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Bausznern: Chamber music, Vol 1 - Berolina Ensemble

Bausznern: Chamber music, Vol 1 - Berolina Ensemble

MDG Scene  MDG 948 1826-6

Stereo/Multichannel Hybrid

Classical - Chamber


Waldemar von Bausznern: Octet in D minor for piano, 3 violins, flute, clarinet, cello & double bass; Elegie in C minor for violin & piano; Serenade for violin, clarinet & piano

Berolina Ensemble


Bullseye
Whenever the Berolina Ensemble performs – expect the unexpected. The young Berlin musicians have been seeking out unknown chamber music in unusual scorings – and with the works of Waldemar von Baussnern, they have scored another bullseye. Bausznern's works blend the influences of the conservative and New German schools into a highly individual style; it is to his position as Academy secretary that we owe the appointments of Schoenberg, Schreker and Hindemith to the Berlin Academy of Sciences.

Fire
Bausznern grew up in Transylvania, then in Hungary, and commemorated his homeland in an opulent and richly scored Octet, in which flute and clarinet are joined by three violins, cello, double bass and piano. The line-up is appropriately reminiscent of a gypsy band, and sure enough, they play a fiery Csardas. The work opens, however, with an expansive Passacaglia, depicting the wide open spaces of the Puszta. A leisurely Ländler in Viennese manner and a lament for Liszt lead on to a large set of variations that bring the generously planned work to a wistful close.

Rousing
The influence of Brahms is more strongly evident in Bausznern's Serenade for clarinet, violin and piano. No wonder, when the piece is dedicated to the phenomenal clarinettist Richard Mühlfeld, who inspired Brahms to write his late chamber works for the instrument. What wonderful cantilenas in the third movement, showing clarinet and violin at their best! A rousing finale sends its audience out in high spirits.

Moving
The Elegy for violin and piano is of great expressive intensity. A single melodic fragment is drawn out into a seemingly never-ending arch of tension. We should be grateful to the Berolina Ensemble that this was one of the forgotten works they rescued, for it was one of his most often played compositions during his lifetime. All beautifully recorded in finest 2+2+2 sound, this SACD is a must-have for all lovers of the road not taken; a real find!

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