Josef Schelb: Orchestral Music, Volume Two: Three Concertos

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. These three concertos show him at his most engaging: the contrapuntal craftsmanship that drives the music forward is deployed with a light and nimble touch, and passages of touching delicacy contrast with others where a lively sense of humour comes bubbling up to the surface.

Tatjana Blome, piano (Tracks 1 – 3)
Sarina Zickgraf, viola (Tracks 4 – 6)
Dominik Wollenweber, cor anglais (Tracks 7 – 9)
Kammersymphonie Berlin
Jürgen Bruns, conductor