Recently Published Chamber Music

To say that JOHANN BAPTIST VANHAL (1739-1813) was on friendly terms with most of the prominent composers then active in Vienna during the classical era would be no exaggeration. Reports survive of him playing the cello in a quartet with Dittersdorf on first violin, Haydn on second violin and Mozart on Viola. Mozart was impressed enough by his music to perform several of his violin concertos and conduct his symphones. For the last half of his life, Vanhal had no patron or steady salary and made his living writing for the emerging home music making market. His TRIO FOR CLARINET, VIOLIN AND CELLO IN B FLAT MAJOR is an excellent example of the type of work he produced for this market. Well-crafted and fun to play, it enjoyed considerable popularity and as such received several reprint editions. This is a fine choice for amateur ensembles or student groups looking to present a professional sounding work for recital.	Up until LOUISE FARRENC (1804-1875) appeared on the scene there were no women professors at the Paris Conservatory. It was only in 1842 that whe was appointed permanent Professor of Piano. She was the only woman to serve as a professor at that Conservatory througout the 19th century. Besides being one of the leading piano soloists of the day, she was also a first rate composer and several of her compositions also contributed to her appointment. Her PIANO TRIO NO.1 IN E FLAT MAJOR was the kind of work which showed that she was a first rate composer. This piano trio, in many ways, harks back to Beethoven's early piano trios both in the writing and the treatment of the instruments as her model. It is an appealing work filled with fetching melodies and one which certainly deserves concert performance. And, it is also a work which can be managed by amateurs with a first rate pianist.
MATHILDA KRALIK (1857-1944) is another first rate late Romantic era composer whose music, at least up until the First World War, enjoyed considerable popularity and was frequently performed. After the war, as music from that era was looked down up, it along with so many other fine works disappeared from the concert stage. It was probably due to the War that her NONET IN C MINOR FOR STRINGS, WINDS AND PIANO never received publication until now. We are extremely proud to present the World Premier Edition of this fine work which certainly deserves performance in the concert hall. It is superbly written for all of the instruments and filled with appealing melodies. Her alternating use of the complete ensemble against diverse smaller groups of the Nonet is original and quite striking. And unlike many works from this period, it is not beyond the technical abilities of average amateur enthusiasts which allows us to warmly recommended it to them.	The Norwegian composer CHRISTIAN SINDING (1856-1941) is, after Edvard Grieg, the best known composer from that country. Whereas Grieg used Norwegian folk melody extensively in his music, Sinding did so far less often and rather like Tchaikovsky developed what might be called a more cosmopolitan style. Grieg took his inspiration from Mendelssohn and Schumann, whereas Sinding, more than a decade younger than Grieg, was influenced primarily by Liszt and Wagner. Some critics have called his STRING QUARTET IN A MINOR the string quartet that Wagner never got around to writing. It is filled with Wagnerian style melodies including quotes from Tristan, Lohengrin and Parsifal. A massive dramatic work, it makes an indelible impression. Certainly a powerful choices for the concert hall but also within the reach of experienced amateur players.
The Italian composer ALFREDO d'AMBROSIO (1871-1914) first made his name as a touring violin soloist. Today, if he is remembered at all, it is as a first rate arranger and editor. Ill health forced him to give up his career as a touring soloist and thereafter he concentrated on composing and teaching. He composed a number of operas, but the bulk of his output was violin and piano. However, as a member of a professional string quartet, he also turned his attention to composing chamber music. In addition to his string quartet, he wrote several very charming shorter works for various string ensembles. His EN BADINANT FOR EITHER STRING QUINTET OR SEXTET is a very charming shorter work in the spirit of the best kind of salon music. Lively with memorable melodies and good part writing, it makes an excellent encore which will bring audiences to their feet. And it can also be warmly recommended to amateur groups looking for such a work as it is easy to play.	FRANZ DOPPLER (1821-1883) today is remembered as one of the greatest flute virtuosos of the 19th century. But he was much more than that. Having studied composition with Franz Liszt, he became a top notch orchestrator as well as a composer. He wrote several successful operas and his orchestration of Liszt's Hungarian Rapsodies, published with Liszt's permission, are still used today. If this were not enough, he also served as conductor of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra for several years. His compositions with flute were immensely popular and for good reason. One such work, his ANDANTE & RONDO FOR 2 FLUTES AND PIANO OR VIOLIN, FLUTE & PIANO which is filled with lovely melodies and exciting episodes. A winner in the concert hall, it shoudl not be ignored by amateurs who are technically assured players.
JOHANN BAPTIST CRAMER (1771-1858) though he was born in the German city of Mannheim, came with his family to London as child. Other than several extensive trips he made on the continent as a touring piano soloist, he spent the greater part of his life working in London. He was considered one of the best pianists of his day. Virtually all of his compositions were forthe piano in one form or another. His PIANO QUARTET IN E FLAT MAJOR, is a cross between the styles of Johann Christian Bach and Mozart. It is a lovely work which presents no unsurmountable technical difficulties and as such can certainly be tackled by amateurs.	While he was alive and throughout the first half of the 19th century, the name of FRANZ KROMMER (1759-1831) was routinely mentioned, along with those of Haydn and Mozart, as one of the three most important composers of string quartets from the classical era. (Beethoven being considered a Romantic era composer) Krommer's quartets were sought after by the leading publishers of the day and were immensely popular throughout Europe and even reached the United States. They could regularly be found along side of the quartets of Mozart and Haydn on chamber music programs. His STRING QUARTET IN D MAJOR was a typical example of a work which would appear on those programs but would also have been popular among Vienna's home music making amateur ensembles.
Often called the "Paganini of the Flute", GIULIO BRICCIALDI (1818-1881) was a virtuoso soloist who toured both in Europe and North America. Not surprisingly, most of his compositions included the flute. But his WIND QUINTET NO.1 IN D MAJOR is a shining example of how well he could write for all of the instruments in this kind of ensemble. This is a lively work with good part-writing for all and is full of charm and appealing melodies. Audiences which get to hear this work performed in concert are sure to get pleasure from it. But so will amateurs to whom we also recommend it as it does not make any undue demands on the players.	Trained in Italy, HENRIQUE OSWALD (1852-1931, arguably the most important Brazilian composer of the late 19th & early 20th centuries. His reputation and success spanned both Europe and South America. He composed a considerable amount of first rate chamber music such as his PIANO QUARTET NO.2 IN G MAJOR. Upon hearing it at a performance in Paris declaired it a masterwook composed by a formidable artist. It is a big work in five substantial movements which certainly deserves concert performance and which can tackled by technically assured and experienced amateur players.