The Recording: In 1975 L’Oiseau-Lyre Records (SOL 344) brought out a remarkable LP of Franz Reizenstein’s chamber music. This album featured the Piano Quintet in D major, op.23 (1948), the Partita for treble recorder (or flute) and piano, op.13 (1938) and the present Oboe Sonatina. The Quintet was performed by the Melos Ensemble (Emanuel Hurwitz, Ivor McMahon (violins), Cecil Aronowitz (viola), Terence Weil (cello) and Lamar Crowson (piano). The soloists in the Partita were Carl Dolmetsch (recorder) and Joseph Saxby (piano). The legendary Janet Craxton played the oboe in the Oboe Sonatina accompanied by Lamar Crowson.
The Gramophone (July 1975) provided the formal review of this
album. L.S. (Lionel Salter) began by
lamenting the fact that little of Reizenstein’s music had been recorded. The
honourable exceptions were the 1960 Lyrita LP (RCA 19, REAM2105) of piano music
played by the composer, a recording of the hilariously funny Concerto
Popolare and Let’s Fake an Opera for the Hoffnung Festivals and a
‘cherished’ 78rpm record of The Lambeth Variations written under the
pseudonym of Frank Raystone. In 1975 none of Reizenstein’s four concertos or
other major works were available. This has been remedied to a certain extent by
2020. L.S. thinks that this is a situation
‘unthinkable in most other countries, where a pianist/composer of his talents
and standing would certainly not have lacked representation…’
Turning to the Oboe Sonatina, the
critic explains that it is now a mainstay of the repertoire. I think this is
over stating things a little bit, certainly 45 year on. The Sonatina, he feels,
‘has melodic and rhythmic charm and, in the finale, brilliance with the piano
asserting itself as at least an equal partner.’ Craxton interpreted the
Sonatina ‘most sensitively, but her tone in real life has more colour than this...’
Of concern was the fact that in ‘the recapitulation of the first movement she
is disadvantageously recorded in relation to the piano.’ This was a technical
issue, as Lamar Crowson has an ‘instinct for chamber music that is well-nigh
unerring.’
The editorial section of The Gramophone (September 1975) welcomed this ‘valuable collection of Franz Reizenstein’s chamber music’ despite it being ‘rather variably recorded’. It considered the ‘impressive Piano Quintet fared best’ but this was not ideal as there was ‘some discrepancy between the string quarter in front and the piano behind.’ I should point out that this problem has been resolved on the CD remastering. As to the Oboe Sonatina, the editor thought that Janet Craxton ‘lacked the bloom one expected, a sound that almost crumbled, while in the Partita… the wind instrument was located ‘too far behind the piano’, and was ‘piping forlornly in the background.’
A long evaluation of this LP was given in the Musical Times (December 1975). Paul Griffith considered that both the Partita and the Oboe Sonatina were ‘courteous pieces, engaging in their rhythmic wit, melodic charm and the skilfulness of their formal and contrapuntal control.’ Like many reviewers, Griffith notes that they are the ‘work of an expert craftsman [and] a smoothed and smiling [pupil of] Hindemith…’ They received ‘polished performances here.’
In 1991, the Oboe Sonatina was reissued on the Continuum label (CCD 1024). This CD included the Piano Quintet in D major, op.23 as well as the Sonata for violin and piano, op.20 (1945). In this last work the soloists were Eric Gruenberg and David Wilde. The Partita for treble recorder and piano was omitted. Michael Jameson (The Gramophone, November 1991) felt that the ‘recordings sound a little dated and rather brittle.’ On the other hand, all the performances ‘are affectionate and authoritative.’ As for the Oboe Sonatina, Jameson considered that the playing by Craxton and Crowson is ‘by turns witty and plangent, admirably suited to this light-hearted diversion.’
In 2006, Simax Records (PSC1161) released a recording of Brynjar Hoff, oboe & Kaare Ordung, piano playing the Oboe Sonatina. I have not heard this CD. I understand that this was originally released on Libra Classics (LCD 1004) in 1995. I was unable to find a review of this CD, which seems to have been deleted. Other works included Britten’s Six Metamorphoses after Ovid, op.49 (1951), Mozart’s Oboe Quartet in F major, K. 370/368b (1781) and Schumann’s Drei Romanzen, op.94 (1849).
Conclusion: Franz Reizenstein’s Oboe Sonatina makes an ideal recital piece. It balances workmanship, continental neo-classicism and an English sensibility that commands our attention. It demands to be heard on a regular basis and deserves a new recording some 45 years after the premiere LP release.
Janet Craxton’s and Lamar Crowson’s recording of Reizenstein’s Oboe Sonatina has been uploaded to YouTube: Allegretto, Andante and Vivace.
Acknowledgement: Sonatina For Oboe and Piano op.11: Composed by Franz Reizenstein © Copyright 1942 Complete Music Limited. Printed by Permission of Hal Leonard Europe Limited
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