough, he also served as conductor of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra for several years. His compositions with flute were immensely popular and for good reason. One such work, his ANDANTE & RONDO FOR 2 FLUTES AND PIANO OR VIOLIN, FLUTE & PIANO which is filled with lovely melodies and exciting episodes. A winner in the concert hall, it shoudl not be ignored by amateurs who are technically assured players.	To say that JOHANN BAPTIST VANHAL (1739-1813) was on friendly terms with most of the prominent composers then active in Vienna during the classical era would be no exaggeration. Reports survive of him playing the cello in a quartet with Dittersdorf on first violin, Haydn on second violin and Mozart on Viola. Mozart was impressed enough by his music to perform several of his violin concertos and conduct his symphones. For the last half of his life, Vanhal had no patron or steady salary and made his living writing for the emerging home music making market. His TRIO FOR CLARINET, VIOLIN AND CELLO IN B FLAT MAJOR is an excellent example of the type of work he produced for this market. Well-crafted and fun to play, it enjoyed considerable popularity and as such received several reprint editions. This is a fine choice for amateur ensembles or student groups looking to present a professional sounding work for recital.
The Norwegian composer CHRISTIAN SINDING (1856-1941) is, after Edvard Grieg, the best known composer from that country. Whereas Grieg used Norwegian folk melody extensively in his music, Sinding did so far less often and rather like Tchaikovsky developed what might be called a more cosmopolitan style. Grieg took his inspiration from Mendelssohn and Schumann, whereas Sinding, more than a decade younger than Grieg, was influenced primarily by Liszt and Wagner. Some critics have called his STRING QUARTET IN A MINOR the string quartet that Wagner never got around to writing. It is filled with Wagnerian style melodies including quotes from Tristan, Lohengrin and Parsifal. A massive dramatic work, it makes an indelible impression. Certainly a powerful choices for the concert hall but also within the reach of experienced amateur players.	MATHILDA KRALIK (1857-1944) is another first rate late Romantic era composer whose music, at least up until the First World War, enjoyed considerable popularity and was frequently performed. After the war, as music from that era was looked down up, it along with so many other fine works disappeared from the concert stage. It was probably due to the War that her NONET IN C MINOR FOR STRINGS, WINDS AND PIANO never received publication until now. We are extremely proud to present the World Premier Edition of this fine work which certainly deserves performance in the concert hall. It is superbly written for all of the instruments and filled with appealing melodies. Her alternating use of the complete ensemble against diverse smaller groups of the Nonet is original and quite striking. And unlike many works from this period, it is not beyond the technical abilities of average amateur enthusiasts which allows us to warmly recommended it to them.