infotext:
Homage to Heinrich Schiff 17 CD box set with 62 works by 30 composers, including 25 first releases of the recordings
Orchestras and ensembles: conductors: Harpsichord: Clay Koopman, Yuri Smirnov
Homage to Heinrich Schiff In November 2016, cellist and conductor Heinrich Schiff turned 65. An anniversary CD box should document his concert life. A student of Tobias Kühne and André Navarra, Schiff made his debut in 1971 in Vienna and London. He has performed almost all of the essential cello works of the last 300 years - from B to Z: from Bach to BA Zimmermann - and as a conductor he has had compositions from the Baroque to the 21st century in his repertoire. He received the »Grand Prix du Disque« for his recording of Bach's solo suites and for the two Shostakovich concertos, and the »German Record Prize« for the recording of Brahms' double concerto with Frank Peter Zimmermann. The Stradivari cello "Mara" (1711) and Montagnana's "Sleeping Beauty" (1739) were the instrumental wonders with which he enchanted his listeners. His »step-in« in the Lutosławski Cello Concerto at the 1971 World Music Festival paved the way for him to take the step towards a world career, as did his collaboration with Celibidache. His solo career with the major orchestras of our time includes concerts with the conductors Abbado, Chailly, von Dohnányi, Eschenbach, Gielen, Haitink, Harnoncourt, Jansons, Masur, Rattle, Salonen, Sawallisch, Sinopoli and Welser-Möst. The cello was the focus of his career at the beginning of his career, but from 1985 conducting became increasingly important in his life and soon took equal place in his concert activities. As a conductor, Schiff has held senior positions with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, the Northern Sinfonia, the Musikkollegium Winterthur, Copenhagen and the Vienna Chamber Orchestra. He was principal guest conductor with the Bruckner Orchestra in Linz and the Radio Symphony Orchestra in Stuttgart. He has also been guest conductor of large orchestras in Europe and the USA. Heinrich Schiff was born on November 18, 1951 in Gmunden, Upper Austria. The father, composer and music teacher, came from Bratislava. The mother, also a musician, is the granddaughter of the musicologist Hugo Riemann. Heinrich Schiff died in Vienna on December 23, 2016. Thus, this CD collection, originally planned for his 65th birthday, became (his) legacy. Despite his everyday life being »overflowing« with performances, Heinrich Schiff never let his vocation as a teacher become a minor matter. He not only teaches his students – he taught in Basel, Cologne, Salzburg and Vienna – the high art of playing the cello: He prepared them for the well-oiled business of musical life, warned them against conformism, postmodern disorientation, artistic arbitrariness and from becoming streamlined "affable." I have always admired without bounds the way in which Heinrich Schiff defied the capital market-driven, profit-oriented economy in his artistic dramaturgy and his choice of repertoire and followed his path uncompromisingly and unswervingly. Never-failing curiosity and non-conformity, quite apart from the polychromy of his music-making, which is beautifully expressed in the present CD box, make him an absolutely exceptional musician. The reproduction of his interpretations, which are presented in this CD collection, is intended to draw a fresco of his personality and thus an electrifying reference to the cut of his artistic, noble-minded figure. Finally, a quote from Günter Pichler, leader of the Alban Berg Quartet: »...he feels obliged to be faithful to the work, but has the ability to incorporate his own personality, his extraordinary vitality, virtuosity and comprehensive imagination into his interpretation in the most captivating and touching way .« Dirk Nabering |
program:
Homage to Heinrich Schiff 17 CD box set with 62 works by 30 composers, including 25 first releases of the recordings
Heinrich Schiff, cello Private recording 1983 Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: EMI Electrola – Seon 1984 “Grand Prix du Disque” Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: EMI Electrola – Seon 1984 “Grand Prix du Disque” Francesco Geminiani (1680-1762) Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: Philips – Amsterdam 1991 Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: Philips – London 1983
CD 2 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Twelve Variations in F major Opus 66 for Piano and Violoncello on "A Girl or a Woman" from Mozart's "Magic Flute" Friedrich Gulda, piano Recording: Amadeo – Vienna 1981 Welsh and Irish Songs 14:24 Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone Recording: EMI Electrola – Berlin 1984 Sonata in A major Opus 69 for piano and cello 26:09 Christian Zacharias, piano Live recording: ORF – Salzburg Festival 1982 Sonata in D major Opus 102 No. 2 for piano and cello 20:23 Til Fellner, piano Recording: Philips – 2000 [13] Bonus: the broken string 01:13
CD 3 Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Opus 67 28:49 WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne Live recording: WDR – Cologne Philharmonic 1998 Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major, Opus 61 42:06 Thomas Zehetmair, violin Beethoven's solo cadenzas to his own piano version of this concerto, transcribed for violin by Wolfgang Schneiderhan Live recording: Joachim Schmid, audio & video production, Lindau
CD 4 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) Symphony No. 36 in C major “Linzer” K. 425 30:14 Camerata Salzburg Live recording: ORF – Konzerthaus Vienna 2002 Symphony No. 40 in G minor K. 550 29:34 Northern Symphony Recording: Virgin Classics – Quayside/Newcastle 1990 Rondo in C major for violin and orchestra KV 373 Christian Tetzlaff, violin Recording: Virgin Classics – Quayside / Newcastle 1991
CD 5 Robert Schumann (1810-1856) Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in A minor Opus 129 22:18 Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: Philips – Berlin 1988 Adagio and Allegro in A flat major, Opus 70 for cello and piano 09:39 Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: Philips – Neumarkt 1991 Fantasy Pieces Opus 73 for cello and piano 12:14 Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording Philips – Neumarkt 1991 Symphony No. 2 in C major, Opus 61 35:50 Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra Live recording: Oslo 1996
CD 6 Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Sonata No. 1 E minor Opus 38 for cello and piano 23:03 Heinrich Schiff, cello Live recording: Paulussaal Freiburg 1982 Sonata No. 2 in F major Opus 99 for cello and piano 28:56 Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: Philips – Neumarkt 1996 Trio for piano, clarinet and cello in A minor, Opus 114 25:01 Rudolf Buchbinder, piano Recording: EMI Electrola – Frankfurt-Preungesheim 1983
CD 7 Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Trio for piano, violin and cello in B major Opus 8 34:58 Christian Zacharias, piano Recording: EMI Electrola – Seon 1982 Concerto for Violin, Violoncello and Orchestra in A minor Opus 102 32:52 Frank Peter Zimmerman, violin Recording: EMI Electrola - London 1996
CD 8 Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in B minor Opus 104 37:30 Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: Philips – Musikvereinssaal Vienna 1992 “Waldesruhe” for cello and piano Opus 68 No. 5 Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: Philips – Vienna 1992 Rondo in G minor Opus 94 for cello and piano Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: Philips – Vienna 1992 Polonaise in A major for cello and piano Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: Philips – La Chaux-de-Fonds 1984 “Carnival” Concert Overture in A major, Opus 92 Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden Live recording: MDR – Semperoper Dresden 1995
CD 9 Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne Live recording: WDR – Cologne Philharmonic 2004 Max Bruch (1838-1920) Bruno Weinmeister, cello Live recording: SWR – BASF Feierabendhaus – Ludwigshafen 2002
CD 10 Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) Symphony No. 1 in D major 52:29 SWR Symphony Orchestra Baden-Baden and Freiburg Live recording: SWR – Freiburg 2007 funeral. Symphonic poem for large orchestra NDR Sinfonieorchester Hamburg Live recording: NDR – Laeizhalle Hamburg 2008
CD 11 Henry Vieuxtemps (1820-1881) Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: SDR & EMI Electrola – Stuttgart 1986 Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840) Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: Philips “Encore!” – Vienna 1987 Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: Philips “Encore!” – Vienna 1987 Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Opus 74 “Pathétique” 43:23 SWR Symphony Orchestra Baden-Baden and Freiburg Live recording: SWR – Freiburg 2004
CD 12
SWR Symphony Orchestra Baden-Baden and Freiburg Live recording: SWR – Geneva 2003 Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953) Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: Philips “Encore!” – Vienna 1987 Reinhold Gliere (1875-1956) Heinrich Schiff and Samuel Sanders, piano Recording: Philips “Encore!” – Vienna 1987 Helmut Schiff (1918-1982) Andreas Reiner, violin Private recording – Linz 1981 Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) Heinrich Schiff, cello Live recording: ORF – Salzburg Festival 1991
CD 13 Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) Concerto for Cello and Orchestra No. 1 Opus 107 30:56 Heinrich Schiff, cello Live recording: Vienna Philharmonic – Vienna 1988 Concerto for Cello and Orchestra No. 2 Opus 126 33:34 Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: Philips – Munich 1984
CD 14 Alfred Schnittke (1934-1998) Concerto grosso No. 1 for two violins, harpsichord, prepared piano and string orchestra 28:16 Gidon Kremer, violin Recording: Deutsche Grammophon – Berlin 1988 Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1 Heinrich Schiff, cello Live recording: ORF – Vienna 1984 string trio 28:15 Gidon Kremer, violin Live recording: Peter Laenger
CD 15 Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994) Concerto for cello and orchestra Heinrich Schiff, cello Live recording: Philips & BR – Munich 1986 Concerto for cello and orchestra Christian Poltera, cello Live recording: SWR – Freiburg 2004 Fun music in memory of Béla Bartók Mahler Chamber Orchestra Live recording: Ferrara Musica – Ferrara 2004 Grave. Metamorphoses for cello and piano Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: EMI Electrola – Eckenhagen 1983
CD 16 Rudy Stephan (1887-1915) SWR Symphony Orchestra Baden-Baden and Freiburg Live recording: SWR – Freiburg 2009 Bernd Alois Zimmerman (1918-1970) Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: Philips & SWR – Baden-Baden 1989 Friedrich Gulda (1930-2000) Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: Amadeo – Vienna 1981
CD 17 Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826) Radio Symphony Orchestra Stuttgart of the SWR Live recording: Deutschlandradio – Cologne Philharmonic 1999 Franz Schubert (1797-1828) NDR Radio Philharmonic Hanover Live recording: NDR – Large Broadcasting Hall Hanover 2011 Richard Strauss (1864-1949) Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: Philips – Leipzig 1989 Vincent Lachner (1811-1893) Heinrich Schiff, cello Live recording: Paulussaal Freiburg 1982
Claude Debussy (1862-1918) Heinrich Schiff, cello Live recording: ORF – Salzburg Festival 1982 Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: Philips – La Chaux-de-Fonds 1984 Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: Philips “Encore!” – Vienna 1987 Henryk Wieniawski (1835-1880) Heinrich Schiff, cello Recording: Philips “Encore!” – Vienna 1987 |
Press:
“The Man with the Mara Cello” – In the February 18.2.2018, XNUMX issue, Wolf Wondratschek commemorates the great cellist Heinrich Schiff and tells of a conversation with his friend, the master violin maker Marcel Richters. He praises the NEOS edition “Hommage à Heinrich Schiff”: “What is available is impressive, a stunner. 62 works by 30 composers, 25 of which are first publications. How to list everything and everyone, the orchestras (the most famous in the world), the conductors (the best), the performers (the best of the best)? Schiff as a soloist and even as a conductor. One only has to hear, with him at the podium, the recording of Beethoven's 5th symphony, published here for the first time, or Schnittke's Concerto grosso No. 1 with Gidon Kremer, Tatjana Grindenko and Yuri Smirnov, or, previously unreleased, his interaction with Tzimon Barto in Shostakovich's Sonata for Cello and Piano, the live recording of a concert at the Salzburg Festival in 1991 or with Frank Peter Zimmermann in the Concerto for Violin, Violoncello and Orchestra in A minor by Johannes Brahms, with the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Wolfgang Sawallisch from the 1996, awarded the German Record Prize; a recording on which Schiff first played the Mara, “my Ferrari”, as he called it, to which he remained faithful until the end of his concert career.”
Issue 1 / 2018 by: Gerhard Anders An exceptional musician! Heinrich Schiff turned 2016 in November 65. On this occasion, the concert dramaturge Dirk Nabering put together recordings from thirty years that document the work of the important cellist and conductor. A tremendous amount of music came together, enough to fill 17 CDs. Unexpectedly, the impressive homage became a legacy: Heinrich Schiff died on December 23, 2016. This compilation gives us the opportunity to relive Schiff's uniqueness, the breadth of his repertoire, the vitality of his interpretations. (...) . The CD box becomes a special listening event thanks to many first releases. Concert recordings, which had never been released on sound carriers before, reflect some great moments. (...)
All in all, a treasure trove in which not all the gold shines as brightly over the years as it did in the past, but some things that appear to have a matt finish are actually among the most valuable. (Continue reading) Jürgen Schaarwaechter, October 04.10.2017th, XNUMX
4/2017 BANG! Piano and cello first shake hands with elegiac gentleness – until the cello incessantly increases the tension. But suddenly you are torn out of this atmosphere. It goes: bang! And all you can hear is the broken string trembling as it hits the wood. This small recording of a studio recording, which is not explained in detail in the booklet, should not be missing from the extensive homage to Heinrich Schiff, the great Austrian cellist (and sometimes very good conductor), which is also full of first publications. And in addition to recordings that have not lost their value and validity to this day (including Bach suites, Beethoven sonatas), there are countless discoveries and surprises to be made. Schiff's conducting of Witold Lutoslawski's cello concerto with Christian Poltéra from 2004 can be heard for the first time. Schiff proved himself to be a master of even the lighthearted details in the dance tunes of the romantic Vinzenz Lachner with pianist Christian Zacharias. And among the recordings, which come from the archives of various labels, there are encounters with the later intimate enemy Friedrich Gulda, sometimes as the piano accompanist and then again as the composer of the cello concerto written for Schiff. Heinrich Schiff died in December 2016 at the age of 65. This box is the most vivid memory of him that one could ask for. Guido Fischer
08/17 The 65-CD "Hommage à Heinrich Schiff" by the new music label NEOS was intended for Heinrich Schiff's 17th birthday last November - now it has become a worthy obituary, with numerous first releases such as Schubert's seventh with the NDR Radiophilharmonie from 2011 or Shostakovich's Cello Sonata in D minor with Tzimon Barto from Salzburg 1991 |
