Bruch: 8 Pieces, Op. 83 / Indy: Clarinet Trio, Op. 29

Amici Ensemble

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Cat No: 8557347

Release Date: 07 January 2005

Label: Naxos - Nxc / Naxos Classics

Packaging Type: Jewel Case

No of Units: 1

Barcode: 747313234721

Genres: Classical

Composer/Series: BRUCH

Description
Max Bruch (1838-1920): Eight Pieces, Op. 83Vincent d'Indy (1851-1931): Trio in B flat major, Op. 29Max Bruch was a child prodigy who grew into a giftedcomposer of extraordinary taste and refinement.Throughout his career he consistently produced worksof professional finish and great beauty. Although todayhe is remembered primarily for his concertos,particularly his Violin Concerto in G minor, hecomposed successfully in virtually every medium.Critical of the innovations brought about by Liszt andWagner, Bruch preferred instead the more conservativestyles of Mendelssohn and Schumann. His resistance tochange and a firm belief in traditional forms andharmonies meant that works written at the end of his lifesound much the same as compositions written sixtyyears earlier. Despite his deft skills of orchestration andan almost unequalled talent for melodic invention, hewas, at his death, an honoured yet lonely and neglectedcomposer. Many of his compositions remain unjustlyforgotten.The Eight Pieces, Op. 83, for clarinet, cello (orviola), and piano, were composed in Berlin in 1910.Despite being written at a time when many composerswere experimenting with modernism, they arethoroughly Romantic in style. The instrumentationallows for the production of a luscious sound, andBruch responded with melodies and harmonies that arecorrespondingly rich and glowing. Although onlyRumanian Melody and Night Song carry descriptivetitles, all eight are programmatic in the sense ofpresenting a characteristic mood or idea. The melodiesare nobly inspired and Bruch's handling of theindividual instruments is masterful and effective.Vincent d'Indy came from an aristocratic militaryfamily in the Ard?¿che region in southern France.Although he received piano lessons and showedmusical promise as a boy, he remained more interestedin military matters and his hero, Napoleon. Only duringan extended trip to Italy at the age of eighteen did hebecome aware of his potential as a composer rather thanan army officer. On the recommendation of his friendHenri Duparc, d'Indy entered Cesar Franck's organ andcomposition classes at the Paris Conservatoire, devotinghimself thereafter entirely to music. Franck had animportant influence on d'Indy's musical style, as didBeethoven and Wagner, but his devout Catholicupbringing also led to an interest in Gregorian chantthat, coupled with his love of folk-song, can be heard inmany of his compositions.The Trio in B flat major dates from 1888 and is thefirst important work in d'Indy's mature style. Althoughit does not follow a specific model, it owes much toFranck's emphasis on structural unity. Several ideasrecur throughout the work, but the first theme inparticular plays an important structural r??le. It is used inall four movements, appearing as both melody andaccompaniment and in combination with the otherthematic material. As a pianist who occasionally playedboth the cello and the clarinet, d'Indy understood andwrote effectively for all three instruments
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