Berwald Chamber Works
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Franz (Adolf) Berwald
Label: Hyperion
Magazine Review Date: 8/1996
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 67
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: CDA66834
Tracks:
| Composition | Artist Credit |
|---|---|
| Quartet for Piano and Wind |
Franz (Adolf) Berwald, Composer
Franz (Adolf) Berwald, Composer Gaudier Ensemble |
| Piano Trio No. 2 |
Franz (Adolf) Berwald, Composer
Franz (Adolf) Berwald, Composer Gaudier Ensemble |
| Grand Septet |
Franz (Adolf) Berwald, Composer
Franz (Adolf) Berwald, Composer Gaudier Ensemble |
Author: Robert Layton
Although Berwald’s best music comes from the 1840s (he was born in 1796), two early works stand out: the G minor String Quartet of 1818 and the Grand Septet (Stor Septett). Like so many essays in the genre it was modelled on the Beethoven Septet, which was often played in Stockholm – as it was pretty well everywhere at that time. Berwald wrote a septet in 1817 but no autograph survives. The work we know comes from 1828 and at the time Berwald spoke of it as a new work though it could well have been a reworking of the earlier piece. In a letter from Berlin in 1831 discussing his early works, Berwald speaks of the Septet so it seems likely that it was. It is innovative and anticipates the Sinfonie singuliere, in enfolding the scherzo into the body of the slow movement, and its invention is delightfully fresh. The Melos Ensemble made a fine recording (HMV, 1/69). Astrid Berwald, the composer’s granddaughter and a respected pianist told me that she thought it the finest she had ever heard. I would have suggested that EMI reissue it were it not for the fact that the present version supersedes it and any earlier recording I have heard.
The Gaudier Ensemble bring elegance and finesse not only to the Septet but also to its companions. The early E flat Quartet for piano and wind of 1819 is more conventional in its formal layout and is musically less interesting, but at the same time there are touches of that intelligence and wit that illumine all Berwald’s music and the piece shines in the Gaudier’s hands. The much later F minor Piano Trio of 1851 is more substantial and an unqualified delight. The writing is full of original touches and rhythmic vitality. Its placid surface is disturbed by all sorts of characteristic flourishes: in the theme of the slow movement there is one of those sudden and unexpected modulations for which Berwald’s contemporaries were always berating him. Susan Tomes handles the demanding piano part with exemplary skill and taste. It is all hugely enjoyable and well recorded too, with very present and finely detailed sound. This disc is apparently the first in what is to be a complete survey of Berwald’s chamber music to coincide with the bicentenary of his birth. If the rest is as good, this will be an invaluable set. Recommended with enthusiasm.'
The Gaudier Ensemble bring elegance and finesse not only to the Septet but also to its companions. The early E flat Quartet for piano and wind of 1819 is more conventional in its formal layout and is musically less interesting, but at the same time there are touches of that intelligence and wit that illumine all Berwald’s music and the piece shines in the Gaudier’s hands. The much later F minor Piano Trio of 1851 is more substantial and an unqualified delight. The writing is full of original touches and rhythmic vitality. Its placid surface is disturbed by all sorts of characteristic flourishes: in the theme of the slow movement there is one of those sudden and unexpected modulations for which Berwald’s contemporaries were always berating him. Susan Tomes handles the demanding piano part with exemplary skill and taste. It is all hugely enjoyable and well recorded too, with very present and finely detailed sound. This disc is apparently the first in what is to be a complete survey of Berwald’s chamber music to coincide with the bicentenary of his birth. If the rest is as good, this will be an invaluable set. Recommended with enthusiasm.'
Berwald Chamber Works
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