Josef Schelb: Orchestral Music, Volume One
Josef Schelb (1894–1977) is one of the better-kept secrets of German music. His output was substantial: he lost most of his early music in a bombing raid in 1942 but, as if to make up for lost time, wrote some 150 more works after that, in the tonally liberated, quasi-Expressionist contrapuntal tradition of Hindemith and Hartmann; Bartók was an important influence, too. The three pieces recorded here show Schelb capable of astonishing vitality in his mid- to late seventies: they display lean muscularity, freewheeling energy and luminous and transparent orchestration, often informed by bucolic nostalgia and lyrical melancholy.
Liepāja Symphony Orchestra (Tracks 1 – 4)
Paul Mann, conductor (Tracks 1 – 4)
Philharmonie Baden-Baden (Tracks 5 – 7)
Pavel Baleff, conductor (Tracks 5 – 7)
Listen To This Recording:
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Movimento I (1969)
- Movimento I
- I. Ruhig, doch fliessend
- II. Sehr lebhaft
- III. Thema mit Variationen
- I. Bewegt
- II. Sehr breit
- III. Bewegt
Music for Orchestra No. 3 (1972)
Music for Orchestra No. 4 (1972)*
FIRST RECORDINGS
*LIVE RECORDING
MusicWeb International :
‘All the performances here are well-recorded, stylish and alert. I enjoyed the music very much, and look forward, with eager anticipation, to the next volume. This constitutes an auspicious start to what promises to be compelling orchestral cycle.’
—Stephen Greenbank, MusicWeb International