Category Archives: Anniversary

Bruckner 200 – a quick look beyond the symphonies

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by Ben Hogwood picture (c) Linz Tourismus Tom Son

Today marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of composer Anton Bruckner.

Bruckner is a ‘marmite’ figure in classical music. His symphonies, the calling cards of his small but profound output, divide opinion greatly. The later works, I am sure, would appeal to those approaching from the direction of progressive rock, and are fiercely admired by a great many devoted classical music listeners. They create sound worlds unlike any other composer, ‘cathedrals in sound’ in which he uses distinctive themes, deceptively simple techniques, and extended forms that mean most of his symphonic works run for an hour or more. Other ears, however, remain unmoved, immune to the great expanses of texture and intensity.

What cannot be disputed is that Bruckner’s music is instantly recognisable as his, especially when it is one of those nine numbered symphonies. In the last year a host of recordings have appeared of the whole cycle, along with a myriad of different – if authentic – performing versions. A box set round-up of all these versions is due to appear on Naxos on 13 September, collecting all the individual volumes of Bruckner recorded by the Bruckner Orchester Linz under Markus Poschner for the Capriccio label:

My personal favourite among the symphonies is the mighty Eighth, which has received a number of classic recordings. Those by Reginald Goodall, Herbert von Karajan, Carlo Maria Giulini and – especially – Gunter Wand, have all left a mark. The latter is an incredible account, recorded in 1987 in Lübeck Cathedral:

Yet I did also want to draw some attention to Bruckner’s music for voices and for strings, in case you want to try something different. The motets for unaccompanied choir are profound and beautiful – while the Te Deum is a many-splendoured thing, as are the three masses for chorus and orchestra.

Here, too, is the String Quintet in F major, a big-boned piece with music of real poise and power. The slow movement shows how Bruckner can write delicate music, the Scherzo is an elusive dance, while the outer movements show what an unusual yet affective style he has, able to wring every last drop of power from a seemingly small ensemble:

Published post no.2,291 – Wednesday 3 September 2024

Wigmore Hall news – A season-long celebration of Fauré begins this September

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Véronique Gens (soprano), Fleur Barron (mezzo-soprano), Laurence Kilsby (tenor), Stéphane Degout (baritone), Susan Manoff (piano), Julius Drake (piano) – all performing on Friday 13 September 2024 at the Wigmore Hall

The Gabriel Fauré Centenary Celebrations open with a song gala involving some of Fauré’s finest contemporary interpreters, who explore the composer’s output at various stages, and all of whom share in the performance of his cycle La bonne chanson.

The concert will take place on Friday 13 Sep 2024, 7.30pm (click here for tickets) – and marks the start of a celebration which will cover the French composer’s celebrated chamber music.

You can read about the celebrations at the Wigmore Hall website, where you will find details of the five-day festival planned and curated by Steven Isserlis and friends, running from Friday 1 November to Tuesday 5 November. The programme will include all of Fauré’s chamber music, put in context of his friends and contemporaries. It will also give us the rare opportunity to hear both of the piano trios by his good friend Saint-Saëns.

Published post no.2,288 – Thursday 29 August 2024

Playlist – Charles Villiers Stanford (died 29 March 1824)

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by Ben Hogwood

This is a playlist to mark the contribution to classical music of the Irish composer Charles Villiers Stanford, who died on 29 March 1924.

If you are a first-time listener to Stanford, the playlist gives a first indication of the strength of his output – though there is much more to enjoy should you wish to go further!

The Irish Rhapsodies have a lot of melodic charm…while the Piano Concerto no.2 is a fine work that is a late Romantic equivalent to Rachmaninov. Stanford was a fine choral and vocal composer, too – there are glimpses of that here – while for sheer positivity and generosity of melody, his Symphony no.6 takes some beating

You can enjoy all of those below! Arcana intends to return to Stanford’s music in more detail later in the year…

https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/63d3bb6b-62eb-477d-aaa8-4ba287d6c0cd

Published post no.2,135 – Monday 1 April 2024

Playlist – Bedřich Smetana (born 2 March 1824)

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by Ben Hogwood

This month we mark 200 years since the birth of Czech composer Bedřich Smetana in Litomyšl, east of Prague, on 2 March 1824.

Smetana is fondly regarded as the father of Czech music, his output spearheaded by the remarkable cycle of six symphonic poems Má vlast (My Country), containing vivid descriptions not just of the Czech countryside but also its architecture and history.

A new recording of the cycle has just been issued by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and their conductor Semyon Bychkov, on the Pentatone label, and it is included on the playlist below. However – as I hope you will find – there is a lot more to Smetana than this wonderful sequence alone.

The String Quartet no.1, subtitled From My Life, is a poignant tale of the composer’s life and subsequent deafness, unforgettably portrayed in the finale by the first violin. Also worth investigating in the composer’s chamber music output are the Second String Quartet and Piano Trio, while the inclusion of Richard III shows a depth of Smetana’s orchestral writing that is yet to be fully exploited in concert or on record. Make a note, too, of his contribution to Romantic piano music, in a series of attractive polkas.

Smetana’s contribution to opera is perhaps his principal legacy. Two works in particular stand out – The Bartered Bride, from 1866, and Dalibor, completed two years later. While very short excerpts from these are included in the playlist, I have included links to complete performances so that you can become acquainted with them.

Hopefully Smetana’s music will be celebrated in the concert hall as the year progresses, for it is generously melodic and passionate. The more you hear, the more rewarding it becomes!

Published post no.2,108 – Tuesday 5 March 2024

Playlist – Josef Suk (born 4 January 1874)

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by Ben Hogwood

Today marks 150 years since the birth of Czech composer Josef Suk in Křečovice, south of Prague, on 4 January 1874.

Over the last 25 years or so, Suk, has enjoyed a mini-musical renaissance, thanks in part to the advocacy of conductors such as Libor Pešek and Sir Simon Rattle. Yet he remains a composer whose music still doesn’t get out that much.

Closer inspection reveals an innovative musical mind, proud of his Czech ancestry but taking in influences from the likes of Brahms as well as Dvořák, who, as well as being Suk’s teacher, became his father-in-law when he married daughter Otilie.

Suk wrote evocatively about nature and the seasons, but a good deal of his music was inspired by family connections, such as the piano suite About Mother, or Czech / Bohemian heritage and history, as in the large orchestral work Praga.

Hopefully 2024 will see more performances of Suk’s music, so that attached Tidal playlist will help set the scene. It introduces the orchestral works for which he is best known, but also some fine chamber and piano compositions. Get a flavour for the music for Suk below:

https://embed.tidal.com/playlists/a43b1560-a91d-48ed-8dd4-e0bb1393ba7e?layout=gridify