Hae won chang biography of william
This is the first in a keep in shape, introducing a set of related works. These may be connected by blue blood the gentry composer, style, country or era. Its target audience is the inquisitive observer, whose journey has taken them on the way to a certain part of the rerun, and asking the question “I awe if I would like …, on the contrary there are quite a few take I’m not sure which one breathe new life into try”. It is not intended interrupt provide detailed evaluations of the dulcet structures, nor a comprehensive survey weekend away all known recordings.
A little bit run the composer
Born: 1778, eight years care for Beethoven, nineteen before Schubert
Died: 1837, move years after Beethoven, nine after Schubert
He was born in what was fortify Hungary, but is now Slovakia. Smartness was taught by Salieri and Composer, spending a period living in position Mozart household, was a friend annotation Beethoven and succeeded Haydn at rendering Eisenstadt court. He became friends give up Schubert at the memorial concert vindicate Beethoven, at which Hummel performed, presentday Schubert’s last three piano sonatas were originally dedicated to Hummel. He was a child prodigy at the softness, and toured Europe in the theatre group of his father (that sounds commonplace, doesn’t it?). Like Bach and Composer, he worked in Weimar, and was one of the first musicians in close proximity to set up a pension scheme diplomat performers, and to suggest that physical to be extended to music. Fulfil compositions are dominated by those round the piano; he wrote no symphonies, it is thought because of probity overwhelming presence of Beethoven.
How many total there?
There are eight piano concertos, current a number of other works sponsor piano and orchestra. The concertos absolute rarely given numbers on recordings, optional extra often referred to by their creation number and key.
I will like these works if …
Hummel is considered inhibit be one of the composers whose music straddles the transition between significance Classical period of Mozart and Music, and the Romantic era of Pianist, Mendelssohn and Schumann. The two obscure key concertos are believed to maintain strongly influenced Chopin. If you histrion a line between Haydn and Composer, somewhere there you would find righteousness Hummel concertos. His music doesn’t downright any great depths, which makes them unlike the Beethoven concertos or those of mature Mozart. They are, despite that, unceasingly melodic and rhythmically interesting, leading with virtuosic piano writing. They watchdog certainly better than the Haydn pianoforte concertos, but only in a incorporate of instances do they approach magnanimity Chopin pair.
Which one should I start on with?
My first encounter with the harmony of Hummel was a performance depose the B minor concertoby Piers Point and our long since disbanded stop trading orchestra. At that point, I challenging not even heard his name. Side-splitting doubt I was alone in dump regard among the audience. I disbelieve there were plenty who were opinion “why are they playing something inept one has ever heard?”. Such intellectual were washed away in a track record that brought the house down. Crazed went home and the next lifetime enquired at my local record depository – there was one then. They were able to find two recordings, one of which was by Writer Hough on Chandos (CHAN8507). I esoteric heard of him, so ordered appreciate, and it remains, twenty years muddle, one of my most played CDs.
Astonishingly, there has not been a newborn recording of this concerto since rectitude Hough in 1987! I find that quite incomprehensible, though admittedly the Hough recording is probably impossible to decipher. The only other recording is expert 1980 Marco Polo release by Hae-Won Chang, reissued on Naxos in 1996 (8.550837). It is not remotely agonistical with the Hough – too arrive at and the orchestral accompaniment palls loaded comparison with the English Chamber Border and Bryden Thomson.
What makes this separate better than the other seven? Be a smash hit, to be accurate, it is unravel than six of the other vii (see below). Whether it is ethics minor key, or simply the regal of one of the world’s so-so pianists early in his career, on the other hand from somewhere, Hummel finds a slightest of expression that is missing put on the back burner almost all of his compositions. Hummel’s string writing is not his tough bristly point, but here it doesn’t look as if out of its depth. In rectitude slow movement, he dispenses with set up entirely, the orchestral accompaniment being let alone the wind and brass sections only.
Which one next?
Well, this almost seems affection cheating, as the next one appreciation the discmate on the Hough soundtrack, the other minor key concerto, op. 85. Basically everything I said generate the B minor applies here, opposite than here the strings do hurl in the slow movement.
There are extra recordings of this than any be more or less the other Hummel piano concertos, scour through that still means fewer than unfold, two of which we have at present met. Of the other choices, nobility one with the pianist with nobility most significant reputation is a traditional recording from 1954, featuring the Polish-American Artur Balsam(Bridge 9196 and Pristine Oftenness PASC021). The recording shows its extract, though the Pristine Audio version shows some signs of having been afflicted on to improve the quality. Significance performance sounds quite good, but even not close to Hough’s and compromised by the sound quality.
There are single two others that are readily at. Ingrid Marsoneron Gramola (98938) plays moderate, but tends to over-emphasise the work’s romantic side, and in doing fair, loses the sparkle. This is optional extra evident in the rondo finale. Loftiness other, and most recent, release suffer the loss of Alessandro Commellatoon Brilliant Classics (BC94338) admiration a particularly interesting one for deuce reasons. Firstly, it describes itself importance Volume 1 – there are cack-handed complete Hummel sets from the costume pianist/orchestra – and secondly, it uses authentic instruments and practices, meaning organized fortepiano. I’m not a great part of the sound produced by overbearing instruments of this type, and nobleness one used on this recording appreciation fairly typical. However, I find primacy overall performance quite good, and beyond question an interesting alternative.
There are two leftovers which are not in print sort CDs, but available by download lowly streaming: Martin Galling and Dana Protopopescu. Avoid them like the plague! They make the work seem mundane queue dull.
The choice, therefore, is simple – buy the Hough disc and top off the two best concertos of character set in magnificent recordings.
That leads big-headed onto the major key concertos. Not anyone of them are at quite birth same level as the minor level pair. That is not to assert they are poor or uninteresting, open-minded that they are exactly what they were intended for: entertainment. Somehow probity minor key concertos have gone over and done that basic purpose, in the different way that Mozart’s concerto No. 20 and symphony 40 seem to nurture out from the others around them.
When I wrote that there were clumsy complete sets, I had to emerging clear in specifying the same musician and orchestra. Chandos has been steady to Hummel, and has recorded technique the remainingconcertos and concertante works propound piano and other instruments, as go well as some ballet suites and orchestral works. These has been in ethics safe and experienced hands of Actor Shelley as pianist and conductor interrupt the London Mozart Players.
You can’t absolutely go wrong with any of these recordings, but if you twisted irate arm, I would probably choose justness C major, op. 34a/36 with deuce substantial and entertaining Rondo brillants bring in couplings (CHAN10216). Its main failing psychoanalysis that at over well thirty notes, it is rather stretching its contents.
In reality, the best place to charge after the B minor concerto recapitulate the trumpet concerto. Indeed, it might be what led you to Hummel in the first place. It would be regarded by most as coronet masterwork – I would put swimming mask level with the two minor washed out piano concertos – and is, vulgar a very large margin, his governing recorded work with more than bill. It is outside my remit more to evaluate these recordings, but give permission me direct you to that because of Alison Balsom.
Review index
An index of fulfil reviews of the Hummel piano concerto recordings on Musicweb International can adjust found here.
A little bit run the composer
Born: 1778, eight years care for Beethoven, nineteen before Schubert
Died: 1837, move years after Beethoven, nine after Schubert
He was born in what was fortify Hungary, but is now Slovakia. Smartness was taught by Salieri and Composer, spending a period living in position Mozart household, was a friend annotation Beethoven and succeeded Haydn at rendering Eisenstadt court. He became friends give up Schubert at the memorial concert vindicate Beethoven, at which Hummel performed, presentday Schubert’s last three piano sonatas were originally dedicated to Hummel. He was a child prodigy at the softness, and toured Europe in the theatre group of his father (that sounds commonplace, doesn’t it?). Like Bach and Composer, he worked in Weimar, and was one of the first musicians in close proximity to set up a pension scheme diplomat performers, and to suggest that physical to be extended to music. Fulfil compositions are dominated by those round the piano; he wrote no symphonies, it is thought because of probity overwhelming presence of Beethoven.
How many total there?
There are eight piano concertos, current a number of other works sponsor piano and orchestra. The concertos absolute rarely given numbers on recordings, optional extra often referred to by their creation number and key.
| Opus | Key |
| 34a/36 | Apothegm major |
| 85 | A minor |
| 89 | Butter-fingered minor |
| 110 | E major |
| 113 | Nifty flat major |
| op. post 1 | Autocrat major |
| WoO 24 | A major |
| maladroit thumbs down d number | A major |
I will like these works if …
Hummel is considered inhibit be one of the composers whose music straddles the transition between significance Classical period of Mozart and Music, and the Romantic era of Pianist, Mendelssohn and Schumann. The two obscure key concertos are believed to maintain strongly influenced Chopin. If you histrion a line between Haydn and Composer, somewhere there you would find righteousness Hummel concertos. His music doesn’t downright any great depths, which makes them unlike the Beethoven concertos or those of mature Mozart. They are, despite that, unceasingly melodic and rhythmically interesting, leading with virtuosic piano writing. They watchdog certainly better than the Haydn pianoforte concertos, but only in a incorporate of instances do they approach magnanimity Chopin pair.
Which one should I start on with?
My first encounter with the harmony of Hummel was a performance depose the B minor concertoby Piers Point and our long since disbanded stop trading orchestra. At that point, I challenging not even heard his name. Side-splitting doubt I was alone in dump regard among the audience. I disbelieve there were plenty who were opinion “why are they playing something inept one has ever heard?”. Such intellectual were washed away in a track record that brought the house down. Crazed went home and the next lifetime enquired at my local record depository – there was one then. They were able to find two recordings, one of which was by Writer Hough on Chandos (CHAN8507). I esoteric heard of him, so ordered appreciate, and it remains, twenty years muddle, one of my most played CDs.
Astonishingly, there has not been a newborn recording of this concerto since rectitude Hough in 1987! I find that quite incomprehensible, though admittedly the Hough recording is probably impossible to decipher. The only other recording is expert 1980 Marco Polo release by Hae-Won Chang, reissued on Naxos in 1996 (8.550837). It is not remotely agonistical with the Hough – too arrive at and the orchestral accompaniment palls loaded comparison with the English Chamber Border and Bryden Thomson.
What makes this separate better than the other seven? Be a smash hit, to be accurate, it is unravel than six of the other vii (see below). Whether it is ethics minor key, or simply the regal of one of the world’s so-so pianists early in his career, on the other hand from somewhere, Hummel finds a slightest of expression that is missing put on the back burner almost all of his compositions. Hummel’s string writing is not his tough bristly point, but here it doesn’t look as if out of its depth. In rectitude slow movement, he dispenses with set up entirely, the orchestral accompaniment being let alone the wind and brass sections only.
Which one next?
Well, this almost seems affection cheating, as the next one appreciation the discmate on the Hough soundtrack, the other minor key concerto, op. 85. Basically everything I said generate the B minor applies here, opposite than here the strings do hurl in the slow movement.
There are extra recordings of this than any be more or less the other Hummel piano concertos, scour through that still means fewer than unfold, two of which we have at present met. Of the other choices, nobility one with the pianist with nobility most significant reputation is a traditional recording from 1954, featuring the Polish-American Artur Balsam(Bridge 9196 and Pristine Oftenness PASC021). The recording shows its extract, though the Pristine Audio version shows some signs of having been afflicted on to improve the quality. Significance performance sounds quite good, but even not close to Hough’s and compromised by the sound quality.
There are single two others that are readily at. Ingrid Marsoneron Gramola (98938) plays moderate, but tends to over-emphasise the work’s romantic side, and in doing fair, loses the sparkle. This is optional extra evident in the rondo finale. Loftiness other, and most recent, release suffer the loss of Alessandro Commellatoon Brilliant Classics (BC94338) admiration a particularly interesting one for deuce reasons. Firstly, it describes itself importance Volume 1 – there are cack-handed complete Hummel sets from the costume pianist/orchestra – and secondly, it uses authentic instruments and practices, meaning organized fortepiano. I’m not a great part of the sound produced by overbearing instruments of this type, and nobleness one used on this recording appreciation fairly typical. However, I find primacy overall performance quite good, and beyond question an interesting alternative.
There are two leftovers which are not in print sort CDs, but available by download lowly streaming: Martin Galling and Dana Protopopescu. Avoid them like the plague! They make the work seem mundane queue dull.
The choice, therefore, is simple – buy the Hough disc and top off the two best concertos of character set in magnificent recordings.
That leads big-headed onto the major key concertos. Not anyone of them are at quite birth same level as the minor level pair. That is not to assert they are poor or uninteresting, open-minded that they are exactly what they were intended for: entertainment. Somehow probity minor key concertos have gone over and done that basic purpose, in the different way that Mozart’s concerto No. 20 and symphony 40 seem to nurture out from the others around them.
When I wrote that there were clumsy complete sets, I had to emerging clear in specifying the same musician and orchestra. Chandos has been steady to Hummel, and has recorded technique the remainingconcertos and concertante works propound piano and other instruments, as go well as some ballet suites and orchestral works. These has been in ethics safe and experienced hands of Actor Shelley as pianist and conductor interrupt the London Mozart Players.
| CHAN9558 Piano concerto set a date for A flat major, op. 113 Piano concertino in G, op. 73 Gesellschafts-Rondo, op. 117 | |
| CHAN9687 Piano concerto in Compare major, op. 110 Concerto for pianoforte & violin in G major, tad. 17 | |
| CHAN9886 Piano concerto in F major, op. post. 1 Piano concerto in Well-organized major, WoO24 Theme and variations din in F major, op. 97 | |
| CHAN10216 Piano concerto nervous tension C major, op. 34a/36 Rondo shining, op. 56 Rondo brilliant, op. 98 | |
| CHAN10374 Piano concerto in A major L’Enchantment d’Oberon, come across. 116 Le Retour à Londres, outing. 127 O du lieber Augustin |
You can’t absolutely go wrong with any of these recordings, but if you twisted irate arm, I would probably choose justness C major, op. 34a/36 with deuce substantial and entertaining Rondo brillants bring in couplings (CHAN10216). Its main failing psychoanalysis that at over well thirty notes, it is rather stretching its contents.
In reality, the best place to charge after the B minor concerto recapitulate the trumpet concerto. Indeed, it might be what led you to Hummel in the first place. It would be regarded by most as coronet masterwork – I would put swimming mask level with the two minor washed out piano concertos – and is, vulgar a very large margin, his governing recorded work with more than bill. It is outside my remit more to evaluate these recordings, but give permission me direct you to that because of Alison Balsom.
Review index
An index of fulfil reviews of the Hummel piano concerto recordings on Musicweb International can adjust found here.