Andreas Ottensamer – Brahms: The Hungarian Connection (2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Andreas Ottensamer – Brahms: The Hungarian Connection (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:01:47 minutes | 1,08 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © Mercury KX

Andreas Ottensamer, himself half-Hungarian, naturally recognizes Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet as “genuinely one of the monuments of the entire clarinet repertoire, a piece that every clarinettist dreams of playing”. The album includes Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet, one of the most seminal works for the instrument – combined with Hungarian dances and waltzes by Brahms, all newly arranged to include additional material from Brahms’ original musical sources, with an authentic folk twist. Brahms is seen as one of the most serious composers of the German school – this bold venture reveals how closely connected his music actually is to the vibrant folk music inspired Hungarian music world.

Andreas Ottensamer, principal clarinetist of the Berlin Philharmonic, has released several innovatively programmed albums without resorting to common crossover formulas. Brahms: The Hungarian Connection is another. The title is perhaps a bit too strong in that the last part of the program does not consist of music by Brahms and, in fact, has no direct connection to Brahms. But as a recital juxtaposing Hungarian folk sounds with their ramifications in the concert repertoire, the program works well. Some may not have thought of the Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op. 115, as a Hungarian piece, but listen again to the slow movement passage where the string quartet conjures up a cimbalom. The extremely gentle performance of the quintet is worth the price of admission in itself; for a reading by an all-star group as opposed to an established ensemble, it breathes unusually well. The quartet’s cellist, Stephan Koncz, arranged the rest of the music for clarinet and string quartet, and he certainly doesn’t do anything an average Viennese musician might not have attempted during Brahms’ lifetime. From two lightly Hungarian waltzes (one from the Op. 39 set for piano four-hands and one from the Liebeslieder Waltzes, Op. 52), listeners move into more explicitly Hungarian material, first arranged by Brahms and then by other composers. It’s an unorthodox recital structure, but it’s effective, leading both to some little-known and fun pieces (the Two Movements of Hungarian composer Leó Weiner) and then to an infectious Transylvanian dance medley finale. Ottensamer’s tone modulates nicely from ultra-smooth in the Brahms to peppy in the more Hungarian pieces. Recommended for Brahmsians and clarinet lovers alike.

Tracklist:

01. Andreas Ottensamer, Leonidas Kavakos, Christoph Koncz, Antoine Tamestit, Stephan Koncz – Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op.115 – I. Allegro (13:01)
02. Andreas Ottensamer, Leonidas Kavakos, Christoph Koncz, Antoine Tamestit, Stephan Koncz – Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op.115 – II. Adagio (11:42)
03. Andreas Ottensamer, Leonidas Kavakos, Christoph Koncz, Antoine Tamestit, Stephan Koncz – Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op.115 – III. Andantino – Presto non assai, ma con sentimento (04:51)
04. Andreas Ottensamer, Leonidas Kavakos, Christoph Koncz, Antoine Tamestit, Stephan Koncz – Clarinet Quintet in B minor, Op.115 – IV. Con moto (10:18)
05. Andreas Ottensamer, Leonidas Kavakos, Christoph Koncz, Antoine Tamestit, Stephan Koncz, Ödön Rácz – Two Waltzes in A major: Waltz op. 39 no. 15 & Waltz no. 6 from Liebeslieder op. 52: “Ein kleiner, hübscher Vogel” (02:52)
06. Andreas Ottensamer, Leonidas Kavakos, Christoph Koncz, Antoine Tamestit, Stephan Koncz, Ödön Rácz, Oszkár Ökrös – Hungarian Dance No. 7, WoO 1 (02:13)
07. Andreas Ottensamer, Leonidas Kavakos, Christoph Koncz, Antoine Tamestit, Stephan Koncz, Ödön Rácz, Oszkár Ökrös – Hungarian Dance No. 1 (Isteni Csárdás), WoO 1 (05:30)
08. Andreas Ottensamer, Leonidas Kavakos, Christoph Koncz, Antoine Tamestit, Stephan Koncz, Ödön Rácz, Oszkár Ökrös – Két Tétel – Búsuló juhász (Woeful Shepherd) (02:26)
09. Andreas Ottensamer, Leonidas Kavakos, Christoph Koncz, Antoine Tamestit, Stephan Koncz, Ödön Rácz, Oszkár Ökrös – Két Tétel – Csurdöngölo (Barndance) (02:03)
10. Andreas Ottensamer, Leonidas Kavakos, Christoph Koncz, Antoine Tamestit, Stephan Koncz, Ödön Rácz, Oszkár Ökrös, Predrag Tomic – Dances From Transylvania (06:46)

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