Search - Hindemith, Parkman :: Six Chansons / 5-Part Madrigals

Found at last on record: Six Chansons

Tyler S. Clark | Youngstown, OH | 08/23/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Six Chansons of Paul Hindemith are stunningly beautiful and, since they're in French (on poems of Rainer Maria Rilke), they're naturally brief. But this is perhaps the only recording of the chansons in existence (or at least the first I've found in six years of searching).The performance by the radio broadcast choir of Berlin is good sounding and well-pitched. Lacking only slightly is a polish to the sound engineering as well as the ensemble entrances. Some articulations in the Chansons need to be crisp and delicate and a few of these are admittedly not perfect.However, it is truly a blessing to finally have them on record. If you are unfamiliar with the Six Chansons, even if you're not a Hindemith fan, please give them a listen. Although only 8 minutes in total, they deliver complete release to your senses for that brief period... Highly recommended!"

Good...but better performances exist...

Joseph Cossette | Fort Lauderdale, FL USA | 03/17/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"As a side note to the previous reviewer...the performances of the Six Chansons on this recording are indeed good...but even better performances (IMHO) of these exist on the recordings by Uwe Gronostay conducting the Netherlands Chamber Choir (Globe - #5125), and simply titled "Hindemith: Choral Works" here on Amazon. Of course, real Hindemith choral fans will want both."

Interesting and Lovely Music

R. Albin | Ann Arbor, Michigan United States | 03/08/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Hindemith is known primarily as an instrumental and orchestral composer. This is a bit unfair as he composed a terrific oratorio based on Walt Whitman's Civil War poetry and ambitious but rarely performed operas. On this CD are some of his shorter and less complex vocal works composed for a capella choir. I suspect some listeners will be surprised by the music. These pieces are relatively straightforward and are not as demanding or dissonant as some of Hindemith's other music. These pieces, particularly the Six Chansons, are lovely and feature very accessible and really interesting music. They are informed by his study of Early Music but are hardly slavish imitations of early music. The performances are very good. Recommended strongly."