Search - Hans Pfitzner, Claudius Tanski :: Pfitzner: Chamber Music

"Musical Impotence"?!...hardly...

Sébastien Melmoth | Hôtel d'Alsace, PARIS | 06/16/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

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Hans Pfitzner was a very cold fish: admirable but not loveable.



Of the composers he most resembles, Reger had more passion; Hindemith had warmer tone; and Karg-Elert had more colour.



In many ways, Pfitzner is the antithetical twin of Schreker--(both of whom are remembered these days only by European musicians anxious for recovered music to play).



The unifying element of all these artists has two parts:

(1) each developed his own theory of harmony;

(2) each developed his own individual style in the outlands of tonality.



Pfitzner was an ardent lover of what he considered to be a German cultural spirit. This attitude bordered on nationalism, and resulted in something like reactionaryism.

After WW1 he struck out against modernistic tendencies with a book entitled,

The New Aesthetic of Musical Impotence: A Symptom of Decay?

Alban Berg replied in 1920 with a pamphlet humorously entitled,

The Musical Impotence of Hans Pfitzner's `New Aesthetic.'

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Of Pfitzner's available discs, this year 2000 issue is surely one of the best, having won critical kudos in Europe and America.

The recital features two chamberworks of classic form: the violin sonata and the piano trio.



Hearing these pieces there is no question that Pfitzner was a very talented artist, for they fully reveal his mastery of every aspect of string and pianistic technique.

This is music for those who betimes want to marvel at the technical aspects of fine art without being affected by a direct emotional appeal; withal, it offers the satisfaction of an exceptionally cerebral aesthetic experience.



Of the performing artists, the eclectic Ben Schmid was a protégé of the great Stéphane Grapelli.

Schmidt plays a 1707 Stradivarius with wonderful tone.

Hagen brother Clemens appears on cello, and Claudius Tanski is house pianist for MD&G.

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Further Recommendations:

Hans Pfitzner Lieder

Pfitzner: Quintet Op.23/ Sextet Op.55

Lieder Complete Editions (Box Set)

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Reger: Clarinet Quintet; String Sextet

Hindemith: The Complete Sonatas for Brass and Piano

Sigfrid Karg-Elert: Piano Works, Vol. 4

Schreker: Flammen

Menuhin & Grappelli Play...

Improvisations - Jazz In Paris

Souvenirs

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