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Track(s) taken from CDD22053

Quartet for piano and wind in E flat major

composer
1819

The Gaudier Ensemble, Susan Tomes (piano)
Recording details: October 1995
All Saints' Church, East Finchley, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Martin Compton
Engineered by Tony Faulkner
Release date: May 1996
Total duration: 23 minutes 7 seconds
 

Reviews

‘Cherish this glowing collection of near-masterpieces, played with the utmost sensitivity and panache by the Gaudiers and the always wonderful Susan Tomes’ (BBC Music Magazine)

‘The Piano Quintet comes off marvellously and compares favourably with any performance on record, past or present … delightful performances on which it would be difficult to improve, and excellent recordings too’ (The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs)

‘The Gaudier Ensemble is flawless, unfailingly persuasive and play with both vigour and polish which makes this issue irresistible … it is difficult to conceive of better performances than these; each of the players … combines to the highest degree a virtuoso command of his or her instrument, a complete involvement in the score at hand, and perfect blending in ensemble. Hyperion's recording is as pure and natural as one could wish. Even the booklet is a model of what such things should be … any serious collector who has not yet encountered this music should search for this disc ASAP’ (Fanfare, USA)
The Quartet in E flat for piano and wind (clarinet, bassoon and horn) dates from 1819, when Berwald was in his mid-twenties. By this time he had already composed the 1817 Septet, two string quartets (the second of which does not survive), a set of variations for two violins, and a number of keyboard pieces which he published himself in his Journal de musique. Composed in the received idiom of the day and indebted to Hummel, Weber and Spohr, the Piano Quartet in E flat breaks no new moulds. It follows the usual formal conventions—the outer movements are in sonata form and the middle movement is in a simple lied form. At the same time there are some signs of individuality, and a lively intelligence and wit shine through. Though not a major part of the Berwald canon, it remains a worthwhile contribution to the chamber music repertoire.

from notes by Robert Layton © 1997

Le Quatuor en mi bémol pour piano et vents (clarinette, basson et cor), date de 1819, des vingt ans passés de Berwald. À cette époque, il avait déjà composé le Septuor (1817), deux quatuors à cordes—le second n’ayant pas survécu—, plus un ensemble de variations pour deux violons et un certain nombre de pièces pour clavier, publiées dans son Journal de musique. Composé dans le style du moment et redevable à Hummel, Weber et Spohr, le Quatuor pour piano en mi bémol ne sort pas des sentiers battus et suit les habituelles conventions formelles—les mouvements extrêmes sont de forme sonate tandis que le mouvement central est de simple forme lied. Parallèlement, l’œuvre présente certains signes d’individualité, qui laissent transparaître une intelligence et un esprit vifs. Bien que ne constituant pas une élément majeur du canon de Berwald, cette pièce demeure une contribution louable au répertoire de la musique de chambre.

extrait des notes rédigées par Robert Layton © 1997
Français: Hypérion

Das Quartett für Klavier und Bläser in Es-dur (Klarinette, Fagott und Horn), stammt aus dem Jahr 1819, als er sich in seinen Zwanzigern befand. Bis zu diesem Zeitpunkt hatte er bereits das Septett (1817), zwei Streichquartette, von denen das zweite verlorengegangen ist, eine Reihe von Variationen für zwei Violinen und einige Stücke für Tasteninstrumente, die er in seinem Journal de musique selbst veröffentlichte, komponiert. Das Klavierquartett in Es, komponiert in damaliger Idiomatik, verdankt Hummel, Weber und Spohr viel und bricht kaum mit der Tradition. Es ist nach den gewöhnlichen formalen Konventionen aufgebaut—die äußeren Sätze erscheinen in Sonatenform und der mittlere Satz besteht aus einem einfachen Lied. Zur gleichen Zeit sind aber auch einige Anzeichen von Individualität vorhanden, und eine lebhafte Intelligenz und Witz kommen hier zum Vorschein. Obwohl es nicht eines der Hauptwerke des künstlerischen Schaffens Berwalds darstellt, ist es ein wertvoller Beitrag zum Repertoire der Kammermusik.

aus dem Begleittext von Robert Layton © 1997
Deutsch: Ute Mansfeldt

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