Rarities of Piano Music at Schloss Husum: 2024

Once again it is time to review a selection from last year’s Festival of Piano Music held at the Schloss Husum, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The advertising information explains that this anthology of “Rarities” contained a “large number of short pieces by fourteen different composers.” The producers have assembled these excerpts from the week’s concerts into a satisfying exploration of the vast and varied repertoire.

This recital gets off to an imaginative start with Ilmari Hannikainen’s Conversation which is the third movement of Impressions, op.11b (1915/16). This piece played by Severin von Eckardstein, is tonal, suitably pianistic, and quite simply delightful. Hannikainen was a Finnish composer and pianist. After study in Vienna and St. Petersburg he taught at the Sibelius Academy. His catalogue includes chamber music, a piano concerto, and film scores. Stylistically, he sits on the cusp between Romanticism and Impressionism.

Nikolai Medtner’s Romantic Sketches, op.54 (1933), are subtitled “For the Young.” There is certainly nothing here that the tyro can approach with any ease. Eckardstein performs the final two sketches, Hymn and The Beggar. The former is a serene (but not easy) exposition of a charming tune, suggesting a gentle shower. The latter provides a constantly changing pattern of rhythms that portrays the mendicant’s troubled life on the streets.

Italian concert pianist and professor of music Alfonso Soldano, plays two Nocturnes by two forgotten composers - at least in the United Kingdom. Albert Bertelin’s Nocturne in F sharp minor (1911) is the third of a set of three pieces, including a Ballade and a Barcarolle. This Nocturne is more rhapsodic and dramatic than the genre would normally suggest. Although opening and closing quietly, there are several sections including a considerable peroration. Ukrainian Viktor Kosenko’s Nocturne in F sharp minor, op.9 No.3 (1921) is more traditional in scope. This romantic piece unfolds with a gentle melancholy, sometimes reflective, occasionally yearning in mood. Listeners will detect the influence of Scriabin, alongside a small infusion of local folk music. One of the comeliest tracks on this album

Edvard Grieg needs no introduction, however, his Improvisations on two Norwegian Folk-Songs, op.29 (1878) is not one of his more popular works. The liner notes explain that these were mined from a collection of traditional melodies compiled by the organist Ludwig Lindeman (1812-87). Grieg has redrafted these tunes through the prism of Romanticism. The character is one of strong unpredictable contrasts – from the playful to the deeply brooding and from lyrical to stormy drama. The Norwegian pianist Christian Grøvlen, gives a satisfying performance of this striking work. It deserves to be better known.

The liner notes explain that Rued Langgaard’s Stambogsblad (Album Leaf) BVN 38 (1909) was completed when the Dane was only sixteen years of age. He dedicated it to his patron Louise Augustinus as a birthday gift in 1909. Langgaard must have been listening to Richard Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll when he knocked out this piece. This miniature is given a commanding performance by Dresden-born Matthias Kirschnereit.

The legendary pianist and composer Leopold Godowsky is nowadays recalled for his reworking of Chopin’s Études, souping them up into even more difficult contortions. One of his original numbers was given an airing at the festival by Patrick Hemmerlé – the Java Suite dating from 1924-25. This massive twelve movement piano cycle was inspired by his travels through Indonesia whilst on a tour of East Asia. The first extract heard on this disc is Three Dances (No.7) which according to Godowsky reflects respectively the languor, the charm, and the poetry of the region. He has “translated [this] into an Occidental idiom.” The second, The Gardens of Buitenzorg (No.8), paints a vivid musical picture of the Dutch colonial Governor-General’s summer residence.

Clare Hammond confronts Cécile Chaminade’s Étude romantique in G flat major, op.132 (1909) with a stunning performance that balances the toccata-like opening with the lyrical middle section. The conclusion is spectacular. This Étude belies the notion that Chaminade was “merely” a salon music composer.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s 24 Negro Melodies, op.59 (1905) is surely an unacknowledged triumph of British piano composition. Coleridge-Taylor wrote that "What Brahms has done for the Hungarian folk-music, Dvorak for the Bohemian, and Grieg for the Norwegian, I have tried to do for these Negro Melodies.” The whole collection, which lasts for more than one and half hours, is a successful attempt at integrating African American music into mainstream European Romanticism. Deep River, which is the tenth in the cycle is a beautiful spiritual expressing a longing for freedom and peace. It can also be interpreted as a metaphor for death and the journey to heaven. Clare Hammond gives a moving account of this piece.

Ronald Stevenson’s Threepenny Sonatina (1987-88) explores themes from Kurt Weill’s Threepenny Opera (1928). It majors on Mac the Knife but also hints at Pirate Jenny and Shadow March. It is a subtle blend of jazz harmonies and rhythms, mocking marches and 1930s German dance band music. It is difficult to decide if the impact of this short work is sarcastic, satirical, or humorous. Imaginatively played by the Hong-Kong pianist Chiyan Wong.

Walter Niemann was a German composer, pianist, teacher, and critic now recalled for his many piano miniatures. Influenced by Impressionism and Exoticism, his music often evokes travel, history, and fantasy, blending salon charm with a refined artisanry. Mr Wong played the Niemann’s five movement Moderne Tanzsuite, op.115 (1929) at his recital. Two movements are heard on this disc. The Valse Boston is an elegant and languid slow tempo version of its Viennese model whilst the Tango is sultry and quite dramatic. The other movements include Blues, Tempo di Charleston, and a Negro Dance.

The Dutch composer Leo Kok is a new name to me. The liner notes explain that he was a “polymath” and a “renaissance man.” Not only a writer of music, but also a political activist, a vocal coach, and a bibliophile. He must be one of only a few in his profession to have been a footballer who played for his national team. The Intermezzo en forme de Tango (1923) was offered to La Asociación Wagneriana de Buenos Aires. It is typically moody and is a good example of a fusion between classical and Latin American dance hall repertoire. It is played by the Austrian pianist Gottlieb Wallisch, who is due to release an album of Kok’s works soon. Wallisch also plays Venezuela composer Reynaldo Hahn’s “bewitching” Los Enamorados, Tango-Habanera (1926) which was originally a number in a Parisian revue.

The final offering is also my favourite piece on this disc. Written in 1940, Les chemins de l’amour is Francis Poulenc’s wistful valse chantée or Café waltz, which was originally a part of the incidental music for Jean Anouilh’s play Léocadia. Reimagined for piano solo, it typifies Poulenc’s individual style, which was capable of blending “popular” salon elegance with a classical refinement. It is given a gorgeous performance by the Italian Dutch pianist Saskia Giorgini.

The recording is excellent, but bearing in mind it was made at live events there is occasional “noises off” which add to the impact. The liner notes by Peter Grove are extensive.

This disc presents a wide range of moods and styles. There are threads of nationalism, exoticism, salon charm and much late Romantic endeavour. It is an anthology that rewards curiosity and invites repeated listening and creates a continued demand for rediscovery of forgotten and neglected music.

Track Listing:
Ilmari Hannikainen (1892-1955)
From Impressions, op.11b (1915/16): No.3 – Conversation
Nikolai Medtner (1880-1951)
From Romantic Sketches, op.54 (1933): No.7 – Prélude (Hymne); No.8 – Märchen (Der Bettler)
Severin von Eckardstein (piano)
Albert Bertelin (1872-1951)
Nocturne in F sharp minor (1911)
Viktor Kosenko (1896-1938)
Nocturne in F sharp minor, op.9 No.3 (1921)
Alfonso Soldano (piano)
Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
Improvisations on two Norwegian Folk-Songs, op.29 (1878)
Christian Grøvlen (piano)
Rued Langgaard (1893-1952)
Stambogsblad, BVN 38 (1909)
Matthias Kirschnereit (piano)
Leopold Godowsky (1870-1938)
From Java Suite, Part 3 (1924/25): No.7 – Three Dances; No.8 – The Gardens of Buitenzorg
Patrick Hemmerlé (piano)
Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944)
Étude romantique in G flat major, op.132 (1909)
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912)
From 24 Negro Melodies, op.59 (1905): No.10 – Deep River
Clare Hammond (piano)
Kurt Weill (1900-50)/Ronald Stevenson (1928-2015)
Threepenny Sonatina (1987/88)
Walter Niemann (1876-1953)
From Moderne Tanzsuite, op.115 (1929): No.2 – Valse Boston; No.4 – Tango
Chiyan Wong (piano)
Leo Kok (1893-1992)
Intermezzo en forme de Tango (1923)
Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947)
Los Enamorados, Tango-Habanera (1926)
Gottlieb Wallisch (piano)
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
Les chemins de l’amour (1940)
Saskia Giorgini (piano)
rec. 17-24 August 2024 live
Danacord DACOCD989

With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.