Search - Ernst von Dohnanyi, Michael Halasz, Budapest Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia :: Dohnanyi: Konzertstuck for Cello and Orchestra; Sonata for cello and Piano; Ruralia Hungarica

Dohnanyi as composer

Robert Badger | Philadelphia, PA | 09/02/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ernst von Dohnanyi, grandfather of the prominent conductor Christoph von Dohnanyi, was one of the preeminent figures in Hungarian cultural life before World War II. He was renowned as a composer, a conductor, and a pianist. As director of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest, he was a primarily influence on the cultural life of his nation.As a composer, he was conservative in his musical tastes. He differed sharply from his near contemporaries, Bartok and Kodaly. His work shuns avant-garde techniques. His harmonies are always pleasant. Nevertheless, it is work that is very much worth listening to. This recording, skillfully given to us by Naxos, presents us with some of his work for cello. He was a wonderful composer, and Naxos is to be praised for giving us this wonderful recording."

A Wonderful CD from Start to Finish

Jeffery A. Triggs | New Jersey | 06/22/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I happened on this CD more or less by accident while doing a search for Ruralia Hungarica recordings, and was intrigued by the sample of the Konzertstück. I then went back and searched and sampled various recordings of the Konzertstück. I was tempted by a couple - one paired with the Dvorák Cello Concerto and another with a concerto by d'Albert and Enescu's Symphonie Concertante - but decided to buy this because I'm on a Dohnányi kick at the moment and wanted the Cello Sonata, which I didn't have, and the only cello and piano piece (Op. 32d) of the complicatedly published Ruralia set (the original Op. 32 is a set of 7 pieces for piano, 32b is a set of 5 for orchestra, and 32c is a set of 3 for violin and piano). I deferred my satisfaction by deciding to get the CD rather than downloading the tracks in order to get the program notes. When it arrived, I waited a bit before playing it, but then was so enraptured that I did something I rarely do: played the whole CD again immediately, and I have played it several times with comparable enjoyment in the days since then.



I am coming to believe that Dohnány is one of the most underrated composers of the 20th century. Early in his career, Dohnány was celebrated as a composer, a virtuoso pianist, and a conductor, but as he was relatively conservative in his compositions (the word "relatively" needs to be stressed here, for his work is unmistakably that of a developing "modern" romantic though not a "modernist"), his reputation suffered after the 2nd World War during the heyday of the Adorno crowd. He was also unjustly smeared by the communist government in post-war Hungary as a Nazi sympathizer, which hindered his later career in the United States, though in fact he loved his adopted country and became a citizen in 1955. In recent years, now that we no longer labor under the atonalists' version of music history, there has been a revival of interest in Dohnány's music generally and a rehabilitation of his reputation. His opus numbers are relatively modest - only 48 in his long life compared with, say, Max Reger, who hit 144 by the time he was 42 - but like Rachmaninov (who only made it to Op. 45 by the way) he had to find time for composition in spite of a busy concert schedule, and he made almost every work count. Simply put, Dohnány's works are almost always good and more often than not approach or achieve greatness.



The opening work on this CD, the Konzertstück, for cello & orchestra in D major, Op. 12, had its premiere on March 7, 1906. It is sometimes referred to as his "Cello Concerto", but actually Dohnány's Schumannesque title is more apt. Though on some recordings it is divided into three recognizable movements, it is a smaller, quieter, more rhapsodic work than his lovely full-scale concerti for piano and violin (two of each). The three sections which blend into each other are full of beautiful orchestral turns and lovely passage work for the cello, an instrument Dohnány's father played as an accomplished amateur. Indeed, the spirits of Schumann, Brahms, and Dvorák can be detected here, but the music is recognizably if subtly more modern, and Dohnány's special sound is apparent throughout. When I finish listening to it, I find myself inwardly exclaiming: "Gosh! that was good!" Indeed, it is a mystery to me why this piece, with its ample but becomingly short length, is not already a staple on the hour long radio shows (hint for WQXR - it will delight your audiences but allow time for your ads to run). Update October 2008. The more I hear this, the more I think that Dohnány had a secret program, including what can best be described as weathering a "storm" in the third section and a final affirmation of his love for life. I also think Konzertstück kept a special meaning for Dohnány who comes close to quoting it a la Strauss in the great adagio movement of his late 2nd Symphony.



The Sonata for cello & piano, Op. 8, is an early work that had its first performance in London on December 4, 1899. Like the even earlier Piano Quintet (Op. 1), it is quite Brahmsian in spirit and tone, though with some hints of Schumann in the gorgeous Adagio non troppo movement. The last movement employs one of Dohnány's (and Brahms's) favorite forms, a theme with a spirited set of variations.



Dohnány was never as closely associated with Hungarian folk music as his younger contemporaries and friends, Bartók and Kodály, but he was not uninfluenced by it, and in fact made considerable use of Hungarian themes and motifs particularly in his music from the 1920s. The Ruralia Hungarica pieces date from this period (1924) and demonstrate just how charming a nationalistic composer Dohnány could be on these rarer occasions. Here Dohnány has thoroughly imbibed his folk themes and is thus able to present them in his own, subtly inimitable style. The cello piece is simply delightful. Dohnány seems to have transcribed the different sets with an unerring sense of which ones would work best with different sets of musical forces. The piece here is full of ethnic flavor and rises to a delicate climax with the cello soaring over arpeggiated chords on the piano. (Note to WQXR: play this one during your commuting hours when the ads and specials are fast and furious)



I didn't recognize any of the performers here, but their playing is uniformly excellent throughout, and I have had no regrets at choosing this CD over the others which had better known artists. You won't either. Update October 2008. I can now wholeheartedly recommend Maria Kliegel's rendition of the Konzertstück, having also purchased Alban Gerhardt's version. Kliegel's pacing is better throughout - indeed, it seems as though she likes the work better, and it shows."