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Henze: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 3; Five Night Pieces
Hans Werner Henze, Christopher Lyndon-Gee, Saarbrucken Radio Symphony Orchestra
Henze: Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 3; Five Night Pieces
Genre: Classical
 
Henze's music seems to reflect the violent contrasts of his life. Born in 1926, drafted into the German army and captured by the British in 1944, he resumed his interrupted musical studies after the War and established a s...  more »

     
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Henze's music seems to reflect the violent contrasts of his life. Born in 1926, drafted into the German army and captured by the British in 1944, he resumed his interrupted musical studies after the War and established a successful career as conductor and composer. However, unable to endure Germany's political and cultural climate, he fled to Italy in 1953, never to return except for performances of his works. The two concertos recorded here were written 50 years apart. Though very different, they share certain characteristics. Soloist and orchestra seem engaged in a confrontation rather than a collaboration: primarily turbulent, loud, dissonant tuttis crash into the violin's lyrical, songful solos and brilliant cadenzas. It feels as if the soloist were trying to calm the orchestra's furious outbursts and affirm the existence of peace and beauty, though the violinist starts the First Concerto with a violent outburst. The Third Concerto was inspired by Thomas Mann's novel Doctor Faustus. Each movement depicts a specific character and situation. It begins with a slow, soft, and seductive melody, which is interrupted by ear-splitting orchestral crashes. These concertos must be among the most difficult in the literature, taxing the violinist's virtuosity to the utmost. They keep the soloist in the highest register for long stretches and also entail leaps across the fingerboard, dizzying speeds, and double, triple, and quadruple stops. Peter Sheppard Skaerved, Henze's long-time collaborator, completely inhabits the music, which he has widely performed and recorded to great acclaim. His playing is truly breath-taking: effortless, impeccably in tune, invariably pure and beautiful in sound and constantly expressive. The Five Night-Pieces, composed during sleepless nights, were written for him and Aaron Shorr and premiered by them at their debut as a duo. --Edith Eisler
 

CD Reviews

For Henze, start here
E. Weed | Houston, TX | 03/13/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Naxos has done us a great favor here once again: An excellent disc of well-chosen work by a 20th Century composer who ought to be at least somewhat better known. Henze's work is not for everybody; or perhaps I should say more specifically that it's possible to like some of Henze's work and yet have quite the opposite reaction to other parts of his output.



These violin concertos are stimulating, and often captivatingly lyrical, without being over the top, and represent an excellent place to start exploring Henze's music. Henze can write with a beautifully melodious voice, though it is within the context of extended tonality, much akin to Alban Berg. You might say he sounds like what he is: A German expatriate living in Italy. The first concerto, from 1946, is particularly under the Bergian influence, and is probably my favorite of the pieces presented. (In reading the headnote above, I worry that the description of the music suggests that it sounds more violent and tormented than it is; or at least than I hear it. It's not "easy listening", true, but much of it is delicate and graceful.)



The 3rd concerto is a tougher nut to crack, but has many lyrical moments, as do the Five Night Pieces. I'm still working on them, but I've enjoyed following the dialogue between the violin and the orchestra (or piano, as the case may be). However, one concerto at a time is usually enough for my ear, and I've been quite happy lately to concentrate on the first one.



The performances are exemplary and the sound is fine. If you like the Alban Berg of the Lulu Suite, you should definitely try this."
INTERESTING WORKS
Milan Simich | 07/03/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)

"Although the 2nd Violin Concerto of Henze's is to me the 'prize', both the early first and later 3rd should be performed more often. They are not difficult to listen to and offer the violinist lotsa 'meat'. The Night Pieces are a delight."
A very unschooled review
Julie M. Vognar | Berkeley, California United States | 07/14/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was an almost complete stranger to atonal music. I expected something emotionally and musically incomprehensibe to me--I bought the disc because Violin Concerto Numnber 3 dealt with three "portraits" from Thomas Mann's Doktor Faustus, and I thought--maybe I'll be able to get something out of it ( but actually thought that I'd start holding my ears, or leave the room, or something similar).

The first thing I noticed was that the violin playing was superlative. In fact, listening to music since I first heard this disc, I've found other violin playing less sure, less lyrical, less sweet, and less accomplished (Henze REALLY makes demands on the performer!).



Violin Concerto Number 3:

There emerged from the composition: lyrical, violent, sad... and then: loving, passionate, horrified, mourning, humorous, annoyed, ominous, self reriminating (!) (uh--five gunshuts? Yes! A trolly car? Yes!)

In fact, though not thematically, like "Peter and the Wold"--(remember that?) the three movements tell the history, almost liniarly, of the protagonist's relationships with Esmeraldda, Echo, and Rudolph S, each of whom have very important stories in the novel.



Suddenly, my focus shifted to my own life and feelings...why, these musical expressions can fit anyone's life! One doesn't hAve to read a 776-page novel to appreciate them.



The liner notes assure me that I'm wrong about the work; the man who wrote them, alas--he talks a lot about the book, but apparently neglected to read it. (Obviously, if Henze wanted to tell stories, he would be writing prose or poetry, not composing music....but the stories are there). In other words, in my musical ignorence, I am hearing literary things in music. I have a feeling many would consider this sacriligious.

Please forgive this musical amateur's opinions.



...But aren't there TWO examples of Tartini's "devil's trill" in the third movement?



I enjoyed the first concerto, too. I wondered--1946: the country Henze fled in 1933 had just been defeated in war...I thought I heard something of that.



But I may be all wrong. Read the other reviews, please."