Schoeck: Notturno

Christian Gerhaher (Artist), Othmar Schoeck (Composer), Rosamunde Quartett (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Rosamunde Quartett
• Composer: Othmar Schoeck
• Audio CD (November 17, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: ECM New Series
• ASIN: B002G1TS5E
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #196,184 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

By the time the European avant garde had advanced to breaking china and blowing train whistles, Swiss composer Othmar Schoeck was deemed "too accessible." Their loss, as "Notturno," op. 47, (1931-1933) is a post-romantic chamber gem. Poems by Nikolaus Lenau, scored for string quartet and baritone are given a new reading on an ECM recording featuring the rock-solid, Rosamunde Quartet, with Christian Gerhaher. This is attractive, meaty, but agile musicianship, showing a wonderful dynamic range. Extra props go to Herr Gerhaher for his beautiful tone, and impeccable diction. – Hugo Munday

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A little night music, January 7, 2010

By 

Mr Fox the Elder (UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Schoeck: Notturno (Audio CD)

Othmar Schoeck is a composer whose work deserves to be better known. This performance of his beautiful Notturno by the excellent young baritone, Christian Gerhaher, with the Rosamunde Quartett will certainly help to bring Schoeck to the fore again. Gerhaher has a wonderfully expressive voice and a warm tone, perfect for these poems of pain and loss. The ambient ECM recording creates an atmosphere of compelling intimacy. This disc was quite rightly included in Alex Ross' ten best discs of 2009. Anyone interested in Schoeck should read Chris Walton's recent biography, Othmar Schoeck: Life and Works (Eastman Studies in Music), published by the University of Rochester Press.

5.0 out of 5 stars Unknown master work., January 18, 2012

By 

martin fritter - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Schoeck: Notturno (Audio CD)

A wonderful example of late Middle-European romanticism. Schoeck is completely new to me. His methods may have been conservative but his compositional voice is distinctive. Works for voice and string quartet are rare but the combination works wonderfully here. The texts chosen (Nikolaus Lenau and Gottfried Keller, provided with translations) are expressionistic and the mood somber and autumnal. Gerhaher, whose presence drew me to this disk, is recorded with a bit more distance than elsewhere but the overall sound is excellent.

There are some more Shoeck songs on a recital CD by Martina Jankova. Otherwise, Shoeck's Spotify footprint is small.