Good things come in small packages, goes the old cliché, and it's certainly true in this case. Hindemith's delightful wind quintet, "Kleine Kammermusik" - the second part of an opus that also includes the first of his seven chamber concertos under the collective title of "Kammermusik" - may be small in size but it's big in entertainment value. It's played here by a quintet of Hollywood studio musicians consisting of Haakon Bergh, flute; Gordon Pope, oboe; D. H. McKenney, clarinet; Don Christlieb, bassoon; and Jack Cave, horn. The two players whose dates I have been able to trace online (Bergh and Christlieb) were both young men in their twenties when this recording was made, and I imagine the others were similarly young, for they are fully in sympathy with Hindemith's idiom:
Hindemith: Kleine Kammermusik, Op. 24, No. 2
The Los Angeles Wind Quintet
Recorded c. 1939
Columbia Masterworks set MX-149, two 10-inch 78-rpm records
Link (FLAC file, 32.88 MB)
Link (MP3 file, 22.40 MB)
Incredibly, this is not the first recording of the piece; an earlier one was made
acoustically by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Wind Quintet for Deutsche Grammophon-Polydor. This, I expect, is ultra rare, and I hope to hear it someday before I die, although I cannot imagine it would be as fine as this Los Angeles performance.
Thank you! I look forward to hearing this. Yes, I fear that Leipzig set is rare as hen's teeth. On a cursory search, the only library that seems to have it is the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris - and then only the first disc! Very best wishes, Nick
ReplyDeleteThis is almost like having a score in hand. It retains great musicality despite its ultra-clarity. This turns out to be my favorite performance
ReplyDeletebecause it boasts {yea, even exudes} idiomatic Hindemith performance practice as if to the manner born. As a result, it possesses a deep authenticity.