SACDs - Haas, P

Amsterdam Sinfonietta has combined a romantic masterpiece of the string orchestra repertoire with two wild compositions from the inter-war period. Dvorák, Haas, and Schulhoff hardly make a conventional mixture, but all three of these composers had their roots in a region which was known for many centuries as “Bohemia.” One can hear this common ground in the rhythmic diversity, the influence of folk music, and the melodic inventiveness that characterizes their music.

Amsterdam Sinfonietta occupies a unique position on the Dutch music scene as professional string orchestra. It is regularly invited to perform in concert halls throughout the world as one of the very few large-scale string ensembles on the international scene. What sets Amsterdam Sinfonietta apart from the ‘regular’ chamber orchestras is the top priority it gives to a ‘chamber music mentality’. Every one of its musicians assumes the responsibilities of a solo player. This approach gives a high level of involvement on the part of the musicians when they perform as an ensemble, resulting in performances of rare dynamism and intensity that involve the listener in a vibrant live music experience. Usually the ensemble plays without conductor under the direction of Candida Thompson, concertmaster since 1995, who was appointed artistic director in 2003.

The Amsterdam Sinfonietta’s Walton/Beethoven disc CCSSA23005 was a Gramophone Editor’s Choice in 2005.

This collection of duos for oboe (specifically cor anglais) and piano by Benjamin Britten, Pavel Haas, Paul Hindemith and Nikos Skalkottas are not only interrelated by the period in which they arose – the years 1935-1941 – but also as haunting documents of musical paths through an increasingly gloomy time.

Hindemith‘s sonatas for English horn and piano, part of his larger sonata oeuvre, reflect internalisation and technical dispassion before and during his emigration. Pavel Haas’ suite is a subtle protest against the annexation of Czechoslovakia by Nazi Germany. Skalkottas‘ concertino is part of a unique oeuvre that the student of Schoenberg wrote in artistic isolation and under desolate external circumstances in his home country. In both ingenious works of the young Benjamin Britten, a deep unease with the political conditions of the pre-war period is perceptible beneath a surface of virtuosic luster. An enormous contribution to the small repertoire of 20th century oboe literature, these works also present great musical and artistic challenges to the performers.

Birgit Schmieder is a winner of competitions such as the Deutscher Hochschulwettbewerb and the Deutscher Musikwettbewerb. She has performed as a soloist and chamber musician with several ensembles specializing in early and new music in Germany and beyond. As a soloist, she has appeared with ensembles such as the Deutsche Bachsolisten, the Berliner Symphoniker and the Deutsches Kammerorchester. Concert tours have led her to Italy (Venice Biennale), Poland (Warsaw Autumn), Israel, China and Korea.

Akiko Yamashita has appeared extensively as a soloist, chamber musician and accompanist. Her concert activities have taken her throughout Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands as well as to Austria, Italy, Ireland, Russia, Japan and the U.S.A. She has appeared at festivals such as the Berliner Festwochen, the Berlin new music festivals Maerzmusik and Ultraschall, Steirischer Herbst in Graz, the Venice Biennale and the Festival Milano Musica. She appears regularly as a soloist with orchestras including e.g. the Stuttgarter Kammerorchester under Dennis Russell Davies.