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RHEINBERGER Organ Concertos: 1No. 1 in F, op. 137; No. 2 in g, op. 177. Trio in c for Violin, Cello, and Organ, op. 1492 • Ulrik Spang-Hansen, org;1 Douglas Bostock, cond;1, 2 Chamber Philharmonic of Bohemia;1 Petr Zdvihal (vn);2 Josef Krecmer (vc)2 • CLASSICO 252 (78:49)

The Rheinberger concertos for organ and orchestra are among the few that appeared in the 19th century. The author of the notes for this disc postulates that there had to be organs in concert halls and that there had to be composers capable of writing for them. Simple, but true. Certainly Josef Rheinberger met the second of these fully. Born in 1839 into an unmusical family, he was fortunate to have those around him who could spot his talents. By age seven he was able to assume the position of organist at a local church. By 12 he was on his way to becoming a great organist and studying at the Munich Conservatory. By 15 he was finished, and at 19 he became a member of the faculty. From then onward he achieved fame and fortune. The First Concerto of 1884 begins Maestoso. It is a rather somber opening but soon gives way to a rich combination of organ passagework. The next is Andante, which gives the organ a chance to improvise its way to a certain glory. Last is a Finale, con moto. It has a grand choral quality to it, and utilizes three horns in addition to the strings. The Trio has the unusual scoring of organ, violin, and cello with ad libitum parts for the strings, which can be multiplied. I think Ulrik Spang-Hansen is perfectly correct in using only one per part. It is a vast work that sprawls over 34 minutes of time. Its four movements attempt successfully to span the Handelian epoch, or so it would claim. In fact, it is a gigantic work. Op. 177, the latest of these three works, has a truly grand palette to lay before us, with two horns, trumpets, and timpani added to the strings. Its 1894 creation brings to mind the glory of the concluding century. Richard Strauss was effusive following the first performance, and Schweitzer even more so when he played it five years later. There are three or four other recordings available, but I have only the deleted Biggs for comparison. That may have a name performer, but this one has a general feel for Rheinberger. The sound is especially rich and full. Detailed notes are included. John Bauman This article originally appeared in Issue 23:6 (July/Aug 2000) of Fanfare Magazine. Josef Rheinberger's Organ Concertos by Lance » Fri Oct 14, 2005 6:20 pm Mini-Review

Josef Rheinberger (1839-1901) Organ Concertos 1 in F, Op. 137 and 2 in g Minor, Op. 177 Trio for Violin, Cello and Organ in C Minor, Op. 149*

Ulrik Spang-Hanssen, organ Chamber Philharmonic of Bohemia Douglas Bostock, conductor * Petr Dzvihal, violinist; Josef Krecmer, cellist

Scandinavian Classics 220549, DDD, 78:51 ______

I've always had a soft spot for the organ concertos of Handel and Haydn, both recorded for Columbia/Sony Classical by E. Power Biggs in the days of LPs. His Handel concerti made it to CD, but alas, I don't believe the Haydn has, sadly, been reissued. (Don't throw away all your old LPs - yet!)

Classico of Denmark licensed the The International Music Company (TIM) to issue both of Josef Rheinberger's (1839-1901) organ concerti and a Trio for Violin, Cello and Organ. The two concertos are in the traditional three-movement form, and the Trio in four movements. If I've heard any of these works before, I don't recall because they certainly didn't make an impression. (Both organ concerti, incidentally, have been recorded previously.) Then again, there are not all that many organ concertos from the Romantic period on discs.

It takes an organist the caliber of Ulrik Spang-Hanssen to bring off all the verve and beauty of the works contained on this disc. He is a much-recorded artist who is not only interested in classical organ but jazz (via a Hammond!). I expect to have the pleasure of hearing and meeting the organist at the dedication of a newly rebuilt and augmented organ by Thomas Lewtak in January 2006 in Syracuse, New York.

But talk about the intertwining of an orchestra and organ in all the brilliance of organ music of nineteenth century Romanticism! The Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 177 (incorrectly showing as Op. 117 on the insert and inlay tray card) is the first work to be heard on this disc. Melodies soar, as does virtuosity. During the first movement, I ever heard reminiscences of Sir Edward Elgar, who actually came later in time. Perhaps that should be the other way around: Elgar may have borrowed one motif, a most popular one, for his Enigma Variations. (No where is this comparison mentioned by anyone else.) This is highly original music, and the harmonies and melodic structure of say, the first movement of the second concerto, and the concluding movement of the first concerto, particularly, are way ahead of their time in these elements. Oddly, the venue for the recording—nor the instrument's maker—is identified. The organ, however, is clearly massive in sound and beatifully suits the grandness of the music.

Rheinberger may be remembered for his cantata, The Star of Bethlehem, but it is precisely the organ works heard here that are much more substantial and innovative for him as a composer.

Rheinberger composed his F Major, Op. 137 concerto in the summer of 1884 during which time he had been very ill. His right had was injured and it took some 14 years before it was useful to him again. It has been presupposed that Rheinberger met the French organist, Alexandre Guilmant (1837-1911), who may have influenced him to write the F Major Concerto. The success of that concerto is believed to have caused the Op. 177 work to be written. It was composer/ conductor Richard Strauss who led the premiere formance of the Op. 177, in Munich in December of 1894. The great Albert Schweitzer wrote the following to Rheinberger: "I have seldom played the organ with such great pleasure as when I performed your [Op. 177] concerto.

The difference between the two concerti is that the first is more sombre while being more orchestral; the second is imbued with some extraordinary melodies and contains more virtuosity for the organist.

The Opus 149 Trio was composed at Alexandre Guilmant's request. His purpose was to play a contemporary work (for him at the time), something in the Handelian style for his concerts. In essence, the Trio is a concerto grosso for organ, solo violin, solo cello, and strings. Insofar as the strings are concerned, they were to be treated as "ad lib," therefore one could use them or not. In the present recording, the artists felt the work was better performed without the compliment of strings. This is truly a novel piece of musical writing - and it works superbly well. One would think the string soloists might get lost in the sonics of the powerful organ, but engineering throughout the entire disc is exemplary; balances are perfection- plus.

As a side note, readers may be interested in knowing that Ulrik Spang-Hanssen has recorded eight of Rheinberger's Sonatas for Organ on a two-CD set, Classico 377-78. And four volumes of Rheinberger's sonatas and other organ music has been recorded on the Naxos label by Wolfgang Rubsam. This was a most interesting and enjoyable disc in every respect and will garner multiple listenings from yours truly. It's not often these days that we really get excited about hearing music generally unknown. Highly recommended. Lance G. Hill Editor-in-Chief

Joseph RHEINBERGER (1839-1901) - MusicWeb Review Organ Sonatas The Complete Organ Sonatas Roger Sayer (organ) rec. 2015/16, Temple Church, London PRIORY RECORDS PRCD1165 [6 CDs: 437:55] If ever there was a national composer, Joseph Rheinberger is it; a search for composers from Liechtenstein reveals just two, and I am afraid that I have never heard of Marco Schädler (b. 1964), the other composer who pops up. Reinberger was born in Vaduz, the capital of the Principality, where his father worked as the treasurer to the prince. He was something of a child prodigy and by the age of seven he was already serving as the organist of Vaduz parish church, composing his first work at the age of eight. After a period of private study, he entered the Munich Conservatorium in 1851, despite his father’s initial reluctance for his son to become a musician. After graduation he soon became a professor of piano and composition there, with his students including George Whitfield Chadwick, and most notably, Engelbert Humperdinck, Richard Strauss and the conductor- composer Wilhelm Furtwängler. His early musical style was influenced by Mendelssohn, Schubert and Schumann, although it was Brahms who was to be the greatest influence on his mature style, which can be clearly seen in his piano music. When it comes to the music of Joseph Rheinberger there are several fine recordings, he is regarded as one of the most significant composers of church music in the second half of the nineteenth century, so it is no wonder that these recordings gravitate towards his choral and organ music, but he proved himself to have been a very versatile composer. I have a number of the wonderful Carus recordings of his choral music, as well as four CPO discs of his organ music, with only one of these (999 351-2) presenting any of his sonatas, Nos. 2 in A flat Major and 4 in A minor, this disc also includes his Six Religious Songs and two of his Elegiac Songs for baritone and organ. These songs show the composers preparedness to treat the organ in diverse ways, this can be further seen in his chamber pieces for strings and organ. Carus have also recorded discs of his orchestral music, secular choral music, a singspiel entitled Das Zauberwort and an excellent set of his complete piano music (83.365), which I recommend tracking down if you can. However, it is the organ music that seems to be the mainstay of recordings, with MDG having released a twelve-disc set of his complete works, something that has been on my wish list since it was released. When it comes to his organ music, the organ sonatas form the backbone of his oeuvre, composed over a 33-year period between 1868 and 1901; indeed the F Major Sonata proved to be the composer’s final completed work. They are like all his music, late romantic and filled with some glowing themes. If we start with the two sonatas that I know, the opening movement of the Op. 65 has a harmonically sumptuous introduction, which heralds Rheinberger’s position as not just a composer but as an Organist-composer; here is a composer who certainly knows his way around the instrument. The opening movement is divided in to two with the Grave section here banded together with the following Allegro, it is given separate tracks on the CPO disc, with a chorale like theme being the link between the two sections. The Adagio expressivo movement is typical Rheinberger with large romantic sweeps of music giving it an almost meditative feel. The final movement Fuga: Allegro is an impassioned piece of music that gives the Sonata an almost cyclical feel, with flashes of both the first and second movements’ main themes appearing in the final fugue. The Sonata No 4 in A minor held a special place for Joseph Rheinberger, with it, and its predecessor having been based upon Psalm tunes. Here, the use of the Tonus peregrinus tune as a set of variations, sometimes led this Sonata to be known as the ‘Magnificat Sonata’ because of Martin Luther’s use of the same tune in his translation of the Magnificat. However, what must be remembered here is that Rheinberger intended his sonatas for concert use and not for use in the church, although the only times that I have heard any of the composer’s organ sonatas performed live was in church services, mainly choral evensong, and the use of separate movements worked well in context with the choral pieces. The second movement Intermezzo Andantino is an idyll like piece that Rheinberger later utilised in his Andante pastorale for oboe and organ and as the shepherd’s music of his Christmas cantata The Star of Bethlehem. The final Fuga Cromatica: Tempo moderato, is again somewhat cyclical in the way that the psalm tune once again appears, although the main theme of the movement is original. Here the performance seems a little more measured than that by Jürgen Sonnentheil on CPO, with all but the final movement of the Fourth Sonata being marginally quicker, but it is in the finale of this Sonata, which whilst only 40 seconds slower, that the greater emphasis and clarity of this music bursts forth, Roger Sayer here bringing out every nuance of this music. If we look at some of the middle sonatas I particularly like the B minor Sonata No. 10; it opens with a moderately paced Prelude and wonderful Fugue section announced on the pedals, whilst the second movement opens with a simple theme in G Major before a series of variations, with the final variation, the seventh I think, climaxing and then gradually growing quieter. The final movement Fantasy and Finale, like the first, shows the influence of Bach, but Bach seen through the eyes of a romantic master, with Harvey Grace, the organist and editor of the 1925 edition of the Rheinberger Sonatas, describing the music as “one of Rheinberger’s most attractive movements”, even going as far to describe it as being “jolly”. Another of the middle sonatas is the eighth, one of the best known of the twenty, which is largely due to the final movement Passacaglia, one of the longest single movements in the set. It has become an examination piece for organists and is the only such sonata movement composed by Rheinberger. Harvey Grace describes it as the “crowning glory” of the Sonata, and it is not difficult to hear why. The D Major Sonata No. 15 was composed around the same time as the wonderful C major Mass for four soloists, chorus and orchestra. The final movement, the longest single movement, is marked as Introduction and Ricercare, which Grace suggests is a reason for this sonata’s apparent neglect, the term Ricercare often being seen as suggesting dry and academic music, but I certainly agree with Grace’s view that this movement is anything but dry. The G sharp minor Sonata No. 16 is one of the most significant of his later sonatas, if not of the sonatas in total, with Grace pointing to it’s standing apart from the other sonatas due to its “style and flavour”. It is cast in three movements and there is a very good performance of it by the present performer on YouTube which highlights both the use of the manuals and the pedals. It is the oddly named second movement, Scandanavisch, which Grace points to as having been composed during a visit to Northern Europe, that gives the Sonata its unique position, and a romanticism often found in the music of Grieg. Grace goes on to state that this is “one of the best slow movements”. This leads into a final movement Introduction and Fugue, with the Fugue section coming in about two and a half minutes into the movement, and being a wonderful example of Rheinberger’s ability to compose fugues. This is one of his finest. The twentieth and final sonata is “so beautiful and youthful” according to the Dutch composer and organist Samuel de Lange. Rheinberger had sent the F Major to Lange, who was due to perform the F Major Organ Concerto which was completed shortly before he began work on this Sonata. The Sonata bares the title Zur Friedensfeire or ‘To Celebrate Peace’, and it has been suggested that this is in reference to the peace conference that had taken place in The Hague, also that it could have been in response to a new muse, Henriette Hecker, whom the composer had recently met; this would not really account for the sub-title though. It is an interesting Sonata, the opening Praeludium is based on two themes, one of which could be described as a hymn of peace; the second movement, Intermezzo, begins in a hymn-like vein before more interesting and elaborate music develops and takes over. The third movement, Pastorale, is a musical idyll, somewhat akin to Sonata No. 4 in its depiction of country life. The fourth movement is simply called Finale; it opens with a flourish before a contrasting middle section that gives way to a more impressive and grandiose concluding section. This is a wonderful set, one that has already given me great listening pleasure, and one which, I imagine, will go on to do so for a long time. Roger Sayer proves himself to be an apt interpreter of Josef Rheinberger’s wonderful music; his playing is, as already stated, superior to that of Jürgen Sonnentheil on CPO in the two sonatas that he performs on his disc. The excellence that Sayer shows in those two sonatas is continued on into the other eighteen, so much so that I hope that Priory gives him an opportunity to record further recitals of the composer’s music. The recorded sound, as you would imagine from Priory, the organ specialist, is excellent, you get a real sense of a natural acoustic. The booklet notes, which draw upon the notes by Harvey Grace for his edition of the organ sonatas are informative and give great insight into the music; full details are given of the wonderful sounding Harrison and Harrison Organ of The Temple Church, making this a most desirable and valuable release. Stuart Sillitoe

Contents Organ Sonata No. 6 in E flat minor, Op. 119 [22:16] Organ Sonata No. 7 in F minor, Op. 127 [21:58] Organ Sonata No. 10 in B minor, Op. 146 [23:05] Organ Sonata No. 16 in G sharp minor, Op. 175 [21:42] Organ Sonata No. 17 in B major, Op. 181 [21:38] Organ Sonata No. 12 in D flat major, Op. 154 [23:22] Organ Sonata No. 1 in C minor, Op. 27 [12:14] Organ Sonata No. 18 in A major, Op. 188 [22:18] Organ Sonata No. 14 in C major, Op. 165 [25:55] Organ Sonata No. 15 in D major, Op. 168 [26:01] Organ Sonata No. 11 in D minor, Op. 148 [24:02] Organ Sonata No. 4 in A minor, Op. 98 [17:53] Organ Sonata No. 2 in A-Flat Major, Op. 65 "Fantasie" [18:39] Organ Sonata No. 3 in G Major, Op. 88 "Pastoral" [13:47] Organ Sonata No. 20 in F Major, Op. 196 "Zur Friedensfeier"[28:40] Organ Sonata No. 8 in E minor, Op. 132 [26:02] Organ Sonata No. 5 in F sharp minor, Op. 111 [18:32] Organ Sonata No. 19 in G minor, Op. 193 [27:08] Organ Sonata No. 9 in B flat minor, Op. 142 [22:31] Organ Sonata No. 13 in E flat major, Op. 161 [22:12]

THE COMPLETE ORGAN SONATAS OF JOSEF RHEINBERGER - Choir & Organ Roger Sayer, Harrison & Harrison organ, Temple Church, London Priory PRCD 1165 (6CDs) [7:14:51]

Josef Rheinberger (1839-1901) was a versatile composer. Works included operas, symphonies, a piano concerto, sacred music and piano works, but his best compositions were his 20 organ sonatas. Like his contemporary Alexandre Guilmant, Rheinberger’s music has suffered in recent decades, due (I suspect) to the conservative harmonic language which derives from Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn and Schumann, and not from progressive Germans like Liszt and Wagner. This must have been deliberate, because as répétiteur for Wagner’s Flying Dutchman, Rheinberger astonished colleagues by playing and transposing the score at sight. A gifted improviser, he counted among his pupils Humperdinck, Wolf-Ferrari and Wilhelm Furtwängler, as well as several Americans. His teaching involved traditional skills of harmony, counterpoint and form, which his organ sonatas exemplify. Originally envisaged as a set of 24 (in all keys), only 20 were completed. A gifted melodist, his command of formal structures in the 19th- century German manner was exemplary – a true successor to Mendelssohn. As current organist of the Temple Church, Roger Sayer is an excellent person to extract the most from the Harrison & Harrison organ, first built for Glen Tanar in 1927. Thanks to George Thalben-Ball, the organ was installed in the Temple Church in 1953, with subsequent changes in 2013. As a vehicle for Rheinberger it is convincing, and Sayer is masterly in managing the myriad colours and dynamics demanded by the music. The Passacaglia (Sonata no.8) is a particular highlight, and the fugal finales (including a fugue on a complete chromatic scale) are always ingeniously wrought, often concluding with a partial recapitulation of the first movements, tightening the sonatas’ structures. Intermezzi, marches, andantes, variations, idylls, pastorals, ricercars, regional folk pieces, as well as preludes and fantasias, all contribute to the variety of forms included. Altogether, this recording should help to redress Rheinberger’s neglect.

DAVID PONSFORD