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Track(s) taken from CDA68343

Four Pieces, Op 70

composer
late summer 1896; for cello and piano; dedicated to Robert Hausmann

The Nash Ensemble, Adrian Brendel (cello), Simon Crawford-Phillips (piano)
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Recording details: September 2020
All Saints' Church, East Finchley, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Phil Rowlands
Engineered by Phil Rowlands
Release date: September 2021
Total duration: 16 minutes 48 seconds

Cover artwork: Four Trees (1917) by Egon Schiele (1890-1918)
Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna / Photo © Luisa Ricciarini / Bridgeman Images
 

Reviews

‘The Nash’s previous Bruch disc on Hyperion—comprising the string quintets and string Octet—was intelligently conceived and magnificently played, making the case for Bruch as the pre-eminent disciple (if not quite the equal) of Schumann and Brahms. I’m delighted to say that this new release only strengthens that impression … these are performances to make you realise that you’ve underestimated Bruch—and to leave you very happily corrected’ (Gramophone)

‘Taking their cue from Stephanie Gonley’s first-violin leadership, the Trio and Quartet performances have a classy verve that convinces strongly … Adrian Brendel and Lawrence Power excel in the Romance and Four Pieces, as does Simon Crawford-Phillips’s accompanying—strongly characterful, while not looking to dominate—in both works and in the Piano Trio’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More
PERFORMANCE
RECORDING

‘Let these five elite chamber musicians convert you to the cause … you won’t find better advocates … the melancholy Romance for viola is a plum, slightly better known in its orchestral version, but here gloriously played by Power and Crawford-Phillips’ (The Guardian)» More

‘The Four Pieces for cello and piano … are played with great warmth and variety of registral shading by Adrian Brendel … the surprise is the String Quartet No 2, a concentrated, varied work that best shows off the Nash players’ individual skills and collective empathy—and one written by Bruch at the grand old age of 22’ (The Strad)

‘The Nash Ensemble, which has also recorded the quintets and Octet (CDA68168), are perfectly placed to explore the very different charms and indeed combinations of instrumentation involved in their latest undertaking … All Saints’ Church, East Finchley, in London is a popular Hyperion venue and once again it’s proved a fine choice, balanced and not too distant or billowing. The engineering is excellent and so is the programme, a well-rounded, thoughtful look at Bruch through the decades in a variety of chamber settings’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘The Nash Ensemble has done well by Max Bruch in the past … I would certainly suggest this fine all-Bruch programme is a very good choice’ (MusicWeb International)» More

‘It’s all music the Nash players have easily in hand, technically and expressively … one could hardly ask for more persuasive Bruch advocacy than what the Nash Ensemble offers here’ (The Arts Fuse, USA)» More
In the case of the Four Pieces for cello and piano, Op 70, produced in the late summer of 1896, the dedicatee was Robert Hausmann (1852-1909), the leading German cellist, member of Joseph Joachim’s Berlin quartet and co-soloist with him in Brahms’s Double Concerto. Bruch wrote several works for cello and orchestra—the best-known being Kol Nidrei, also dedicated to Hausmann—but these are his only surviving recital pieces for the instrument, as an 1862 cello sonata is lost. All of the Four Pieces are in ternary form, with plenty of interest for the pianist, and can be said to be based on borrowed material: the aria was actually filched from Bruch’s twelve-year-old eldest son Max Felix, who had written it that summer for flute and piano. Father Bruch gave it his full treatment and no one who was not ‘in the know’ would have guessed that the cello was not the original choice. One can easily imagine both the main theme and the contrasting theme being set to words. The other three pieces, a Finnish song, a lively Swedish dance and the haunting Scottish air The lea-rig, reflect Bruch’s lifelong fascination with folk material from many countries. It is a mystery why these fine, effective pieces have been taken up by so few cellists.

from notes by Tully Potter © 2021

Dans le cas des Quatre Pièces pour violoncelle et piano, op.70, écrites à la fin de l’été 1896, le dédicataire était Robert Hausmann (1852-1909), le principal violoncelliste allemand, membre du quatuor berlinois de Joseph Joachim et cosoliste avec lui dans le Double Concerto de Brahms. Bruch écrivit plusieurs œuvres pour violoncelle et orchestre—la plus connue étant Kol Nidrei, également dédiée à Hausmann—mais celles-ci sont ses seules pièces de récital pour violoncelle qui nous sont parvenues, car une sonate pour violoncelle et piano de 1862 est aujourd’hui perdue. Les Quatre Pièces sont toutes de forme ternaire, avec beaucoup de choses intéressantes pour le pianiste, et l’on peut dire qu’elles reposent sur du matériel emprunté: l’aria fut en réalité subtilisée au fils aîné de Bruch, Max Felix, âgé de douze ans, qui l’avait écrite cet été-là pour flûte et piano. Bruch père lui donna son traitement complet et, hormis les intimes, nul n’aurait pu deviner qu’elle n’était pas à l’origine destinée au violoncelle. On peut aisément imaginer des paroles à la fois sur le thème principal et le thème contrastant. Les trois autres pièces, un chant finlandais, une danse suédoise animée et l’air écossais lancinant The lea-rig, reflètent la fascination de Bruch, tout au long de sa vie, pour le matériel folklorique de nombreux pays. On ne comprend pas pourquoi ces belles pièces, qui font beaucoup d’effet, n’ont été reprises que par si peu de violoncellistes.

extrait des notes rédigées par Tully Potter © 2021
Français: Marie-Stella Pâris

Die Vier Stücke für Violoncello und Klavier, op. 70, komponiert im Spätsommer 1896, sind dem führenden deutschen Cellisten Robert Hausmann (1852-1909) gewidmet, der Mitglied von Joseph Joachims Berliner Quartett war und zusammen mit dem berühmten Geiger auch das Doppelkonzert von Brahms aufgeführt hatte. Bruch schrieb mehrere Werke für Cello und Orchester—am bekanntesten ist das Kol Nidrei, welches ebenfalls Hausmann gewidmet ist—doch handelt es sich hierbei um die einzigen erhaltenen Kammermusikwerke für das Instrument (eine Cellosonate von 1862 ist verschollen). Die Vier Stücke haben alle jeweils eine dreiteilige Form, viele interessante Passagen für den Pianisten, und man kann sagen, dass sie auf geliehenem Material basieren: die Arie ist tatsächlich von Bruchs ältestem Sohn Max Felix übernommen, der sie in jenem Sommer (im Alter von 12 Jahren) für Flöte und Klavier geschrieben hatte. Vater Bruch bearbeitete sie umfassend, und niemand, der „nicht eingeweiht“ war, hätte vermutet, dass das Cello nicht das ursprüngliche Instrument war. Man kann sich durchaus vorstellen, dass sowohl das Hauptthema als auch das Gegenthema mit Text unterlegt werden könnte. Die anderen drei Stücke, ein finnisches Lied, ein lebhafter schwedischer Tanz und die eindringliche schottische Melodie, The lea-rig, spiegeln Bruchs lebenslange Faszination für Volksmusik aus verschiedenen Ländern wider. Es ist ein Rätsel, warum diese gelungenen und wirkungsvollen Stücke bisher von so wenigen Cellisten eingespielt worden sind.

aus dem Begleittext von Tully Potter © 2021
Deutsch: Viola Scheffel

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