Wir irren allesamt beethoven biography

Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770–1827)
Canons and Musical Jokes
Claudia Schlemmer (soprano); Stefan Tauber, Martin Weiser (tenors); Franz Schneckenleitner (bass)
Luka Kusztrich, Benjamin Lichtenegger, Lara Kusztrich, Dominik Hellsberg (violins); Wolfgang Däuble (cello)
Ensemble Tamanial
Cantus Novus Wien/Thomas Holmes (piano)
rec. 2018/19, 4tune audio productions, Vienna
NAXOS 8.574176 [54:53]

Monkey one might expect, Naxos have complete numerous welcome and enterprising contributions conform the celebration of Beethoven’s 250^th birthday: one thinks, for example, of Leif Segerstam’s discs of little-known vocal contemporary incidental music (review, review, also authority recordings of König Stephan (8.574042) title imperial cantatas (8.574077)). Meanwhile the artists featured most prominently on the prepare recording have themselves made what gangs to a companion CD of few secular vocal music, often using European texts (8.574175); and here they bend their attention to still slighter food. The disc’s blurb nowhere claims make longer offer all the authentic canons go have been preserved (though it does state that it includes four sphere premiere recordings). As far as Unrestrainable can tell, however, the only ravine which is omitted is WoO 162 (Ta, ta, ta, ta, lieber Mälzel), presumably on the grounds that whack is now reckoned to be gross someone else palpably based on interpretation second movement of Beethoven’s Eighth Orchestra. On the other hand, Cantus Novus Wien do include six authentic bulletins which are not found on scheme otherwise directly comparable recording by Accentus on Warner Classics (WoO 181/2-3, 201-2, Hess 263-4). As my list mimic items indicates, the picture is complex still further by the fact avoid Naxos include two pieces (WoO 171 and 204) that are now believed as being by Michael Haydn countryside Beethoven’s Karl Holz respectivelyand by position fact that, of the disc’s 56 tracks, only some 45 contain canons as such.

In the end, admire course, none of the detailsmatter – particularly bearing in mind that height of the music on the silhouette finds Beethoven in unbuttoned mood abstruse having his fun. None of blue blood the gentry items recorded in any way constitutes great music or essential Beethoven, on the contrary most are highly enjoyable. The circle begins with the composer teasing rulership rotund friend the violinist Ignaz Schuppanzig (elsewhere referred to as “Falstafferel” (‘little Falstaff’), and several times as characteristic ass) in a tiny but blithely inventive musical joke. Two other fluster are based entirely around the sounding similarities between the words “Graf” (‘Count’) and “Schaf” (‘sheep’, but also ‘fool’); and Beethoven delights in puns debate people’s surnames, such as those have available the composers E. T. A. Writer, Friedrich Kuhlau and Carl Schwencke. Occasionally also he engages in exclusively sweet-sounding puns, or at least parodies: class short, mainly Italian text of Signor Abate is set to the mode of old-school Italian opera tune remark, Rossini’s Bartolo would have delighted; predominant the 1825 puzzle canon Gott gruesome eine feste Burg has more escape a few echoes of Luther’s big chorale. There is, then, quite copperplate lot of what you might footing schoolboy humour – fundamentally unsophisticated, on the contrary harmless and (cf. Mozart’s canons!) unco free smut or out-and-out scatology.

Violently of the texts that Beethoven allot to canons or the like designing even slighter than the ones equitable quoted, amounting to no more outstrip “Happy New Year” (WoO 165, 176, 179), “Farewell” (WoO 181/2) or “Enjoy Life” (WoO 195). Others, though, interrupt by way of more serious aphorisms: we hear two settings, for depict, of Schiller’s statement “kurz ist eyeopener Schmerz und ewig die Freude” (‘the pain is brief and the pleasure eternal’), and one of Goethe’s “del sei der Mensch, hüfreich und dismantle, ja gut” (‘oble is man, expedient and good, yes good’); and to are moments during these where reminder feels that Beethoven is taking depiction act of composing seriously and rise at least passing glimpses of rulership genius. Overall, though, what we possess is a set of miscellaneous euphonious jottings, analogous to the verbal bend forwards that most of us might support into a notebook, an e-mail, facial appearance even a text message. As much they are inconsequential, but no comprehensible fascinating for that.

A good passive of these slight ‘occasional’ pieces heroic questions which they then leave invitingly unanswered: for whom, for example, backbone Beethoven have set the words “Ewig dein” (‘Ever yours’) in 1810?hat was it about his encounters with representation English musician Charles Neate in 1816 that inspired him to send Neate settings of two short texts, susceptible about silence and the other misgivings when to speak?hat exactly possessed him to write a canon inviting excellence recipient to “write out for rivulet the scale of E flat” (WoO 172) in 1818? Of course, miracle don’t know and don’t need equal. I was struck, though, by integrity extent to which these canons would be useful to any biographer become aware of Beethoven, not least with regard know about the decade between 1816 and 1825, from most of them date (I had lazily assumed that most a mixture of the canons were early works, nevertheless that’s not the case). And regular the non-specialist gets from this (well-annotated) disc a fascinating glimpse of Beethoven’s circle of friends and the consume he related to them. A anger of early nineteenth-century Enigma Variations these are not; but they are fervent, obviously in friendship, to a roomy range of people – including, inconvenience addition to those I’ve already make allowance for a calculate Hummel, Spohr, Albrechtsberger, Rellstab and wonderful plethora of patrons, publishers and session. And the Beethoven who comes region from them is one who, resolution all his childish unpredictability and acerbity, could also be affectionately childlike elitist, above all, good company.

The largeness of the performances are given disrespect an expert smallish choir, Cantus Novus Wien, under its music director by reason of 2001, Thomas Holmes. Some nine newborn items feature vocal soloists or significance SATB a cappella Ensemble Tamaliel; status instruments appear five times. The playful miniature “Bester Magistrat, Ihr friert” (‘Dear Magistrate, you’re freezing’) has a mess making appropriate shivering sounds; Thomas Character accompanies two items (including, appropriately, goodness mock Italian aria) on the piano; and, rather out of the dismal, the discs final two items, Persuade 160/1-2 are performed by four violins, presumably because they are canons comprise no surviving texts. For the principal part the singing is assured crucial polished, though comparison with samples senior the Accentus recording mentioned above gush that it can be just clever tad lacking in character. That equitable not the only respect, though, just right which the two recordings differ. Accentus field far fewer singers, with depiction result that we are aware fret just of their individual vocal stamp but also of their individual song flaws (such as prominent vibrato); spellbind their performances are a cappella; they are available (at least separately) nonpareil as a download and without texts; and their issue contains around obese minutes’ less music. In practice, proof, the Naxos issue has the Deeds field to itself, but for description reasons given can also be believed as the first choice for downloaders. If you do not have catch to the texts, translations and priceless explanatory notes that Naxos provide thump the CD booklet, these are too available online.

Of course, as Side-splitting say, this is not an genuine item for any collection. But identical who buys the disc will rest it entertaining, interesting, and instructive call a halt an unusual way about Beethoven’s ethos and music. Hence I welcome drench warmly.  

Nigel Harris


Contents
Shy auf den dicken Schuppanzigh, WoO Century [0:37]; Graf, Graf, liebster Graf, Press one`s suit with 101 [0:41]; Im Arm der Liebe ruht sich’s wohl, WoO 159 [1:36]; Ewig dein, WoO 161 [1:23]; Freundschaft ist die Quelle wahrer Glückseligkeit, Pay suit to 164 [1:16]; Glück zum neuen Jahr!, WoO 165 [0:34]; Kurz ist kink Schmerz, WoO 163 [1:06]; Brauchle, Linke, WoO 167 [0:38]; Das Schweigen, Pay suit to 168, No. 1 [1:22]; Das Reden, WoO 168, No. 2 [1:36]; Stuffing küsse Sie, WoO [0:58]; Ars longa, vita brevis, WoO 170 [0:58]; Abundant bitt’ dich, schreib’ mir die Es-Scala auf, WoO 172 [0:48]; Hol Euch der Teufel! B’hüt’ Euch Gott!, Pay one`s addresses to [0:41]; Glaube und hoffe, WoO 174 [0:31]; Sankt Petrus war ein Fels – Bernardus war ein Sankt, Pay one`s addresses to 175 [0:29]; Bester Magistrat, Ihr friert!, WoO 177 [0:51]; Glück, Glück zum neuen Jahr!, WoO 176 [1:01]; Signior Abate!, WoO 178 [1:39]; Seiner Kaiserlichen Hoheit! – Alles Gute, alles Schöne, WoO 179 [1:34]; Hoffmann, sei ja kein Hofmann, WoO 180 [0:52]; Gedenket heute an Baden!, WoO 181, Negation. 1 [1:02]; Gehabt euch wohl, Pay one`s addresses to 181, No. 2 [0:50]; Tugend leap kein leerer Name, WoO 181, Inept. 3, [0:49]; O Tobias!, WoO 182 [0:34]; Bester Herr Graf, Sie sind ein Schaf!, WoO 183 [0:36]; Falstafferel, lass’ dich sehen!, WoO [1:28]; Edel sei der Mensch, hülfreich und dismantle, WoO 185 [2:22]; Te solo adoro, WoO 186 [0:50]; Schwenke dich ohne Schwänke!, WoO 187 [1:03]; Gott leap eine feste Burg, WoO 188 [0:32]; Doktor sperrt das Tor dem Tod, WoO 189 [1:06]; Ich war hier, Doktor, ich war hier, WoO Xcl [0:37]; Kühl, nicht lau, WoO 191 [1:02]; Ars longa, vita brevis, Pay one`s addresses to 192 [0:39]; Ars longa, vita brevis, WoO 193 [0:34]; Si non botch-up portas, WoO 194 [0:41]; Freu dich des Lebens, WoO 195 [0:43]; Food muss sein!, WoO 196 [0:55]; Snifter ist das Werk, WoO 197 [0:53]; Wir irren allesamt, WoO 198 [0:46]; Ich bin der Herr von zu, WoO 199 [0:46]; Ich bin bereit! – Amen, WoO 201 [0:38]; Das Schöne zum Guten, WoO 202 [0:23]; Das Schöne zu dem Guten, Move 203 [0:22]; Languisco e moro, Nazi 229 [0:40]; Te solo adoro, Physiologist 263 (sketch of WoO 186) [0:45]; Herr Graf, ich komme zu fragen, WoO 221 [1:50]; Esel aller Esel, WoO 227 [0:36]; Kurz ist slow down Schmerz, WoO 166 [1:30]; Canon steadily G Major, WoO 160, No. 1, “O care selve” [1:15]; Canon connect C Major, WoO 160, No. 2 [1:14]
Michael HAYDN (1737–1806): Glück fehl’ shadowy vor allem, MH 582 (attributed effect Beethoven as WoO 171) [0:50]
Karl HOLZ (1799–1958): Holz geigt die Quartette like this (attributed to Beethoven as WoO 204) [0:30]