Saturday, 20 August 2022
Meet the JournalistsPremiumAucklandWellingtonCanterbury/South Island
CrimePoliticsHealthEducationEnvironment and ClimateNZ Herald FocusData journalismKāhu, Māori ContentPropertyWeather
Small BusinessOpinionPersonal FinanceEconomyBusiness TravelCapital Markets
Politics
Premium SportRugbyCricketRacingNetballBoxingLeagueFootballSuper RugbyAthleticsBasketballMotorsportTennisCyclingGolfAmerican SportsHockeyUFC
NZH Local FocusThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay of Plenty TimesHawke's Bay TodayRotorua Daily PostWhanganui ChronicleStratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu Courier
Covid-19
Te Rito
Te Rito
OneRoof PropertyCommercial Property
Open JusticeVideoPodcastsTechnologyWorldOpinion
SpyTVMoviesBooksMusicCultureSideswipeCompetitions
Fashion & BeautyFood & DrinkRoyalsRelationshipsWellbeingPets & AnimalsVivaCanvasEat WellCompetitionsRestaurants & Menus
New Zealand TravelAustralia TravelInternational Travel
Our Green FutureRuralOneRoof Property
Career AdviceCorporate News
Driven MotoringPhotos
SudokuCodecrackerCrosswordsWordsearchDaily quizzes
Classifieds
KaitaiaWhangareiDargavilleAucklandThamesTaurangaHamiltonWhakataneRotoruaTokoroaTe KuitiTaumarunuiTaupoGisborneNew PlymouthNapierHastingsDannevirkeWhanganuiPalmerston NorthLevinParaparaumuMastertonWellingtonMotuekaNelsonBlenheimWestportReeftonKaikouraGreymouthHokitikaChristchurchAshburtonTimaruWanakaOamaruQueenstownDunedinGoreInvercargill
NZ HeraldThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay Of Plenty TimesRotorua Daily PostHawke's Bay TodayWhanganui ChronicleThe Stratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu CourierVivaEat WellOneRoofDriven MotoringThe CountryPhoto SalesNZ Herald InsightsWatchMeGrabOneiHeart RadioRestaurant Hub

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
Entertainment

Classic CD: Hindemith, Sonatas for...

6 Mar, 2015 04:00 PM2 minutes to read
CD cover for Hindemith, Sonatas for...

CD cover for Hindemith, Sonatas for...

By
William Dart

VIEW PROFILE

We don't hear enough of composer Paul Hindemith (1895- 1963). Two years ago, his 1940 Cello Concerto proved a revelation when the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra programmed it with soloist Johannes Moser; in 2012, Hindemith's earlier Kleine Kammermusik received a zesty workout from Wellington's Zephyr ensemble.

CDs provide some compensation. Search out John McCabe's recording of Ludus Tonalis, Hindemith's tribute to Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier or Finnish soprano Soile Isokoski's 2009 account of Das Marienleben.

Hindemith went his own composerly way, disdaining Schoenberg's 12-tonal manipulations. He wrote zany operas early in his career, pedagogical textbooks later; he worshipped Bach but was also a great Disney fan.

Now, thanks to Harmonia Mundi, we have pianist Alexander Melnikov and five colleagues guiding us through five of Hindemith's more than 30 sonatas.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

The diversity of tone colours is irresistible, from alto horn, through cello and violin, to trombone and trumpet.

The first movement of the Cello Sonata, with the exemplary Alexander Rudin, is a good starting point; be drawn into its cool, roving harmonies, which eventually flare into a web of beautifully articulated counterpoint.

Isabelle Faust, a guest soloist with the APO in July, tackles the lyrical Violin Sonata, the joyousness of the performance clearly the result of her close working friendship with Melnikov.

Hindemith is revered by the brass community, which cherishes the amount of music he wrote in this area. The Alto Horn Sonata, with an elegant Teunis van der Zwart, asks the players to recite poems about their instruments before the last movement.

One can hear the relish in Melnikov's opening line: "The old is good not just because it's past."

The Trombone Sonata is lightish - Hindemith himself sanctioned the title of Swashbuckler's Song for one of its movements, caught with piratical elan by Spanish trombonist Gerard Costes.

Related articles

Property

Suspense, wonder and thrills

06 Feb 04:00 PM
Entertainment

Classic CD: Marie-Nicole Lemieux, Chansons Perpetuelles (Naive)

13 Feb 03:00 PM
New Zealand

Artist Kehinde Wiley's modern portraits

25 Feb 02:00 AM
Entertainment

Weaving fine tapestry of music

06 Mar 04:00 PM

However, the 1939 Trumpet Sonata is serious bordering on stern. Melnikov and Jeroen Berwaerts invest it with the gravitas needed; you can sense the stormy clouds of World War II hovering, as the Bach chorale, "All Men Must Die", rises in the closing Trauermusik.

Verdict: Alexander Melnikov hosts the perfect introduction to a too-often overlooked master

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Entertainment

Premium
Entertainment

Better Call Saul: Jonathan Banks says goodbye to Mike

19 Aug 07:00 AM
Entertainment

Frances Bean Cobain 'wasn't sure' she'd reach 30

19 Aug 03:17 AM
Premium
Entertainment

Tim Roth on new film Punch, living in NZ and Jacinda's BBQ

18 Aug 03:49 AM
Talanoa

Netflix doco revisits Manti Te'o catfish hoax a decade later

19 Aug 01:30 AM
Entertainment

Taylor Swift's major movie snub revealed

19 Aug 12:50 AM

Most Popular

Ombudsman sends PM 'please explain' over Sharma allegations
New Zealand|Politics

Ombudsman sends PM 'please explain' over Sharma allegations

19 Aug 07:04 AM
Kawhia shooting: Mum haunted by frightening escape into darkness with children
New Zealand|Crime

Kawhia shooting: Mum haunted by frightening escape into darkness with children

19 Aug 04:04 AM
Premium
Cecilia Robinson rejoins My Food Bag board amid 'deeply disappointing' share price
Business

Cecilia Robinson rejoins My Food Bag board amid 'deeply disappointing' share price

19 Aug 05:32 AM

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
About NZMEHelp & SupportContact UsSubscribe to NZ HeraldHouse Rules
Manage Your Print SubscriptionNZ Herald E-EditionAdvertise with NZMEBook Your AdPrivacy Policy
Terms of UseCompetition Terms & ConditionsSubscriptions Terms & Conditions
© Copyright 2022 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP