Dohnányi

Erno” Dohnányi is the least celebrated of the seminal triumvirate of twentieth-century Hungarian composers; Zoltán Kodály and Béla Bartók have become household names, yet Dohnányi’s posthumous fame hangs upon an unrepresentative handful of compositions. This recording brings together three of his finest chamber works; the two masterful yet hugely contrasting Piano Quintets, and his remarkable essay in that most underutilized of instrumental genres, the string trio.

Ernst von Dohnanyi was one of the most versatile and influential musicians of his time but his works are now seldom played. A gap which Capriccio want to fill now with this fifth recording of his late romantic, sensual music, deeply rooted in the Austro-German classical tradition. An appetizer is the overture of the one-act opera Tanta Simona, which has plenty of that Italian flair to show for that runs through the opera’s plot. After its premiere in 1910, the Suite in F-sharp minor Op.19 became one of the most performed Dohnányi’s works, whereas the American Rhapsody Op.47, which is full of quotations with American folk melodies, was his last orchestral work, first performed in 1954 at Ohio University. Finally his 8 years younger colleague Leó Weiner shows us in his early composition, the Serenade in F minor (1906) apart from the influence of the German and Austrian romantics, typical Hungarian colors and rhythms.

Christoph von Dohnanyi is one of those conductors, like Wolfgang Sawallisch, Rafael Kubelik and Josef Keilberth, who were relatively ignored by the journalist school of music critics and later, usually after they are dead, lauded to the skies as undiscovered geniuses of the podium. Well, Maestro Dohnanyi is alive and well and with us and still conducting, mostly at the Zurich opera, and it is a good thing that his performances are being filmed, if not recorded, for posterity because he is a giant of the operatic podium, especially in the operas of Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner.

There are no highlights in this cycle - the level of consistency is remarkable - but Dohnanyi's Third has always been regarded as one of the three or four reference recordings of the symphony. And rightfully so. Rarely are conductors been able to elicit such an unclogged sound from an orchestra on modern instruments while maintaining such a high level of focused energy. The brass work in the first movement is stunning while the wind parts all register with appropriate clarity. The appearance of the coda is violent and awesomely effective.

This month, on the Chandos Classics label, we are re-releasing our recording of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor and the Konzertstück for Cello and Orchestra by Dohnányi (CHAN8662), performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and Sir Charles Mackerras, with Raphael Wallfisch the featured soloist.

Gaede Trio - Schubert / Matthus / Dohnányi
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 241 MB | Full Artwork: 97 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Tacet # TACET 72 | Country/Year: Germany 1998
Genre: Classical | Style: Romantic, Classical Period, Contemporary

"…seldom has a string trio displayed such smooth tone and cultivated playing. Even more impressive are the apparent ease and balance; their early Schubert is calm but always so fresh and alert that it never sounds old-fashioned. This is a graceful, lilting performance; a few exaggerated phrases add colour without distorting the line (…) If this performance (Dohnanyi) fails to erase memories of the Heifetz-Primrose-Feuermann recording, it does replace that classic as the one I will listen to most often. It also reveals the Gaede's range: this could be three different ensembles, specialists in the Classical, Late-Romantic, and Expressionist repertoires." (Fanfare)

Gaede Trio - Schubert / Matthus / Dohnányi
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 241 MB | Full Artwork: 97 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Tacet # TACET 72 | Country/Year: Germany 1998
Genre: Classical | Style: Romantic, Classical Period, Contemporary

"…seldom has a string trio displayed such smooth tone and cultivated playing. Even more impressive are the apparent ease and balance; their early Schubert is calm but always so fresh and alert that it never sounds old-fashioned. This is a graceful, lilting performance; a few exaggerated phrases add colour without distorting the line (…) If this performance (Dohnanyi) fails to erase memories of the Heifetz-Primrose-Feuermann recording, it does replace that classic as the one I will listen to most often. It also reveals the Gaede's range: this could be three different ensembles, specialists in the Classical, Late-Romantic, and Expressionist repertoires." (Fanfare)