Heinz Holliger

The complete edition of Robert Schumann's symphonic works with the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne under Heinz Holliger is now available as a 6 album set.

This wonderful recording, made in 1982, has truly earned a place in Claves' treasure chest. It was one of the principal reasons for the revival of interest in the music of Franz Krommer, a contemporary of Mozart and Beethoven who quite undeservedly fell into neglect. Two of Switzerland's most eminent soloists, flutist Peter-Lukas Graf and oboist Heinz Holliger, bring this vivacious music to life not only through their instrumental virtuosity, but also as conductors; each in turn directed the English Chamber Orchestra.

The artistry of Holliger (b1939) prompted Evelyn Rothwell (Lady Barbirolli) to call him 'The Paganini of the oboe' Holliger's mastery of the oboe ranges over a vast expanse of repertoire, from the baroque to contemporary – Bach to Berio and Zelenka to Zimmermann. His style is notable for its flexibility, agility, integrity and ability to communicate convincingly across the wide range of repertoire he performs. Holliger has done much to champion the oboe music of composers such as Zelenka and Krommer, and has also had over 100 works composed for him by composers including Berio, Carter, Henze, Ligeti, Lutoslawski, Penderecki and Stockhausen.

In February 2021, when public concerts had been cancelled for several months, the musicians of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne were able to meet behind closed doors on the stage of the Opéra de Lausanne in order to record this disc under the direction of Heinz Holliger. An album released in 2013 presented an earlier recording collaboration between the Bernese conductor and the Lausanne-based ensemble with two works by Schoenberg ( Verklärte Nacht and the Chamber Symphony No. 2 ) and an early piece by his pupil Anton Webern ( Langsamer Satz ). Nearly a decade later, the same performers are reunited and continue to highlight these two leading composers of the Second Viennese School.

Rendered with impeccable musicality, Felix Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3 in A minor, "Scottish," and his Symphony No. 4 in A major, "Italian," are treated in an exemplary manner by Heinz Holliger and the Musikkollegium Winterthur, and recorded with immaculate unprocessed sound by Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm. This is a high-quality audiophile release that collectors will naturally want to snap up. But anyone who is developing an appreciation for Mendelssohn's music would be well-advised to listen to this multichannel hybrid SACD, not only for the vivid orchestral timbres and spacious natural sound, but also for understanding how the use of historical practices can make the music truly come alive.

Heinz Holliger is widely considered the greatest oboe virtuoso of modern times. He is also a noted composer and conductor; as a composer he is one of the few who has maintained a strict adherence to serial procedures. Holliger has been the recipient of many prizes, including the Robert Schumann Prize of the City of Zwickau in Germany, and he is an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Hungarian-born Sándor Veress (1907-1992) is a sadly neglected figure in modern music. Despite his pupilage under Bela Bartók and Zoltán Kodály, and even his succession over the latter as professor of composition at the Budapest School of Music in 1943, Veress has never attained the same international recognition as his two most successful compatriots. One might blame his preference for solitude or his idiomatic methodology for keeping him in obscurity. Yet as one who made the most of his outlier status and ideological exile, he seems never to have been one to wallow in self-pity. Exposed to much of the folk music that also captivated his mentors, Veress nurtured that same spirit when sociopolitical upheaval exacerbated his emigration to Switzlerland in 1949. Whereas Kodály in particular saw cultural preservation as central to the musical act, Veress saw it as an incision to be teased open and unraveled.

A countryman of Bela Bartók and a sometime teacher to both György Ligeti and György Kurtág, Sándor Veress emigrated to Switzerland from what was then part of Hungary in 1949. Settling in Bern, he collected various prizes and teaching posts while working in relative obscurity on who knows how many pieces–most of which have been unavailable. This collection is made up of a pithy trio of compositions dated 1938 (Six Csárdás), 1951 (Hommage à Paul Klee), and 1952 (Concerto for Piano, Strings, and Percussion), and they show what a deftly melodic force Veress was. He's thrilled by blustery string wafts, especially in the concerto, where the percussion adds drama and immediacy. But he also favors sweetly chipper string formations, which surprise the ear during the homage to Klee, especially given the dissonances fostered early on by the twin pianos. The closing piano miniatures of Six Csárdás are counterpoint-rich gems, played with sharp precision by András Schiff.