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HOELLER: Fantasie for Violin and Organ; Triptychon for Organ solo; Improvisationen for Cello & Organ – William Preucil, v./ Roy Christensen, c./ Barbara Harbach, organ – MSR Classics

HOELLER: Fantasie for Violin and Organ; Triptychon for Organ solo; Improvisationen for Cello & Organ – William Preucil, v./ Roy Christensen, c./ Barbara Harbach, organ – MSR Classics

by | Jan 12, 2017 | Classical CD Reviews

The music of Karl Hoeller proves devotional and ecstatic in a highly individual but dark style.  KARL HOELLER: Music for Violin, Cello and Organ = Fantasie for Violin and Organ, Op. 49; Triptychon for Organ solo, Op. 64; Improvisationen for Cello and Organ, Op. 55 – William Preucil, v./ Roy Christensen, cello/ Barbara Harbach, organ – MSR Classics MS 1445, 70:55 (9/29/16) [Distr. by Albany] ****: During a phone interview with pianist Veronika Jochum, daughter of eminent conductor Eugen Jochum, the name of composer Karl Hoeller (1907- 1987) arose, in the course of a radio tribute to Eugen Jochum which featured one of Hoeller’s orchestral compositions.  Given Hoeller’s penchant for polyphony, tonal colors, and classical procedures, a comparison to Paul Hindemith seemed inevitable; but Ms. Jochum and I agree that Hoeller’s style feels distinctly less “academic” than that of Hindemith.  The three works presented here derive from the years 1949-1963. Violinist William Preucil served as concertmaster in Atlanta and in Cleveland, before assuming the first violin position with the Cleveland String Quartet. The Fantasie (1949) opens with a solo violin cadenza before the organ joins him in some “symphonic” harmonization. The writing for both instruments, whether in concert or individually […]

“STRAVINSKY in 4 Deals” = Violin Con.; Jeu de cartes; Movements – Soloists/Stravinsky – Praga Digitals

“STRAVINSKY in 4 Deals” = Violin Con.; Jeu de cartes; Movements – Soloists/Stravinsky – Praga Digitals

by | Aug 8, 2016 | Classical Reissue Reviews

This album serves as a microcosm of Stravinsky’s evolving musical styles, in four performances expertly restored.  “STRAVINSKY in 4 Deals” = Violin Concerto in D; Pulcinella – Suite; Jeu de cartes; Movements for Piano and Orchestra – David Oistrakh, violin/ Concerts Lamoureux/ Bernard Haitink/ Philharmonia Orch./ Otto Klemperer/ Bavarian Radio-Sym. Orch./ Igor Stravinsky/ Margrit Weber, p./ Radio-Sym. Berlin/ Ferenc Fricsay – Praga Digitals PRD 250 329, 78:37 (8/12/16) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****:   Praga assembles four distinct Stravinsky performances, 1937-1963, that realize the mercurial nature of the composer’s style, especially after his departure from Romanticism and the throes of Le Sacre du Printemps. Both the Pulcinella Suite (1922; rev. 1947) after Pergolesi and the Violin Concerto (1931) embrace neo-Classical ambitions, while Jeu de cartes (1936) – a ballet in “three deals” – ironically adopts both Classical and Expressionist modes. The late Movements for Piano and Orchestra of 1959 proffers Stravinsky’s version of pulverized materials in the style of Webern and serial technique. Of the four performances, three derive from studio recordings, while the Stravinsky reading of his own card game comes to us live – and in brash, exemplary mono sound – from Munich, 4 October 1957. The Violin […]