Beethoven's violin

[Hofrat]

Dear Forum;

I found the following:

"First CD for Beethoven's violin
Beethoven's own violin has been used in a recording for the first time, according to the Beethoven Foundation.

"It was played by German violinist Daniel Sepec on a CD of the composer's violin and piano sonatas.

"The instrument, which is engraved with Beethoven's insignia, was in his family's possession until the early 19th Century. Beethoven died in 1827.

"The violin ended up in the US and was returned to the Beethoven Foundation in 1995 for a symbolic sum.

"It was restored in 1848, and again when acquired by the Foundation.

"The new CD comes with a 31-page booklet describing the history of the instrument.

"Beethoven wrote 10 violin sonatas and one concerto for violin and orchestra, as well as some unpublished violin works."

Hofrat

[Peter]

Originally posted by Hofrat:
Dear Forum;

I found the following:

"First CD for Beethoven's violin
Beethoven's own violin has been used in a recording for the first time, according to the Beethoven Foundation.

"It was played by German violinist Daniel Sepec on a CD of the composer's violin and piano sonatas.

"The instrument, which is engraved with Beethoven's insignia, was in his family's possession until the early 19th Century. Beethoven died in 1827.

"The violin ended up in the US and was returned to the Beethoven Foundation in 1995 for a symbolic sum.

"It was restored in 1848, and again when acquired by the Foundation.

"The new CD comes with a 31-page booklet describing the history of the instrument.

"Beethoven wrote 10 violin sonatas and one concerto for violin and orchestra, as well as some unpublished violin works."

Hofrat

Thanks for that Hofrat - the following pieces are on the cd which also uses an 1840's Graf piano.

Violin Sonata No. 4 in A minor, Op. 23
Violin Sonata No. 7 in C minor, Op. 30 No. 2
12 Variations for Piano and Violin in F major WoO 40



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'Man know thyself'

[Rod]

I am perplexed by this, as I have had for some time a CD of quartets performed using Beethoven's quartet of stringed instruments, as housed in the Beethoven House, and published by the Beethoven House. I presented a movement from Op59nr3 here from that same disk. I presume this is some other instrument attributed as belonging to Beethoven, but I have heard nothing of this before now.

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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin

[This message has been edited by Rod (edited 08-04-2006).]

[Gurn Blanston]

Originally posted by Peter:
Thanks for that Hofrat - the following pieces are on the cd which also uses an 1840's Graf piano.

Violin Sonata No. 4 in A minor, Op. 23
Violin Sonata No. 7 in C minor, Op. 30 No. 2
12 Variations for Piano and Violin in F major WoO 40

Oooh! Among my favorite sonatas!! I would be delighted if someone would post a link to a seller of this disk!

Cheers,
Gurn

[Peter]

Originally posted by Gurn Blanston:

Oooh! Among my favorite sonatas!! I would be delighted if someone would post a link to a seller of this disk!

Cheers,
Gurn

Hi Gurn - it is available at the Beethovenhaus shop.
http://www.beethoven-haus-bonn.de/si...id=3582&skip=6

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'Man know thyself'

[Peter]

Originally posted by Rod:
I am perplexed by this, as I have had for some time a CD of quartets performed using Beethoven's quartet of stringed instruments, as housed in the Beethoven House, and published by the Beethoven House. I presented a movement from Op59nr3 here from that same disk. I presume this is some other instrument attributed as belonging to Beethoven, but I have heard nothing of this before now.

According to the Beethovenhaus, this violin was one of the quartet instruments and was rediscovered in 1995. This does seem very strange indeed as I have photos of the quartet set in my 1970 bicentenary book!

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'Man know thyself'

[Rod]

Originally posted by Peter:
According to the Beethovenhaus, this violin was one of the quartet instruments and was rediscovered in 1995. This does seem very strange indeed as I have photos of the quartet set in my 1970 bicentenary book!

Either way the disk should be of interest. I am particularly interested in this 1840s Graf, which is a later model than we usually hear. Fortepiano ultra-purists look down somewhat on the Graf (considering it a proto-Romantic design) and highlight other Viennese makes as the Beethoven ideal. That being said the Graf always produces a good effect and it seems there are not so many late-classical models from other manufacturers still around.

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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin


[This message has been edited by Rod (edited 08-05-2006).]

[Gurn Blanston]

Originally posted by Peter:
Hi Gurn - it is available at the Beethovenhaus shop.
[URL=http://www.beethoven-haus-bonn.de/sixcms/detail.php?id=3582&template=&_mid=3582&skip=6]http://www.beethoven-haus-bonn.de/sixcms/detail.php?id=3582&template=&_mid=3582&skip=6[/ URL]

Thank you, Peter. I shall have it!

Cheers,
Gurn

[Rod]

Originally posted by Peter:
Thanks for that Hofrat - the following pieces are on the cd which also uses an 1840's Graf piano.

Violin Sonata No. 4 in A minor, Op. 23
Violin Sonata No. 7 in C minor, Op. 30 No. 2
12 Variations for Piano and Violin in F major WoO 40

I've just got my hands on this CD. Haven't listened to it yet but just a couple of things I want to say before I present my review. Firtly, the label is Harmonia Mundi not the usual Beethoven Haus label Ars Musici. Secondly the piano, as I suspected, is not from the 1840s, but rather the model from 1824 in the Beethoven Haus (not Beethoven's one alas). I'm not even sure if Graf was still making pianos in the 1840s, the latest I have seen a reference to is 1837. Thirdly the variations are a first on period instrument recordings so I am looking forward to this in particular. The programme overall makes a refreshing change to the usual Spring/Kreutzer combo one usually finds on CD, the others are well worth hearing too!

OK three things PDG.

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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin


[This message has been edited by Rod (edited 08-15-2006).]

[Rod]

Ok a quick review. I forgot to mention the CD costs only £9.99 in London.

Beethoven's violin (from Saltzbourg, c.1700) has smooth dry texture that really rasps when you attack the strings (all gut, one wound). The piano sounds fantastic, especially in the dramatic moments, though not quite as colourful as some other Graf's I've heard. But the venue accoustic may have something to do with this.

Tempi are on the whole pretty good, the underlying momentum is maintained which is important with Beethoven, could be a touch quicker here and there to my taste (eg the Presto in Op23). Andreas Staier on the piano could have brought a little more intensity to Beethoven's rumblings, but he does attack where it is needed. Daniel Sepec on the violin is very stylish indeed, using vibrato more as an ornament, and produces as engaging 'throb' or 'swell' to many of the notes.

There are some liberties taken however. They take a more improvisatory stance with the excellent Mozart variations, using some of the Graf's effects - the 'bassoon' in variation 2 which produces an engaging buzzing tone in bass, and the 'janissary' in variation 5 which is drum/cymbal effect like a powerful tambourine. The latter shocked the living daylights out of me even on the second hearing! I think in the variations there is just about room for this conceit, but unfortunately they add the odd note or two here and there on all the pieces, something which is just not necessary with Beethoven and I don't know why performers in the HIP scene do it. However it is not as intrusive on this CD as I've heard elsewhere.

Sound quality is excellent, though perhaps a little too close miked, a common issue these days. Still all things considered an excellent buy, especially at this price. More so if you haven't heard this music on period instruments before.


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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin




[This message has been edited by Rod (edited 08-14-2006).]

[Rod]

I might add they perform the repeat in the second movement of Op23, so now it is almost as long as the first. I've never heard this repeat observed before.

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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin

[Peter]

Originally posted by Rod:
I might add they perform the repeat in the second movement of Op23, so now it is almost as long as the first. I've never heard this repeat observed before.

Interesting Rod. Is any explanation offered about the violin being rediscovered in the 90s? Is it part of the quartet set?

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'Man know thyself'

[Rod]

Originally posted by Peter:
Interesting Rod. Is any explanation offered about the violin being rediscovered in the 90s? Is it part of the quartet set?

There is some commentary about the violin in the CDs notes but I haven't got round to reading it, I'll let you know tomorrow. To be honest I was more interested in the piano than the violin, gut stringed violins were still common at the begining of the 20th Century (although I appreciate there were other modifications over time with the violin), whereas the pianos of course were much different by then.

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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin


[This message has been edited by Rod (edited 08-15-2006).]

[Rod]

Originally posted by Rod:
There is some commentary about the violin in the CDs notes but I haven't got round to reading it, I'll let you know tomorrow...

Or even tonight, I forgot I have a computer at home. I must correct something I said above (and which I have now deleted!), this disk IS selling itself as a first for this violin (I think I was drunk when I first read the CD notes). Reading the notes it refers to this violin being one of the famous four instruments B received from Lichnowsky. And yet the description of this violin bears no resemblance to either of the instruments performed by the Schuppanzigh Quartet. I believe the BH regards the current instrument as genuine but makes no reference to the existing instruments, thus one of the others must have nothing to do with Beethoven. Yet the Schuppanzigh CD was published by the BH as being performed using Beethoven's quartet instruments four years AFTER they were aware of the current violin according to the CD notes of the present disk.

There is something going on here. There is only one way to solve it, bring in our local detective, Sherlock Newman!

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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin

[PDG]

Originally posted by Rod:
The programme overall makes a refreshing change to the usual Spring/Kreutzer combo one usually finds on CD, the others are well worth hearing too!

OK three things PDG.

Huh?? But anyway, I agree that the other violin/piano works are too often neglected in favour of the "nevertheless still great" Spring and Kreutzer pieces.