Hindemith: Die Harmonie der Welt

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Like his earlier opera, Mathis der Maler, Hindemith’s 1957 Die Harmonie der Welt is an opera of ideas, dealing with such subjects as the nature of creativity, the artist/original thinker in a society inimical to new ideas, humanity’s role in the universe and the ultimate harmony of the cosmos. Heady stuff that probably accounts for its rarity– this is the first recording of the complete opera. Like its predecessor, Die Harmonie der Welt best known through the symphony Hindemith based on it. But it’s an engrossing opera full of quality music and deserves to be ranked among the composer’s masterpieces. It doesn’t lack for dramatic situations, including grave plunderings, confrontations with the high and mighty of the Renaissance like Wallerstein and Rudolf II, and the personal and intellectual strivings of its hero, the astronomer Johannes Kepler. The action travels from Prague to key central European cities, covering a time span from 1608 to 1630. And there’s an abundance of melody, dramatic fireworks, and lyric passages to make up for the lack of popular arias.

Fortunately, Die Harmonie der Welt gets a fine performance from Marek Janowski and his cast. Francois Le Roux is excellent as Kepler, singing and acting with authority, and subsidiary roles are well done and often better than that. The only flaw here is the casting of Susanna, the soprano lead and love interest with a singer who is, to be blunt, downright awful. But in the overall scheme of a 2-hour-and-40-minute opera, she inflicts minimal damage. Opera buffs, especially those attracted to accessible tonal modern operas, will want this important recording. They can be secure in the belief that it gets a worthy performance and is not likely to be rivaled for a long time to come. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

Hindemith conducts Hindemith.......2006-11-10

The musician's musician, the most versatile, skilled and knowledgeable composer of the 20th Century can be heard with delight in this excellently remastered Deutsche Grammophon recording of him conducting the Berlin Phiharmonic Orchestra in definitive renditions of some of his own masterpieces. Hindemith by and large was the best interpreter of his own works. Under his direction pure, unadulterated, joyfull music-making of great vitality prevails, thoroughly unpedantic, yet devoid of vanity, pretentious display or exaggeration. The rendition of the Mathis Symphony is, of course, definitive and the nowadays most frequently perfomed Symphonic Metamorphosis is done with gusto. But we would like to call special attention to such an inexplicably neglected masterpiece as the thoroughly delightful, but substantial Symphonic Dances and the unique and profound Konzermusik for piano, brass & harp. What neo-Baroque, roaring twenties exhuberance displayed in the Concerto for Orchestra and what a gem of human insight "The Four Temperaments",
here definitively rendered! ER

Hindemith continues the musical traditions of the Germanic schools.......2006-08-19

Hindemith is a far too overlooked composer, and I daresay that in decades to come people will realize the greatness of his compositions, a Hindemith renaissance will take place. I for one enjoy his music greatly and this box set is a perfect introduction to his music. Contrapuntally Hindemith stands apart from most 20th composers, indeed his music speaks the 20th century idiom, however as one will recognize immediately Hindemith speaks his own language. In fact this composer is one of the most original of his time. Contrapuntally he continues and adds to the great traditions harkening back to the Renaissance. His conducting is no nonsense and gets to the heart of his music. I find this music to be riveting, exciting, intellectual and heartfelt. Hindemith has his place in Music history.

Phenomenal performances.......2006-03-07

Hindemith may not have been a Schoenberg or Stravinsky, but at his most inspired he was certainly way up there near the top of the heap, among the greatest composers of the late lamented 20th Century. What these recordings tell us, however, and to me this comes as something of a shock, is that he was also a truly great conductor. All the performances in this set are in my opinion truly extraordinary, among the very best orchestral performances I've ever heard -- of any music by any composer of any period.

Everything one would expect of a superlative performance is here, the tempi, the balances, the shadings, accents, nuance, intonation, attention to detail, attention to overall structure, sweep, authority, intensity, even expressiveness (YES, expressiveness!) and passion (yes, passion too).

To get a sense of how remarkable a conductor Hindemith is, listen carefully to the slow movement of Mathis. With tempi this slow (and this is the slowest I've heard for this piece, extremely slow), it's very difficult to maintain interest, not to mention control. However, in the hands of Hindemith and this remarkable orchestra, with whom he's obviously established an extraordinary rapport, the tempo works beautifully and the piece takes on an almost Mahlerian intensity I'd never heard before.

As if this weren't enough, the set contains one of the most remarkable pianistic performances I've ever heard, from Hindemith's composition student, Hans Otte. The "Four Temperaments" begins in typical middle period Hindemithian style, with a statement of the rather steady, bland and predictable theme, but with the entry of the piano for the first variation, all is transformed -- and suddenly we are back in the world of early Hindemith, one of the most inventive and masterful composers since Bach himself. The pianism is simply beyond belief here, just stunning in its verve, precision, virtuosity, nuance and phrasing. With the entry of the piano the piece just takes off, soars into the stratosphere, thanks to composer and pianist both. Otte was hand picked by Hindemith for this performance so possibly what we hear is at least in part due to careful coaching. But it's hard to understand how mere coaching could produce such marvels of nuance and such complete control of the instrument and total musical involvement in passage after passage. If you ever want to inspire a young performer with the possibilities of his art, you would do well to play your student this recording.

As for the more mundane details, even they are all good. The sonics are fantastic for a recording of this vintage, clear, even vibrant, with lots of body and power when called for. The orchestra itself is superb and in perfect rapport with its director. Even the piano selected for these recordings is a marvel, simply one of the finest instruments of its kind I've ever heard.

I know, it's easy to be skeptical in the face of all these superlatives, but I assure you I'm not usually this enthusiastic. These recordings truly are gems, trust me. HAH!

Lean, clean and unadorned, as Hindemith intended.......2006-02-04

Hindemith jumped at the chance to record his major works with Deutsche Grammophon when it was offered in the early 1950s.

First, was his theory of conducting. He felt the conductor should, as much as possible, be "transparent" and not add anything to the music, i.e., through not gesticulating (especially wildly), etc.

Second, he had seen and heard conductors do just that to his works. And he had heard this result in what he considered overconducting.

Now, that doesn't mean that Hindemith wanted some "native" style of conducting, or even people conducting his works as sight-reading exercises. He expected a piece to be properly understood so that such overconducting was unnecessary.

The result is to be heard here. Now, by "lean and clean," we're not not talking Boulez. But, compared to his day and age, to the Furtwaenglers and others, we are talking something almost that spare.

When you hear these CDs, you'll immediately understand why Hindemith thought that other composers made his music sound too muddy.

These are mono recordings, but in studio in the early and mid 1950s with the Berlin Philharmonic, the baseline sound quality was quite good and the CDs have been well-engineered.

This is an outstanding buy of a great 20th-century composer.

Hindemith Himself.......2005-02-24

"Hindemith Conducts Hindemith: The Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon" is another essential release in Universal's "Original Masters" series. This 3CD set features the composer himself conducting some of his best known works, including his two Symphonies, Symphonic Metamorphosis, Concerto for Orchestra, and Konzertmusik with Monique Haas on piano. All of the recordings hail from 1954-57 and while they are in mono, the DG sound is clear as a bell. Previously I owned a dozen or so CDs featuring various Hindemith works (performed by conductors Abbado, Bernstein, Blomstedt, Goossens, Kletzki, Kubelik, Szell, etc.), but only one with Hindemith himself conducting his own music (the Violin Concerto with David Oistrakh -- see my review). Well if you like a composer and have the ability to hear them conduct their own music, then you should do it, whatever the cost. I mean what would you give to have the opportunity to hear Beethoven or Mozart perform! Luckily in this case you don't have to fantasize, you just have to buy this affordable, budget-priced box set.

Average customer rating:

Beautiful
Not really a review, just filling in missing information

Hindemith: Orchestral Works

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Hindemith Conducts Hindemith: The Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon
Kammermusik
Hindemith: Concert Music; Horn Concerto; Clarinet Concerto and others
Hindemith: Complete String Quartets
Sibelius: The Symphonies / Blomstedt

ASIN: B0000C6IW2
Release Date: 2004-03-09

Tracks:

1. Engelskonzert
2. Grablegung
3. Versuchung Des Heiligen Antonius
1. Langsam/2. Ruhig Bewegt/3. Lebhaft/4. Marsch - Geraldine Walther
1. Allegro
2. Turandot, Scherzo: Moderato
3. Lebhaft
4. Sehr Langsam

Tracks:

1. Massig Schnell, Mit Kraft - Sehr Breit, Aber Stets Fliessend
Lebhaft - Langsam - Im Ersten Zeitmass
1. 'Zwischen Berg Und Tiefem Tal' - Geraldine Walther
2. 'Nun Laube, Lindlein, Laube!' - Geraldine Walther
3. Variations: 'Seid Ihr Nicht Der Schwanendreher?' - Geraldine Walther
1. Einleitung Und Rondo
2. Marsch Und Pastorale
3. Passacaglia

Tracks:

1. Moderately Fast
2. Geschwindmarsch By Beethoven, Paraphrase
3. Colloquy
4. Finale
1. Musica Instrumentalis
2. Musica Humana
3. Musica Mundana

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful.......2005-09-11

The Trio series is unquestionably, along with EMI's Gemini sets, one of the best available. This particular item is a complete set of Hindemith's orchestral works, and not only do we get full servings at over 60 minutes per CD, but you get fantastic performances as well. These Blomstedt SFSO/Leipzig Gewandhauser recordings were originally issued at full price on Decca, and when one hears them one can tell why. The orchestras sound transparent and lovely, and Blomstedt doesn't force the music, which works perfectly and is an approach strangely similar to the best interpretations of Mozart. Emotion is given its full due: I challenge you to find a single phrase here that is either too boistrous or too grim. The recording quality is amazing - so fine, in fact, that the captured sonics themselves are a significant bonus to the set. And the price! To pay, Melville wrote, is the worst affliction the two orchard thieves inflicted upon us. Luckily for you and me, the price is small - and the music is worth a hundred times the price to boot. Get it without hesitation.

Not really a review, just filling in missing information.......2004-08-01

This is a compilation of 3 discs previously released separately, all conducted by Blomstedt and highly rated by critics.

Disc 1 (with San Francisco Symphony):
Mathis der Maler symphony (tracks 1-3)
Trauermusik for viola and strings (track 4)
Symphonic Metamorphoses on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber (tracks 5-8)

Disc 2 (with San Francisco Symphony):
Konzertmusik for brass and strings (tracks 1-2)
Der Schwanendreher (viola concerto) (tracks 3-5)
Nobilissima Visione suite (tracks 6-8)

Disc 3 (with Gewandhausorchester Lepizig):
Symphonie Serena (tracks 1-4)
Symphonie "Die Harmonie der Welt" (tracks 5-7)

Paul Hindemith: Complete Orchestral Works [Box Set]

Average customer rating:

Great performances of a great composer
Hindemith, Hindemith, Hindemith!!!!!
DIDN'T THINK THAT THEY MADE THEM LIKE THIS ANYMORE

Paul Hindemith: Complete Orchestral Works [Box Set]

Manufacturer: Cpo Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Hindemith: Complete Orchestral Works, Vol. 2 (Box Set)
Hindemith: Complete Orchestral Works, Vol. 3 (Box Set)
Hindemith: Complete String Quartets
Alban Berg Collection / Various (Coll)
Paul Hindemith: Vocal Chamber Music - Christiane Oelze / Cornelia Kallisch / Ensemble Villa Musica

ASIN: B000001RXO
Release Date: 1995-01-25

Amazon.com

Hindemith was the greatest German composer of the post-War period, and the last in that great line that began with Bach and extended through the Classical and Romantic periods. His orchestral music is varied and generally extremely approachable, and the percentage of major works is very high. Nobilissima visione, Symphonic Metamorphoses, Mathis der Maler, Symphony in E-flat, and Concert Music for Strings and Brass are all popular masterpieces, while works such as the Symphonic Dances, Symphonia Serena, and Harmony of the World Symphony deserve the same accolades. This set, excellently performed and recorded by a selection of fine Australian orchestras, really deserves the widest circulation among fans of listenable contemporary classical music. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Great performances of a great composer.......2006-08-23

While Hindemith will never be known for changing the way the world hears music, he will always be recognized as composing well-crafted minor masterpieces, even if they can be a little formulaic and his sense of melody was a little warped. All six discs in this set have gems that should be heard more often in the concert halls and recorded more. In particular, the Concerto for Orchestra on Disc 6 is fantastic -- with its addictive and fun themes and transparent structure, it was the only work I listened to for about a month. Of the rarer works recorded here, his Symphony Serena on Disc 5 is a little tougher to like, but is really quite good, while his Symphony in E flat on Disc 4 is nothing short of amazing. The Philharmonic Concerto, a set of variations on a strange but catchy theme that only Hindemith could write, also really shines in this set.

Of his more well known -- if you can call any Hindemith "well known" -- works, the recordings are a mixed bag. His Concert Music for Strings and Brass on Disc 3 have a wonderful fullness in the lower brass that I haven't heard in other performances. But the Mathis der Maler Symphony and Nobilissima Visione are both so-so and a little dull. And the performance of Symphonic Metamorphosis here is just outright terrible and a big disappointment, full of mistakes and uneven tempos.

But that's ok. Because you can get good recordings of his better-known works elsewhere. But because his lesser works are presented here in such convincing performances, this set is a must buy for anyone exploring Hindemith! The other 2 box sets on CPO that round out his complete orchestral works are just as good, if not even better. All are highly recommended.

Hindemith, Hindemith, Hindemith!!!!!.......2005-05-15

Wow, this box set is phenomenal. First off, HIndemith is one of the most underappreciated and underrated composers of the 20th century. In my opinion he is definetly in the top 5 along with Stravinsky, Schoenberg, etc. This box set is simply amazing. Whether it is the sound quality, or the works themselves, they will provide you with hours and hours of great music. Although Hindemith was a 20th century composer, his works are EXTREMELY ACCESSIBLE and have a chromatic-romantic feeling to them. I am a music teacher and I have a huge classical collection and this box set is played more than most else. Also, I would recommend the other two volumes by CPO, they are just as good as this set.

DIDN'T THINK THAT THEY MADE THEM LIKE THIS ANYMORE.......2002-12-08

I listened upstairs in bed, on the couch watching football with the sound off, while typing my uncle William E. Crawford's WWII journals. It doesn't get any better than Paul Hindemith, whether it is band music, symphony, ragtime, or overture.
I confess I sometimes have a love-hate feeling about the role of the Jewish Diaspora musicians and composers. But they do the time to the beat and more. I always go to them for performance. They should teach other Americans to compose and perform.

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra under Werner Andreas Albert just goes to show the universality of good music. Notice I didn't say classical music.
This is a real buy. Das Merienleben by Christophorus-Verlag GmbhI bought up in Regina Canada in June of 1995. I don't see it listed but would recommend it for parts like the suspicions of Joseph. CPO has many German composers I don't have like Reicha. Sancta Susanna from 1998 conducted by Yam Pascal Tortelier is by Chandos ASIN:B00005Z6V. I am eagerly awaiting it from Amazon.

Harmonie Der Welt
Average customer rating:

At long last

Harmonie Der Welt
Hindemith , Kotchinian , Le Roux , and Janowski
Manufacturer: Wergo Germany
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
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ASIN: B000076I4U
Release Date: 2003-03-11

Amazon.com

Like his earlier opera, Mathis der Maler, Hindemith's 1957 Die Harmonie der Welt is an opera of ideas, dealing with such subjects as the nature of creativity, the artist/original thinker in a society inimical to new ideas, humanity's role in the universe and the ultimate harmony of the cosmos. Heady stuff that probably accounts for its rarity- this is the first recording of the complete opera. Like its predecessor, Die Harmonie der Welt best known through the symphony Hindemith based on it. But it's an engrossing opera full of quality music and deserves to be ranked among the composer's masterpieces. It doesn't lack for dramatic situations, including grave plunderings, confrontations with the high and mighty of the Renaissance like Wallerstein and Rudolf II, and the personal and intellectual strivings of its hero, the astronomer Johannes Kepler. The action travels from Prague to key central European cities, covering a time span from 1608 to 1630. And there's an abundance of melody, dramatic fireworks, and lyric passages to make up for the lack of popular arias.

Fortunately, Die Harmonie der Welt gets a fine performance from Marek Janowski and his cast. Francois Le Roux is excellent as Kepler, singing and acting with authority, and subsidiary roles are well done and often better than that. The only flaw here is the casting of Susanna, the soprano lead and love interest with a singer who is, to be blunt, downright awful. But in the overall scheme of a 2-hour-and-40-minute opera, she inflicts minimal damage. Opera buffs, especially those attracted to accessible tonal modern operas, will want this important recording. They can be secure in the belief that it gets a worthy performance and is not likely to be rivaled for a long time to come. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

At long last.......2003-03-11

Those elusive Hindemith operas! I've been waiting since 1969 for a recording of Die Harmonie der Welt (1957), collecting every recording of the 1951 symphony as a stopgap measure. An obscure monaural recording from 1960 on the Stradivarius label yields an eviscerated version of the opera (cut to half length!), but this new release on Wergo, with Marek Janowski conducting, finally does justice to the entire masterpiece. For those familiar with the symphony, there are surprises aplenty in the opera. The dissonant climax of the symphony's 2nd movement is rewritten without the jarring discords, the arco strings being switched to pizzicato to frame it, as the background to a duet between Kepler and Susanna. The final scene of the opera is the symphony's last movement "with voices added" -- which grossly understates what Hindemith has achieved here. Who'd have thought the gorgeous 3rd and 4th episodes in the passacaglia accompany an assassination! But the symphony gives only a limited glimpse into the opera, and so hearing this is a discovery finding its sole parallel in the relationship between the Mathis der Maler symphony and opera. A glorious recording reveals Janowski's preoccupation with phrasing, color, and balance. The choir is in excellent form. I question the choice of singer for the role of Kepler's wife, but I'm probably evidencing an American bias in doing so. This is an absolute must for Hindemithians of all stripes. Next stop: Hindemith's 1960 opera, "The Long Christmas Dinner."

Paul Hindemith: Symphonia Serena (1946) / Symphony "The Harmony of the World" (1951)

Average customer rating:

Excellent Performances
Disappointing volume in normally admirable series

Paul Hindemith: Symphonia Serena (1946) / Symphony "The Harmony of the World" (1951)
Janet Fisher , Tania Maxwell , Andrew Orton , Dennis Simons , and BBC Philharmonic
Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000000AT6
Release Date: 1994-05-12

Tracks:

Symphonia Serena: I. Moderately Fast - Animato - Broad - Tempo Primo
Symphonia Serena: II. Geschwindmarsch By Beethoven. Rather Fast
Symphonia Serena: III. Colloquy. Quiet - Fast - Scherzando - Fast
Symphonia Serena: IV. Finale. Gay - Slow - Coda. Fast
Symphony 'Die Harmonie Der Welt': I. Musica Instrumentalis
Symphony 'Die Harmonie Der Welt': II. Musica Humana
Symphony 'Die Harmonie Der Welt': III. Musica Mundana

Amazon.com

Symphonia Serena is the third of Hindemith's six symphonies. Composed in 1946, it's an athletic work, more along the lines of a concerto for orchestra. Hindemith, perhaps more so than any other composer, wrote his symphonies with a wide range of instrumental parts. (Some critics disliked the way Hindemith wrote roles for amateur players in a symphony orchestra. But if Symphonia Serena's only fault is its simplicity, then to hell with those guys.) Hindemith's Die Harmonie de Welt is a 1951 work that led to the 1957 opera of the same name. It's less moody than the Symphonia, but good nonetheless. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Performances.......2005-08-05

The music of Paul Hindemith is viewed by many as being "difficult" music. Perhaps this notion comes from Hindemith's evolving compositional style which went from Expressionism to Neo-classicism. He often added jazz and dance elements to his music but never compromised his stance that music had to be tonal. At one time Hindemith's symphony Mathis der Mahler was frequently played but since his death in 1963 his music has been unfairly eclipsed.

The Symphonia Serna was written in 1946 on a commission from the Dallas Symphony. It was written like a concerto for orchestra with a great diversity of instruments and textures. The symphony opens with a beautiful soaring melody that the orchestra develops and contrasts and concludes, gloriously, with the full orchestra a magnificent blaze of brass. The second movement is a series of variations on a march of Beethoven scored for winds and percussion. The third movement is broken into sections with a solo instrument marking the end of the section. It begins with a reflective theme played by the strings and concluded by a solo violin holding a conversation with an off-stage violin. The strings then play a pizzicato section and conclude with a solo viola. This movement demonstrates Hindemith's fertile imagination juxtaposing instruments in refreshing ways. The Finale begins with a flourish of brass and follows with cheerful themes played by the clarinet and then spread through the orchestra. This is Hindemith at his most appealing. . As I listened to this symphony it struck me how much joy there is the composition and how changing a note would have spoiled the music.

The Symphony Die Harmonie Der Welt was written in 1951 and later the subject was turned into an opera of the same name in 1957. The story is based on Johannes Kepler, the astronomer and philosopher of the 17th century. Hindemith chose this subject, like Mathis der Mahler, because Kepler was identified with the coming to term of art in society. The direct focus of the opera is Kepler's notion of the harmony of the spheres that led to his excommunication from the Lutheran Church. The symphony is divided into 3 movements with each movement title referring to a musical division found in the writings of ancient authors. I approach the symphony as music alone without any kind of program. Die Harmonie Der Welt is Hindemith at his compositional best with contrasting melodies and imaginative orchestration.

The symphonies are nicely performed by Yan Pascal Tortielier and the BBC Philharmonic. The recording is superbly engineered by Chandos.

Disappointing volume in normally admirable series.......2005-03-26

Good to see Paul Cook reviewing this CD for Amazon.com; his articles on Hindemith in AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE during the early and mid-1990s made many of us appreciate for the first time what riches lie in Hindemith's hardly-played orchestral oeuvre. Alas, this volume in Chandos's normally admirable Hindemith series disappoints (despite impressive engineering and even more impressive comments in the booklet notes). The reason is soon obvious: string playing that varies from just-OK to downright bad. Not all the famed Chandos reverberation can disguise the fact that the strings here evoke Sir Henry Wood's deathless words: "the ensemble needs to be more together".

These are pieces demanding powerhouse technique in every section - the sort of performances which are not only virtuosic but curiously impersonal, like a conveyor-belt process. (Sir Georg Solti was born to conduct this music with the Chicago Symphony, and it is a great shame that he never did.) What they get on the present disc is appropriately brisk and in-your-face wind and percussion contributions, repeatedly needing to contend with violinists and violists who find Hindemith's demands just too much. Some of the solo violin and viola work in the SERENA's third movement can only be described by that expressive monosyllable "ugh".

Nothing in THE HARMONY OF THE WORLD's upper string writing punishes the BBC fiddlers quite as severely as SERENA's most exposed passagework, if only because HARMONY OF THE WORLD tends to be a glorified brass concerto anyhow. But nothing sounds really right either. No, stick with the rival version of this same coupling from Herbert Blomstedt and the San Francisco Symphony on the London/Decca label.

Better still, buy Chandos' beautiful companion CD containing the SYMPHONIC DANCES (surely one of Hindemith's four or five greatest inspirations?), the PITTSBURGH SYMPHONY (pretty dull at first, yet with a grand-slam finale), and the truly gonzo RAGTIME. That recording's annotations are inferior to this one's - the SYMPHONIC DANCES / PITTSBURGH / RAGTIME note-writer, apparently obsessing over the American market, litters what seems like every second paragraph with references to Charles Ives - but in every other respect it's an excellent release.

Wilhelm Furtwängler Conducts Hindemith and Stravinsky

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Wilhelm Furtwängler Conducts Hindemith and Stravinsky

Manufacturer: Music & Arts Program
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000JISM
Release Date: 1999-07-20

Tracks:

Concerto For Orchestra, Op. 38: Concertino
Concerto For Orchestra, Op. 38: Marsch fur Holzblaser
Die harmonie der Welt: I. Musica Instrumentalis
Die harmonie der Welt: II. Musica Humana
Die harmonie der Welt: III. Musica Mundana
Le baiser de la fee -- Divertimento: Scene I: Prologue - Scene2: A Village Fete - Scene 3: By The Mill

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Hindemith: The Harmony of the World

Manufacturer: Koch Schwann (Germ.)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00004TYMC
Release Date: 2000-11-14

Tracks:

Sym: 'The Harmony Of The World': I. Musica Instrumentalis
Sym: 'The Harmony Of The World': II. Musica Humana
Sym: 'The Harmony Of The World': III. Musica Mondana
Sinfonietta in E: I. Schnell/Fast
Sinfonietta in E: II. Adagio Und Fugato
Sinfonietta in E: III. Intermezzo Ostinato. Presto
Sinfonietta in E: IV. Rezitativ Und Rondo

Hindemith: Harmonie der Welt/Pittsburgh Symphony

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Hindemith: Harmonie der Welt/Pittsburgh Symphony

Manufacturer: Berlin Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00000IMFB
Release Date: 1999-04-13

Tracks:

Sym: 1. Musica Instrumentalis
Sym: 2. Musica Humana
Sym: 3. Musica Mundana
Pittsburgh Sym: 1. Molto Energico
Pittsburgh Sym: 2. Slow March
Pittsburgh Sym: 3. Ostinato

Hindemith: Symphonia Serena / Harmonie der Welt

Average customer rating:

Splendid Performances Of Hindemith's Late Symphonies
Hindemith: Serene and Heavenly

Hindemith: Symphonia Serena / Harmonie der Welt

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
ASIN: B00004T762
Release Date: 2000-06-13

Tracks:

Symphonia Serena: 1. Moderately Fast
Symphonia Serena: 2. Geschwindmarsch by Beethoven. Paraphrase
Symphonia Serena: 3. Colloquy
Symphonia Serena: 4. Finale
Symphonie 'Die harmonie der Welt': 1. Musica Instrumentalis
Symphonie 'Die harmonie der Welt': 2. Musica Humana
Symphonie 'Die harmonie der Welt': 3. Musica Mundana

Customer Reviews:

Splendid Performances Of Hindemith's Late Symphonies.......2001-12-29

I haven't heard much of Hindemith's orchestral music before, so this CD is an extremely pleasent surprise. The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra gives electrifying performances of both works, that are vibrant and technically brilliant. Blomstedt is superb leading his forces through Hindemith's architecturally complex scores. I am inclined to agree with Amazon.com's reviewer that the first work sounds vaguely reminiscent of Vaughan Williams' late symphonies. The sound quality is absolutely superb.

Hindemith: Serene and Heavenly.......2000-10-08

Rather more slowly than Yan Pascal Tortelier on Chandos, Herbert Blomstedt has been issuing a Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) cycle, with the San Francisco and Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestras, on Decca. The most recent disc in the series couples the "Symphonia Serena" (1946) with the Symphony "Harmonie der Welt" (1951), two fairly late works in the Hindemithian canon which nevertheless show the composer working in top form. "Symphonia Serena" opens with a beautiful, lengthy melody for solo horn; the adjective "serene" describes it perfectly. The rest of the movement develops this lovely theme in a way which, while corresponding to standard sonata-form, also manages to be an engaging theme-and-variations. A short, swift movement for winds alone follows, functioning as the symphony's scherzo; the basis for the movement is a quick-march that Beethoven wrote for the Austrian Cavalry. The slow movement, for strings, is quite unusual. It begins with a violin solo, answered in canon by an offstage violin solo; the string band then takes up the theme and develops it polyphonically. Next we hear a viola solo, answered in canon by an offstage viola; whereupon the band takes up the viola them, but pizzicato. Then the soli join in a kind of quartet. Finally, the legato violin-theme is joined to the pizzicato viola-theme and both unfurl in perfect counterpoint. The Finale brings the entire forces together in a jolly romp. "Harmony of the World" was Hindemith's opera on Johannes Kepler; as in the case of "Mathisder Maler," the orchestra suite, or symphony, appeared first (Furtwängler played it and a recording of his performance exists). The powerful fanfare that opens the First Movement sets the tone of the work. The Finale (Third Movement) is a mighty passacaglia along Bachian lines. It's a toss-up between Tortelier and Blomstedt. Both are superb performances superbly recorded.

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Yevgeny Mravinsky Vols. 1-10

Manufacturer: Melodiya
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000001HC6
Release Date: 1995-06-13

Tracks:

Oberon: Ov
Sym No. 8 in b, D759 'Unfinished': 1. Allegro moderato
Sym No. 8 in b, D759 'Unfinished': 2. Andante con moto
Sym No. 2 in D, Op. 73: 1. Allegro non troppo
Sym No. 2 in D, Op. 73: 2. Adagio non troppo
Sym No. 2 in D, Op. 73: 3. Allegretto grazioso (Quasi Andantino)-Presto ma non assai
Sym No. 2 in D, Op. 73: 4. Allegro con spirito

Tracks: