In spring 1827 Schubert performed the first part of his best-known song cycle ' Winterreise ' for his friends for the first time. At this time he assumed that he had set all the texts belonging to the cycle to music. Only later did he come across the complete cycle of 24 songs in Müller's volume ' Gedichte aus den hinterlassenen Papieren eines reisenden Waldhornisten ' of 1824. As a result, he set…

Score Parties. Par BEETHOVEN LUDWIG VAN. The Trio for Three Flutes here presented appeared in 1964, when Jean-Pierre Rampal acquired a non-original manuscript of this work in the Czech Republic. Attributed to an early period for its light character and instrumentation, the Trio was taken into serious consideration by Beethoven scholar and redactor of arguably the most complete of Beethoven's cat…

Par BEETHOVEN LUDWIG VAN. It was not until 1814, five years after the Sonata op. 81 ; Les Adieux, that Beethoven, then at the height of his popularity during the Congress of Vienna, returned to the piano sonata. The highly lyrical Sonata in E minor, the last piano sonata from his middle period, consists of two movements with solely German tempo marks and is dedicated to his piano-playing friend an…

Par RACHMANINOV SERGEI. Alongside HN 1264 (the Etude in e flat minor op. 39, 5), Henle are now offering the Etude In C Major in a single edition, taken from their much-loved complete edition of the 17 Études-Tableaux. Rachmaninoff greatly valued this work, often included it in his concert programmes and also recorded it. A longing melody unfolds over a simple accompaniment. This charming piece tha…

Par LACHENMANN HELMUT. temA was written in the summer of 1968. In spite of Ligeti's “Aventures” it may be considered one of the first compositions in which the breathing plays a role as an accoustically transmitted energy process (Holliger, Globokar, Kagel, Schnebel and Stockhausen in “Hymnen” have already worked on this phenomenon independently of each other and from different points of view). Mo…

Par SPARKE PHILIP. MASQUERADE was commissioned by Stadtmusik Willisau from Switzerland (Reto Güdel, conductor) to celebrate their 175th anniversary in 2003 and first performed by them in November that year. 1. OvertureThe first movement opens with a fanfare-like figure, featuring the brass, before the main them is introduced over staccato chords. After a short, syncopated interlude a legato theme …

Gustav Holst has earned a place among the most revered of late 19th and early 20th century composers and is best known for his enduring Orchestral suite The Planets.But before that great work, in his use of Englsh folksongs, Gnostic texts and these Vedic hymns, one can discern Holst's search for a compositional Voice beyond the constraints of the European canon in the early 1900's.Some see composi…

Arr. Philip Sparke. In Classic Hymns, Philip Sparke has taken 10 of the best-loved hymn tunes, popular around the world, and used them as the basis of a collection of short recital pieces, ranging from simple descant arrangements to a full-blown theme and variations. Ideal for concert or contest use, these charming pieces range in mood from triumphal to reflective and can provide that ‘musical mom…

Arr. Wil Van Der Beek. Par NESSLER VICTOR E.. Farewell Song has been taken from Der Trompetervon Säckingen by Victor E. Nessler (1841-1890). Thisopera tells the sentimental story of a plain musicianwho is eventually allowed to marry the daughter ofa baron. From the first performance in 1884, thisopera was well liked - not so much because of thestory but because of its musical features. Impressivet…

Op. 45 Nr. 2. Par DVORAK ANTONIN. Dvorák composed his 'Slavonic Rhapsodies” op. 45 in 1878, initiating his so-called 'Slavonic period”. They were issued by the publisher Simrock the following year as three independent orchestral pieces (in D major, G minor and A-flat major) appearing under the same opus number. Now the 'Slavonic Rhapsodies” are being issued separately in scholarly-critical editio…