While Elizabethan music for keyboard instruments by composers such as Byrd, Gibbons, Farnaby and Bull has found its way into the concert repertoire, the extensive corpus of surviving organ music from the Tudor period, composed around 1520-1560, has hardly ever been heard. With two volumes Early Tudor Organ Music the editors John Caldwell (*1938) and Danis Stevens had already made the essential sources for this - primarily MS 29996 held in the British Library - available for practical use in 1966 in a pioneering achievement. Almost 60 years later, a magnificent two-volume new edition of this repertoire has now been published, again edited by Caldwell, which meets the latest scholarly standards and the current state of scholarship in every respect.

It is exclusively liturgical music, which was performed in connection with the Sarum Use practised form of Gregorian chant, but also with polyphonic "faburdens" (some of which are printed in the appendix) or "composed" vocal movements alternatim: Versettas for hymns, antiphons, for the Te Deum or the Magnificat as well as for the Ordinary of the Mass. An extensive preface provides a wealth of information on performance practice, Tudor organ building, the composers (the best known, alongside many Anonymi, are probably Thomas Tallis, Thomas Preston and John Redford) as well as editorial and source-critical questions.

The more than 100 pieces - each introduced by detailed critical reports, explanations and indications of the vocal models - provide an insight into a world of sound that at first seems somewhat strange, characterized by a strict setting and fascinating rhythmic complexity. If you would like to find out more about the tonal realization, you will find a number of new recordings online (including on the few instruments of this period that have been reconstructed to date) as well as liturgical and musicological "re-enactments" of church services from this period, e.g. as part of the "Experience of Worship" research project at Bangor University.

Conclusion: Anyone wishing to study this largely unknown repertoire in depth will find here a publication that meets the highest standards and whose high price is justified by the extraordinarily careful preparation of the two volumes.

Early Tudor Organ Music, Vol. 1 and 2, ed. by John Caldwell, (Early English Church Music Vol. 65/66), EECM65/EECM66, 246/210. p., £ 100/85, Stainer & Bell, London 2024

If there is one work that all harpists have in their repertoire, sometimes loved, often feared, it is Louis Spohr's Fantasia in C minor. In 1805, he gave his future wife Dorette Scheidler, a pupil of Johann Georg Heinrich Backofen, an impressive performance on the harp. In his memoirs, he writes how moved and moved to tears he was after this concert. Soon afterwards, he asked her to marry him. The couple married in 1806 and he composed the Fantasia in C minor the following year. It quickly became a permanent fixture in the harp repertoire.

Harp types and keys

In addition to the strict rhythmic introduction and the metrically very precisely notated Allegretto section, there are free cadenzas without bar lines with echo-like arpeggios and a recitative-like character, which are intended to sound quasi-improvised and are to be freely arranged. It can be assumed that Backofen's fantasy inspired Spohr. Dorette Scheidler frequently performed both works in her concerts.

She played a single-pedal harp with a smaller range of strings and keys than our modern double-pedal harps. Although Spohr was still considering buying one of these new instruments for Dorette in 1820, this never happened in the end. The single pedal harp has a basic tuning in E flat major, so the parallel key of C minor is obvious. Despite this harp-motivated choice of key, the sombre and heavy C minor fits wonderfully with the Adagio molto opening with large chords, which later transform into melodies and arpeggios, almost to the point of whispered passages.

Scientific and practice-oriented

The Fantasie was first published by Spohr's publisher Simrock in Bonn in 1816 - almost a decade after its composition, probably to prevent other harpists from performing the work in public. Numerous new editions appeared after Spohr's death, in many of which the original musical text was modified. Unfortunately, the autograph sources have been lost. The edition most widely used today was edited by Hans Joachim Zingel for the double pedal harp (with added notes, altered dynamics and much more) and was published by Bärenreiter in 1954.

The new edition by harpist and musicologist Masumi Nagasawa, also published by Bärenreiter, impresses with well-founded research, precise markings and a clear score. It is nice that the introduction (en/dt) deals with many important questions such as playing techniques and harp indications and thus offers not only a scholarly but also a very practical basis. The edition also includes fingering suggestions and historically informed performance markings. Details and comments on style, tempo, arpeggio, fingerings, staccato, ornaments and slurs are detailed and informative (in English only). The frequently recurring question of trills and how they should be played is also addressed without being dogmatic. It is also left to the freedom of the interpreter, who can make well-founded decisions thanks to the many explanations. It is also welcome that no pedal markings have been printed, as every harpist has an individual pedal technique and marking.

A very nice bonus: Backofen's fantasy is included in its entirety in the appendix: a free introduction, a small, metrically notated part and then free arpeggios and chords - left entirely to the free interpretation of the player.

Louis Spohr: Fantasy in C minor for harp op. 35, appendix: Fantasy by Johann Georg Heinrich Backofen, edited by Masumi Nagasawa, BA 10954, € 19.95, Bärenreiter, Kassel

Sergei Rachmaninov composed his 3rd Piano Concerto in the summer of 1909 in preparation for his first concert tour to America. He did not have much time to practise, so he helped himself with a silent keyboard during the crossing. The premiere took place in New York on November 28 of the same year. The New York Symphony Orchestra played under the direction of Walter Damrosch. Shortly afterwards, the work was performed again in New York, this time under the baton of Gustav Mahler. Many would have liked to have been there ...

The enormous demands of the solo part are said to have prompted Rachmaninov to describe it as a "concerto for an elephant". It is also considered by many to be the piano concerto with the "most notes". (Busoni's would be a serious contender, however).

In view of all these superlatives, it is sometimes forgotten how economically and artistically this Opus 30 is constructed. Almost all the themes and melodies can be traced back to a few core motifs. This applies not only to the piano part, but also to the orchestra, which is closely interwoven with the solo part. This is probably why Mahler spent a great deal of time on this during the rehearsals for the aforementioned performance, which obviously impressed Rachmaninov very much.

The network of relationships that binds all three movements together is also artfully crafted. For example in the finale, where the first theme of the first movement reappears in an impressive way in the middle. The connection between the first and second movements is also achieved with the help of a complex modulation section that leads from D minor to D flat major. Incidentally, Rachmaninov also proceeds in a similar way in his other piano concertos.

Dominik Rahmer has now republished this 3rd piano concerto with G. Henle, and the result is more than satisfactory. The print is clear and easy to read and gives the many notes considerably more space than in the old Boosey & Hawkes edition, for example. The fingerings by Marc-André Hamelin are sensible and cleverly placed sparingly. The orchestral part (piano II) was taken from the original by Rachmaninov and only slightly modified by Johannes Umbreit to make it easier to play.

After Rachmaninov, only a few pianists dared to tackle this enormous work. First and foremost among them was Vladimir Horowitz, who virtually "inherited" it from the composer. Nowadays, it is an integral part of the concert repertoire, even if the demands have of course not diminished as a result. Vladimir Ashkenazy is someone who has often worked on this concerto, both as a pianist and as a conductor. He has made several recordings, the most notable of which is probably the one with the Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Bernard Haitink (Decca). A recording that could perhaps convert even those who despise Rachmaninov ...

Sergei Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor op. 30, edited by Dominik Rahmer, piano reduction by Johannes Umbreit, HN 1452, € 29.00, G. Henle, Munich

The beginning of the CD is somewhat strange, as an intro to the tuning of the string instruments, and even more so the program: Max Reger's first string trio from 1904 is heard between the works of three later composers. This doesn't seem particularly coherent, rather contrived, but after all, this is a recording debut, and the musicians probably wanted to present their own musical versatility in addition to their stylistic versatility - which they succeed in doing beautifully. The three from the Triologie string trio met in 2019 while studying for a master's degree at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and have been performing together ever since.

There is a lot to discover on the CD, not only Reger's trio, but also two early modern composers: Emmy Frensel Wegener (1901-1973) from the Netherlands composed mainly in the 1920s and 1930s, but then had to give it up due to illness. Her entertaining five-movement work from 1925 is wonderfully light and is performed nimbly by Triologie, as is the charming string trio by Australian Miriam Hyde (1913-2003). She was nineteen years old when she wrote it. It marks the beginning of a rich compositional and, incidentally, literary oeuvre for which Hyde was honored several times. The main work on the CD, however, is the one-movement piece A tres voces by the Cuban Tania León, born in 1943. Created in 2010, it combines elements of new music with Afro-American rhythms. But by no means in a bold crossover manner. The drive is subtle, but carries the tension, the music reflects, goes astray, breaks the flow with soloistic interludes and always has surprises in store. The three musicians also do justice to this world premiere recording of the music with their precise, sensitive and extremely transparent playing. It gets to the point.

A tres voces. Triologie String Trio (Elodie Théry, cello; Meredith Kuliew, viola; Nevena Tochev, violin). Prospero PROSP0101

The Northern Irish coastal region produces similarly rough characters as the American prairie. Does Liam Neeson in the movie In the Land of Saints & Sinners As he roams the vast Irish countryside with his gun, he is strongly reminiscent of Clint Eastwood, who once roamed the imaginary Wild West as a solitaire in spaghetti westerns.

So it is hardly surprising that the soundtrack, composed by the Swiss-Australian siblings Diego, Nora and Lionel Baldenweg, picks up on many typical western music elements. The musical cosmos of Ennio Morricone was the inspiration for what feels like every second note. A harmonica (sensuously played by Pfuri Baldenweg) is also a must. This instrument runs like a red thread through the score, which is characterized by leitmotifs. And yet: not only western sounds play an important role in the soundtrack of director Robert Lorenz's film, specially composed Irish folk music is also subtly integrated into the sound structure.

Great wealth of ideas

The trio of composers use a wealth of ideas from their film music bag of tricks to score the film, which is set in the turmoil of the Northern Ireland conflict: Rhythmically propulsive clusters of sound (The Grand Showdown), similarly familiar from Hans Zimmer's composing factory, alternate skillfully with lyrical themes (Finbar's Theme) and palatable Irish western sound (Irish Western Ballad).

The score, masterfully orchestrated by Diego Baldenweg, was beautifully recorded in the Belgian Galaxy studios under the direction of Dirk Brossé. The Galaxy Symphonic Orchestra, made up of musicians from various Central European countries, received vocal support from members of the Vlaams Radiokoor. It was epic how the austere Irish landscape was captured musically. Great cinema for the ears!

In the Land of Saints & Sinners. Music Composed by Diego Baldenweg with Nora Baldenweg & Lionel Baldenweg. Galaxy Symphonic Orchestra, Conducted by Dirk Brossé; Feat. Pfuri Baldenweg. Caldera Records C 6058

Peter Benary (1931-2015) was clearly not what you would call a "simple person". In his seminars at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, he sometimes made mocking and sarcastic remarks to his students. In this newly published anthology, long-time friend and conductor Peter Gülke speaks of a "difficult friendship". And then there are the reviews that Peter Benary wrote for the NZZ wrote. They were sometimes biting, because the commitment to the music could tip over into hurtfulness - especially when it was not his was music.

His All 17 authors in the volume agree that the music was not that of the avant-garde after 1950. The names of Benary's fixed stars Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Anton Bruckner and Paul Hindemith are mentioned. Michel Roth, composer and professor at the Basel University of Music, mentions Benary's essay The rejection of new musicwhere "a perverted understanding of technology" is criticized and Benary complains about a "loss of language in music", which is due to the fact that "technology" has taken the place of "content, linguistic meaning, expression" (p. 116).

Benary was moderately successful as a composer. His works were hardly ever performed at new music festivals; he himself once complained that he no longer wanted to compose "for the drawer". Nevertheless, he produced an extensive oeuvre with many choral works, three symphonies, four string quartets and a considerable amount of chamber music. (The anthology concludes with the list of works compiled by David Koch, p. 212 ff.) Benary was also productive as a music publicist, be it as a critic of the NZZ or as an author for the Swiss Music Newspaper and the Swiss music education journals. Many musicological essays testify to a broad horizon: fundamental aesthetic considerations stand alongside thoughts on interpretation and specific discussions of individual works and composers in music history.

After reading the book, which was published by Schwabe Verlag in Basel in 2024, the feeling remains that Benary has somehow fallen out of his time, despite his creative urge. His time as an essayist and program booklet author for the Lucerne Festival ended in 2007 because the author simply refused to write with a computer and insisted on the good old typewriter. Incidentally, the composer, musicologist, publicist and lecturer also wrote haikus, poetry and aphorisms. Including the cheerfully amusing motto: "A fly walks across the music paper to the fermata."

Peter Benary, composer, musicologist, publicist and lecturer, ed. by Niccolò Raselli and Hans Niklas Kuhn, 229 p., Fr. 46.00, Schwabe, Basel 2024, ISBN 978-3-7965-5109-3

Among the many fine deeds of the well-traveled Bernese author, anthropologist, ethnomusicologist and audiovisual artist Thomas Burkhalter, the founding of Norient probably stands out. Under the aegis of a globally dispersed team, this working group presents, among other things, an excellent website with audiovisual contributions about underground, urban music scenes from all over the world. Like Burkhalter, Daniel Jakob is also a veteran of the Bernese scene. His first band Merfen Orange was followed by the electronic pioneers Filewile, after which he turned to dub/reggae and also worked with Lee Perry. Now the two have joined forces creatively. The double vinyl version of their album debut is a computer-artistic feast for the eyes, which succinctly signals that we are not dealing with an ethnographic museum project here. Burkhalter and Jakob are responsible for the music and some of the lyrics. Guest singers such as Joy Frempong, Christophe Jaquet from Lausanne and Bhangra veteran Balbir Bhujhangy from Birmingham contribute their own words - other text passages are taken from interviews conducted by Burkhalter during his travels. Musically, the project moves between pounding dance beats with poppy vocal melodies, trancy techno, ambient sounds and - a highlight - the menacing percussive intensity reminiscent of the Young Gods of Pressure From All Sides. The global dimension of the project can only be felt in the music. The voices, on the other hand, reflect this loud and clear. They speak in equal parts of dreams, frustration and creative inspiration (the Kenyan Boutross Munene is usually overcome by such inspiration at four o'clock in the morning when he has had his first coffee). Whether you need to listen to the interview excerpts more than twice remains to be seen - nevertheless, they form an integral part of a fascinating sound mosaic.

Melodies In My Head: Joy Anger Doubt. melodiesinmyhead.com

The Christmas Drum Book 2 contains a variety of Christmas play-alongs in different styles of pop, swing, hip-hop and funk. It includes traditional American songs as well as some classics from the German-speaking world.

Except for Jingle Bells the drumset titles are open, i.e. there are various grooves to choose from that match the piece. The chart only shows the form and sequences of the song with details of the feels and possible fill-ins. This is very practical, clear and leaves room for your own interpretations.

As with the first volume, some pieces are specially arranged for the snare drum so that young drummers can play something in front of the Christmas tree without having to get the whole drum set out of the cellar. Here, too, there is an open chart for each title, as well as three levels of difficulty: easy, intermediate and difficult. So there is something for every level and there is also enough freedom here to let your own creativity flow.

In the foreword, the author Gerwin Eisenhauer writes: "I firmly believe that it makes a lot of sense (even for very young students) to explore grooves outside of the usual 4/4 time signature in order to get a broader view of our wonderful rhythmic world." Many of the songs therefore focus on odd time signatures.

The songs have been elaborately recorded to a high standard and can be downloaded as MP3s with various audio and play-along versions.

This book is a great musical Christmas package for beginning and advanced drummers. There is enough material for the teaching period from November to Christmas to practise technique, musicality and different feels while bringing some Christmas spirit into the classroom.

Gerwin Eisenhauer: The Christmas Drum Book 2, D 420, with audio download, € 18.80, Dux, Manching

Playing basso continuo on keyboard instruments requires various skills: playing technique, understanding of harmony, the ability to read and react when accompanying and also improvisational imagination, as the vast majority of notes are not written in the sheet music. The greatest initial difficulty is playing without precise notation, but this is much easier when playing together with other voices, provided the music is not too demanding.

This is exactly where Greensleeves and Pudding Pies . In the context of ensemble pieces with one or optionally two upper voices from the mostly English dance music of the early Baroque, beginners at the lowest level (Level 1) can take their first steps in continuo improvisation without much preparation: 1.) with the same bass notes (and chords) struck repeatedly, 2.) with pendulum basses, 3.) first step sequences, 4.) on organ points with changing harmonies, whereby figures can already be read, up to 6.) bass movements with sustained chords of the "right hand". On this simple basis, there are no limits to the creativity of the "continuo beginner": rhythmically, harmonically, figuratively, melodically, ornamentally, etc. All you need is an instrument, a fellow player and, of course, the inviting booklet by the Hamburg harpsichordist, harpist and recorder player Monika Mandelartz. Levels 2 and 3 are already waiting with the sequel!

Monika Mandelartz: Greensleeves and Pudding Pies. Figured Bass and Historic Improvisation, 50 Pieces for 2 or more Instrumentalists, Level 1, EW 1220, € 26.50, Walhall, Magdeburg

Together with the bassist, drummers often form the rhythm section of a band and thus its foundation. From the drummer and composer Marcol Savoy's point of view, however, things can be quite different: the musician, who trained at the Haute Ecole de Jazz de Lausanne and the Lausanne Conservatory, likes to be at the center of the sound and to constantly integrate new elements into his playing with the jazz drums. For his new album Improspections he has teamed up with French pianist Alfio Origlio, who is characterized, among other things, by incorporating chanson characteristics into his jazzy playing. As can be gathered from the cover of the album, the 17 tracks are all improvisations. In keeping with the duo's background, the pieces are not only influenced by jazz, but also by world music and classical music. Together, the two embark on a journey into a contemplative world of sound, with a particular focus on resonance and silence. None of the compositions reaches 4 minutes, some even remain under 120 seconds, which makes them seem like snapshots.

While the music in Songes cautiously groping through an unknown dream world, the subsequent Nuits not only more elegiac, but also increasingly self-assured. You can literally feel the dialog between drums and piano gaining momentum, deepening and at times intensifying and finally culminating in pieces such as the subtly performed Différé or the increasingly rumbling Sables flows. What is particularly enjoyable to listen to is the continuous development process of the music, which never rests on its laurels and always remains curious. This results in ever new moods and shades, sometimes meditative, sometimes buzzing. Conclusion: If you are looking for Improspections will be rewarded with almost forty minutes of nuanced musical artistry.

Improvisations. Marcol Savoy, drums; Alfio Origlio, piano.marcolsavoy.com

Béla Bartók's eminently difficult string quartets have long since ceased to be the bugbears of a classical-romantic audience, but have become an integral part of the stage repertoire and a welcome challenge for professional string quartets. The protracted genesis and complex publishing history of the 2nd String Quartet op. 17, premiered on March 3, 1918 by the Waldbauer-Kerpely Quartet in Budapest, made the present new edition by G. Henle in collaboration with Editio Musica Budapest considerably more difficult.

The first motifs and drafts of individual passages were already written in 1914. Bartók continued to develop the piece in 1915 before taking a break and only entering the final phase of composition in the spring of 1917. The beginning and end of the process roughly coincide with the key dates of the First World War, the turmoil of which had a major influence on the composition. It was not Hungary's folklore that inspired him this time, but impressions from a trip to Algeria with his wife Márta before the war. Bartók put the famous collector-phonographer in front of "country dwellers" from various oases who had been taken by surprise. The results of the research trip, which was prematurely cut short due to unbearable heat and the composer's health problems, are reflected in the second movement, which is rhythmically and melodically Arabic in character. The resigned final movement, which his friend Zoltán Kodály gave the imaginary title "Sorrow", could be understood as a swan song to the sunken world of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy or even the European order by means of a senselessly murderous war with countless victims.

The increasing chaos during the last third of the war made communication between Bartók and Universal Edition in Vienna more difficult. Not all of the printed editions produced in the process of corrections survived. Even the composer himself was unable to clear up all discrepancies by the year of his death in 1945, which is why the new edition is based on the most likely final version according to Bartók's wishes. Nevertheless, some of the errors in the Universal, later Boosey & Hawkes edition have been eliminated, and performers can look forward to a revision that is convincing in all respects. Kodály's accessible notes on Bartók's work, which he had completely ignored in his publications for inexplicable reasons, are also exciting.

A great and extremely pleasant advance has been made with regard to the equalization of the music. For example, the part for the 1st violin has been extended from 11 pages to 17.

Béla Bartók: String Quartet No. 2 op. 17, edited by László Somfai; Parts: HN 1422, € 24.00; study score: HN 7422, € 14.00; G. Henle, Munich

The oratorio Le Laudi based on St. Francis of Assisi's Canticle of the Sun and composed by Hermann Suter (1870-1926) was premiered in Basel exactly one hundred years ago and made him internationally famous. The popular piece is still performed from time to time, but the large personnel and financial outlay for such a late romantic "ham" often exceeds the possibilities of smaller choirs.

Urs Stäuble, who has already made a name for himself with other reductions, has now published a skillful chamber version with Musikverlag Hug in Zurich. He has reduced the original score to a string quintet, which can adapt to the size of the choir, a percussionist and organ, which takes over the relevant wind parts. The vocal parts remain unchanged so that the existing piano score (also by Hug) can continue to be used. In addition to a suitable performance venue, where a well-positioned organ must be close to the performers, experienced players are needed for the string parts, some of which are very virtuoso.

A highly recommended chamber version that makes this moving work accessible to smaller choirs.

Hermann Suter: Le Laudi di San Francesco d'Assisi (Canticle of the Sun), chamber version by Urs Stäuble, score, Hug Musikverlage, Zurich

If you go to the opera as a young woman, you have to watch and listen to all kinds of things: Women on stage are abducted, murdered, driven mad, patronized or portrayed negatively, literally sacrificed on the altars of opera. In Mozart's Magic flute Pamina seems to be merely a pawn between the vengeful Queen of the Night and Sarastro and falls behind her male counterpart Tamino.

What to do with operas from past centuries that contain sexism, racism and discrimination of all kinds? The Critical Classics initiative, which was founded by theater manager and director Berthold Schneider and is supported by the North Rhine-Westphalia State Music Council, has taken up this question and set itself the task of critically reading libretti from earlier centuries and revising them according to modern standards in terms of non-discriminatory language and presentation. The Critical Classics team, consisting of opera, music and theater professionals, authors and diversity consultants, has published a new edition of the Magic flutelibretto, which is now freely available online.

The most performed opera first

With Mozart and Schikaneder's Magic flute makes sense. It is probably the most famous opera of all and contains many problematic aspects. Firstly, there is the role of Monostatos, whose skin color and origin are interpreted negatively throughout. The description of him as an "evil Moor" and his statement "And I should avoid love because a black man is ugly!" are depictions based on racist stereotypes that no longer have any place on the operatic stage. In the new edition by Critical Classics, Monostatos becomes an evil servant who is also the illegitimate son of Sarastro. The latter does not want to recognize him as his heir, which results in a plausible conflict that is not racially motivated.

In Schikaneder's libretto, subordination to men is the greatest duty for Pamina, Papagena and the nameless Queen of the Night. This portrayal of women, which is supported by generalizations such as "A woman does little, chats a lot", gives way to a more positive, self-determined image of women in the new edition. Papagena, for example, asserts herself self-confidently and repartee against Papageno, and the previously "shy doe" Pamina is given an additional aria in the fourteenth entrance of the first act. Mozart's concert aria Accept my thanks, you fair patronsThe new text gives Pamina the opportunity to be self-reflective and to critically question what has happened.

Resources for individual solutions

The new edition is convincing because it remains true to the original text despite the changes, offers well thought-out alternatives, explains contexts and documents and justifies every change without exception. The replacement of "Weib" and "Mädchen" with "Frau" is not entirely consistent. In addition, the new version refers to Sarastro's "pure descent", in contrast to Monostatos' illegitimate origin. This formulation should be reconsidered, as it also has problematic connotations.

According to Critical Classics, the new edition is not intended as an absolute version, but as a suggestion for productions in which own adaptations are possible. The strength of Critical Classics lies precisely in this: in creating resources for performances and in sparking debates about what exactly libretti from earlier times convey and how they should be dealt with. The new edition of the Magic flute shows that opera texts are not sacrosanct, but must change so that opera can continue to exist.

Next, Bach's St. John PassionBizet's Carmen and Puccini's Madama Butterfly be revised. Libretto and piano scores with the modified Magic flutes-Text, sheet music of the inserted aria and further information at:
criticalclassics.org

It was only two years ago that the opera, completed in 1856 Samson by the composer Joachim Raff, born in Lachen/SZ in 1822, was premiered in Weimar. Graziella Contratto and her label Schweizer Fonogramm have now presented the more than three-hour work in a lavish, artistically remarkable studio production (recording director: Frédéric Angleraux), including a trilingual libretto and detailed introductory text, as a premiere recording in collaboration with Bühnen Bern and the Joachim Raff Society Lachen. It is doubtful whether the opera will be able to hold its own on stage in the future - Raff's dramaturgy is too oratorical and some scenes are too lengthy. Musically, however, this work is definitely worthwhile with its colorful instrumentation, the direct juxtaposition of masses of sound and fragility and the cantabile, demanding solo parts

As Franz Liszt's assistant, Raff witnessed the world premiere of Wagner's Lohengrin up close in Weimar, which led him to his opera Samson inspired. The Lohengrin can be heard not only at the end of the first act in the chorus "Heil dem Helden von Dan", but also in the demanding, high-lying title role. Magnus Vigilius combines lyrical mellifluousness with great radiance. In individual passages such as "So sind zerrissen", he lacks a little flexibility. Olena Tokar is a multi-layered Delilah, whose rich soprano voice only loses some of its balance in the dramatic high notes. With Robin Adams as Abimelech, who moves between self-confidence and despair, Christian Immler as the high priest with natural authority and Michael Weinius as Micha, Delilah's spurned lover, the good ensemble of soloists is complete.

Conductor Philippe Bach works out many rewarding details with the Bern Symphony Orchestra, such as when the clarinet mocks Samson or when a Mendelssohnian lightness emerges in the flutes during the children's dance. The string accompaniment is catchy and the brass provide impressive scenic moments, such as when the high priest appears. The Bühnen Bern chorus turns the people into a beautiful-sounding community that is ready to escalate at any time, and one can also be afraid of them.

Joachim Raff: Samson, music drama in three sections, libretto by the composer, first recording. Magnus Vigilius, Olena Tokar, Robin Adams, Christian Immler, Michael Weinius, Berner Symphonieorchester, Chor der Bühnen Bern, musical director Philippe Bach. 3 CDs, Swiss Fonogram.

In recent years, Bärenreiter Prague has published several works by Josef Suk (and incidentally also by his wife Otilie, Dvořák's daughter). These editions are all convincing in their care and provide interesting background knowledge. The most recent of these publications comprises "Easy Piano Pieces and Dances".

Editor Jonáš Hájek aptly comments on this title: "The designation 'Easy Piano Pieces' should be treated with caution. These are rather less demanding pieces from Suk's piano oeuvre, but they require not only a certain level of technical preparation, but also flexibility due to the subtle emotional changes in a relatively small space." Speaking of "light": it may be one of Suk's special talents to be able to convey both the "light" and the "profoundly heavy" in equal measure and sometimes even simultaneously.

The collection begins with a waltz-like Humoresque, followed by an elegiac Album page. The third number, an expressive Adagio, ma non troppocomes from the piano compositions op. 12 and is dedicated to his later wife Otilie. The following Andante comes from a collection, namely the Suite op. 21.

The following Village serenade and Minuet show Suk's love of dance and folk music. Also No. 9 Ditty and no. 11 Polka from Vysoká belong in this area, although the latter is not really a composition by Suk. The polka was apparently "played by musicians for Master Dvořák 30 years ago". Suk then wrote it down from memory and arranged it for piano.

No. 7 is untitled and comes from the cycle Spring op. 22a. A short, melancholy piece, as impressive as the following one entitled How a mother sang to her sick child at night (from the collection From the little mother op. 28). Suk wrote these for his son in memory of Otilie, who died at an early age.

Spanish joke appears here in print for the first time. It is a joking greeting to a friend, sent on a postcard from Madrid. The short piece begins with racy Spanish rhythms and ends with a quotation from the popular song Where is my homewhich later became the Czech part of the Czechoslovak anthem. Incidentally, Suk wrote a witty commentary on the quote, in which he expressed his "longing for dumplings".

On Christmas Eve finally, probably quotes a Slovakian melody. It is an extended version of the song Greetings to the students in Slovakia. This atmospheric piano piece is the pearl of the whole booklet and was published on January 4, 1924, exactly on the composer's 50th birthday. And so it has just turned one hundred years old ...

Josef Suk: Easy Piano Pieces and Dances, edited by Jonáš Hájek, BA 11575, € 14.95, Bärenreiter, Prague