Carl Loewe; Charles Auguste de Bériot - Piano Trios (Göbel-Trio Berlin)

Information

Composer: Carl Loewe; Charles Auguste de Bériot

• Loewe - Piano Trio in G Minor, Op. 12
• Bériot - Piano Trio No. 2 in D Major, Op. 58

Göbel-Trio Berlin

    Hans Maile, violin

    René Forest, cello

    Horst Göbel, piano

Date: 2011

Label: Christophorus

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Description

The article on Carl Loewe (1796–1869) in an expertly written history of music begins by classifying him as a German ballad composer and ends with the words: “...he spent the last years of his life in Kiel, where he died in a state of rapt absorption in 1869.” He led a life devoted equally to sacred music and the secular ballad. At a time when lieder singing was still a vibrant part of our culture, there was hardly a heroic bass-baritone who did not give his all when presenting the dramatic experience of a Loewe ballad, whether on the concert stage or on gramophone records. Accompanied only by a piano and a skilled pianist, nothing else was required to ensure excellent entertainment at a melodramatic level.

When Loewe moved to Stettin (now Szczecin) in 1820 to begin a 46-year tenure as choirmaster and organist at the Jacobikirche, he had already written two of his most famous ballads: Edward (Herder) and The Erlking (Goethe), both composed in 1818 as his Opus 1. About ten years later, after composing the Opus 20 ballads to texts by Goethe (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The Walking Bell), he began work on his greatest oratorio, Die Zerstörung von Jerusalem (The Destruction of Jerusalem), which he completed in 1829. Vocal and instrumental forces exceeding 200 musicians performed at its premiere in 1832.

The opera Die drei Wünsche (The Three Wishes) from the same period (first performed in Berlin in 1832) likewise shows Loewe at the height of his dramatic powers. This period is altogether distinguished by the amazing range of Loewe’s activities; he even produced Bach’s St. Matthew Passion in Stettin in 1831—just two years after Mendelssohn’s historic revival of the work in Leipzig.

Quite out of the blue, in the middle of all these grand works and deeds, he wrote a chamber work: the piano trio of 1830, recorded here for the first time. It was designated as Opus 12 and, in accordance with contemporary tastes, titled Grand Trio. This isolated piece bears unmistakable evidence that Loewe was not entirely conversant with the intimate nature of chamber music. It almost gives the impression of having been infected by the violent power inspired by his larger dramatic surroundings.

The Allegro opens with eight bars of rumbling cello, violin, and piano. Excitedly, the piano begins to tell a story. The handoff of this principal theme to the violin and corresponding cello (from bar 37) immediately brings to the fore Loewe’s unique ability to establish the character of a theme solely through musical "gestures" in the accompanying instruments, without changing the notation or harmonic framework. (We are not talking here about the general change in tone color that naturally occurs when a contrasting instrument takes over a melody). It is often the tiniest details that alter the perspective and turn listening into a voyage of discovery.

However, it cannot be denied that we also encounter the occasional dry transitional passage, where the composer’s loving attention seems to have broken down "for lack of time" (for example, from bar 96 through the transition to the repeat or development).

The designation Allegro is merely a relative indication of tempo. As the "inventor" of the ballad, Loewe should really have named this movement as such; from the first to the last note, in statement and counter-statement, it delivers a dramatic narrative, leaving the listener to interpret the imaginary text for themselves. Throughout it all, the formal structure of the movement is upheld, though structure is not really the point here: a "ballad" may legitimately demand formal leeway.

It soon becomes clear that the characteristics of the first movement do not apply to the rest of the work. In 3/4 time, the dance-like second movement (Allegro molto agitato) is a robust, rustic piece which, though sticking to a dark G minor, succeeds in breaking into more exuberant territory. The dance takes an unexpected turn in the middle section, which shifts to G major. Marked consolante, the entry of the cello transforms the piece from a peasant stomp into a charmingly elegant, splendidly swinging waltz.

The third movement is headed Larghetto. Loewe could safely have added cantabile, for here he appears as a singer—blessed with a beautiful tenor voice, he sang with triumphant success even in notoriously critical Vienna. In this movement, the composer displays great skill in assigning to the three instruments just the right kind of "bite-sized" lyrical material to suit their individual strengths.

The slow-seeming, staccato eighth notes in the piano that open the final movement (Allegro assai vivace) give the grotesque impression of walking on stilts, holding many surprises in store and climaxing in lively virtuosity. Very few pieces contain such a variety of intelligent fun. The rhythmic traps and other rollicking examples of musical horseplay can hardly fail to infect the listener.

Taken as a whole, Loewe’s only piano trio seems to represent a chapter from his own life, which (until he suffered a stroke a few years before his death) was predominantly a happy one. His talent was apparent early on, and his proficiency has been compared to that of Schubert. That comparison must end there, however, for the backgrounds of the two composers are entirely dissimilar. Although born the twelfth child of Cantor Adam Loewe near Halle an der Saale, Loewe was nonetheless granted a sound formal education in church music and even went on to study theology at the age of twenty-one. Three years later, he was already on his way to Stettin.

A personality who enjoyed life and was well able to cope with it, he found his place of honor in the first half of the nineteenth century. Carl Loewe will remain immortal as long as the ballad remains in our awareness as an art form.

But who is still aware of Charles Auguste de Bériot (1802–1870), the once-celebrated contemporary of Carl Loewe? The two composers in all probability never met, and quite possibly did not even know of each other’s existence. Mention Bériot’s name to professional violinists, and their eyes light up; but pianists, with their inevitably broader repertoire knowledge, will merely scratch their heads in perplexity. Even dedicated music lovers have long since forgotten him.

Who was he, then? Born in Louvain, Belgium, in 1802 and dying in Brussels in 1870, he came from an old, highly respected family. Orphaned at the age of nine, his guardian and first teacher was the esteemed violinist Tiby. In the right hands, the boy made rapid progress on the instrument. Bériot was accepted into the Paris Conservatoire on the recommendation of Viotti, but he did not succeed in integrating his strong personality into the rigid official curriculum. Already possessing a brilliant virtuoso technique, he went his own way, performing concerts in Paris, London, the Netherlands, and beyond. Bériot briefly served William I, King of the Netherlands, for a fabulous salary, during which time he met the celebrated prima donna Maria Malibran. Passionately in love, he toured half the world with her. They married as soon as her divorce came through, but she tragically died only six months later from a riding accident.

Bériot later renewed his interest in composition (he had composed earlier without formal study), resumed his activities as a violin virtuoso, and accepted a professorship at the Brussels Conservatoire. He was forced to resign in 1852 due to a disease of the optic nerve. Blindness and the paralysis of his left shoulder in 1858 finally marked the end of his career as a virtuoso.

What remains of Bériot the composer? His sophisticated violin studies are still alive in both classrooms and concert halls; one of his violin concertos or the caprice Le Trémolo are also occasionally heard (mostly in French-speaking countries). On this recording of chamber works, we have included his Deuxième Trio pour Piano, Violon et Violoncelle Op. 58. It may come as a pleasant change for the listener to succumb to the charm of music composed in a lighter, more entertaining vein.

Thematically, the Moderato resembles César Franck’s early works, which were written around the same time. Peaceable, aesthetic, lyrical, and sonorous, this music speaks directly to the heart. The work is rich in harmony and not overladen with empty virtuosity. A certain naiveté shines through here and there, which might draw a quiet smile from the listener—though scholarly analysis often foregoes this pleasure.

The D major of the first movement gives way to F major in the second; this is interrupted halfway through by a dramatic F minor before returning to the initial key. Carried mainly by the two stringed instruments, what we hear is a folk song whose simplicity makes further commentary superfluous.

The long-awaited virtuoso display finally arrives in the concluding rondo (Allegretto). Set in D minor, the movement uses an unusual but highly attractive overall key sequence of D major / F major / D minor. Stylistically, it follows a vein of French Romanticism whose simplicity (which implies a different, not lesser, form of expressiveness) we recognize in many works by Camille Saint-Saëns. The two string instruments are showcased in magnificent duets, while the piano weaves figurations and provides harmonic summaries.

We thus make the acquaintance of a piano trio conceived in a time very different from our own. Yet, as our acquaintance deepens, the work actually seems to fit rather well into the modern world. May this music fill a listener or two with a longing for an aesthetic ethos that is fast declining.

— Leo Mayr

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Carl Loewe (30 November 1796 – 20 April 1869) was a German composer, conductor and singer who was particularly known as a master of the solo dramatic ballad. Often compared to Franz Schubert, Loewe uniquely blended lyrical and dramatic styles in his settings of narrative poems like Goethe's Erlkönig. He spent a definitive 46-year tenure as a church music director in Stettin, creating a vast catalog of over 400 songs, seventeen oratorios, five operas, and a number of chamber works. Supported by noble pensions, Loewe enjoyed a highly successful touring career before spending his final years in Kiel.

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Charles-Auguste de Bériot (20 February 1802 – 8 April 1870) was a Belgian violin virtuoso, composer and teacher who helped establish the Franco-Belgian school of violin playing. Renowned for combining technical brilliance with elegance and expressive sensitivity, he influenced generations of violinists. A prodigy, he performed internationally and later served as head of the violin department at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. Bériot was married to the celebrated opera singer Maria Malibran. His compositions, particularly violin concertos and pedagogical works, remain significant in violin education.

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Active from 1972 to 2002, the Göbel-Trio Berlin comprised violinist Hans Maile, cellist René Forest, and pianist Horst Göbel. The ensemble distinguished itself on the international stage by championing rarely performed chamber repertoire, including works by E.W. Korngold, Boris Blacher and Louis Ferdinand, Prince of Prussia. Sponsored by the German State Department's cultural exchange program, the Trio completed four concert tours of the United States beginning in 1979, followed by extensive tours of the Far East and China in the early 90s. Their discography features trios by Rheinberger, Schumann, Bruch and Widor.

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