Hummel: Piano Sonatas

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Hummel was a favorite pupil of Mozart and a serious rival to Beethoven both as pianist and composer. Overrated in his day, he is unjustly forgotten in ours. Hough has already proven his Hummel credentials with a ground-breaking recording of two Piano Concertos on Chandos in their extremely difficult original versions. Hummel's Sonatas may not compare with Beethoven's in their concision or profundity, but they are still fascinating, prototypes of the coming Romantic era and full of imagination and invention. This music has all been recorded before, but never with the kind of panache Hough brings to it. Some of the passages in fast movements sound as though two pianists are playing them, but it's all Hough, proving what the MacArthur Foundation said about him when they awared him one of their "genius grants." If you don't know Hummel at all, the Concertos may be an even better introduction to his music, but this is also a highly impressive sample of his best work. --Leslie Gerber

Tracks:

Allero
Largo Con Molt'espressione
Vivace
Allegro Moderato, Ma Risoluto
Un Scherzo All'antico: Allegro, Ma Non Troppo
Larghetto A Capriccio
Allegro Vivace
Allegro Moderato
Adagio Maestoso
Presto

Amazon.com

Hummel was a favorite pupil of Mozart and a serious rival to Beethoven both as pianist and composer. Overrated in his day, he is unjustly forgotten in ours. Hough has already proven his Hummel credentials with a ground-breaking recording of two Piano Concertos on Chandos in their extremely difficult original versions. Hummel's Sonatas may not compare with Beethoven's in their concision or profundity, but they are still fascinating, prototypes of the coming Romantic era and full of imagination and invention. This music has all been recorded before, but never with the kind of panache Hough brings to it. Some of the passages in fast movements sound as though two pianists are playing them, but it's all Hough, proving what the MacArthur Foundation said about him when they awared him one of their "genius grants." If you don't know Hummel at all, the Concertos may be an even better introduction to his music, but this is also a highly impressive sample of his best work. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Sparkling performance of mediocre music.......2005-06-27

Is it fair to lavish a brilliant setting on a flawed gem and then try to sell it as a valuable jewel? This recording, based purely on the quality of the music is very overpriced. Both the performance and the sound quality of this recording are excellent. Unfortunately Hummel's music while glittering, is second rate. It's got plenty of difficult pyrotechnics, but it's also very boring. This is not Schubert, Beethoven or Chopin but the work of a virtuoso pianist who probably was composing in order to showcase his own formidable technical skills. Well, Hough has showcased his formidable virtuousity as well, but the whole thing, derivative passages and all is music to snooze to and wholly forgetable. If you are a music historian or a professional musician then I will concede that this recording may have some value for you, but if you are just an ordinary music lover, then my recommendation would be to save your money for a composer who has depth to back up the glitz.

OUT OF THE SHADOWS.......2004-07-10

Hummel is the sort of composer one mainly reads about in books and articles on Mozart Beethoven or Chopin. The liner note reveals that as late as 1950 there were only two trifles by him on record at all, and I have to admit that in my own collection he has been represented until now only by the trumpet concerto, although I seem to have known him all my life through reading about Chopin Beethoven and Mozart. From as early as a single generation after he died, he started to be subjected to foolish and supercilious put-downs. The note-writer Jeremy Nicholas properly rebuts that sort of thing, and gives what seems to me a very fair and balanced appraisal of his subject. This is not music that scales the heights, but I would call it very agreeable and interesting music, and unpretentious music too, making no ascents in the balloon. It seems that even the generous-spirited Schumann predicted that one of the sonatas on this disc was going to be all of Hummel that would live into posterity, and I for one am pleased that posterity has done better than that.

Stephen Hough is a player whose work I know a little, and the style he adopts for this selection seems to me very acceptable. He uses a Steinway and not a contemporary instrument, and I have no problem with that. His dynamic range is neither restricted nor overdone, his tempi seem judicious and when real virtuosity is required in the final movement of op 20 he turns it out effortlessly. His tone-quality is warm, and if I had to compare him to a major player of the previous generation it would perhaps be Kovacevich who comes to mind. This record doesn't give me quite enough material to identify a fully distinctive personal style, and the page about him in the leaflet predictably bestows on him that vague and conventional laudation that is distributed like the gentle rain from heaven upon the earth beneath and on its own would not distinguish his musical personality from a thousand others. There is little or nothing in the performances to criticise, I should say, for the general music-lover wishing to know the composer better, and a great deal to admire and learn from.

The three sonatas on this disc date from when the composer was 29 to when he was 46. Jeremy Nicholas seems to me reasonable in his general comments, but I wish he had not spoiled them with occasional sloppy thinking. Chopin's etudes, for one thing, are not written in the 24 keys. His preludes are, but I'd feel pretty sure Bach had more to do with that than Hummel. Nor do I perceive that the Alberti base was some `mainstay of the classical sonata'. Mozart used it aplenty, but of Haydn the statement is far from true. Again, I can't see how the fact that the F# minor sonata has no first movement repeat makes it resemble a fantasy. Does Mr Nicholas find that Beethoven's Appassionata resembles a fantasy for this reason? And again, the sonata in D is longer here than the F# minor only because the repeat is observed, and the number of bars in each is completely irrelevant.

The recorded sound is good and well tailored to the touch that Hough adopts. As an introduction to a minor, neglected and interesting master I have found this disc a very welcome addition to my own collection. I shall be both saddened and surprised if many do not feel the same way.

A Sparkling Performance.......2004-02-18

I was privileged to hear Stephen Hough play Hummel's Piano Sonata in F sharp minor last year, and his performance made a deep impression on me and so led to my purchase of this CD. Hummel is one of those composers who have been unjustly neglected after his death. Much of the credit for the new interest in this composer is due to Mr. Hough who resurrected the A minor and B minor piano concertos in the 1980's.

Stephen Hough brilliantly plays the three piano sonatas recorded here. They are works that contain a blending of the Classical past, reminding one of Haydn and Mozart, and also look toward the Romantics, like Schumann. During his life, Hummel was thought of as the equal of Beethoven as a pianist and his music was an influence for Mendelssohn, Liszt, Schumann and Chopin. Eventually, Hummel settled in Weimar where he became a close friend of Goethe and performed in the famous author's house frequently.

Hummel composed about 25 sonatas, mostly written before he became a mature composer, and the ones selected by Stephan Hough represent Hummel at the peak of his writing for the piano. The sonatas have drama, brilliance and pathos. The opus 81 is a quite a challenge for the player in that Hummel has the player running the span of the keyboard in a single measure. There are dramatic surges of rapid playing and introspective moments of reflection, particularly in the beautiful Largo, but even in the slow center movement there are rumblings. The longest of his sonatas is the opus 106 in D major and is also the only one cast in four movements. Compared to the opus 81, this sonata is less energetic and more conservative in the writing for the instrument. Portions of the second and third movements are reminiscent of John Field, and the sonata displays the maturity of the composer in the development of the ideas.

Stephen Hough plays these sonatas with great feeling and brilliance. This is a disc certain to please listeners who enjoy Mr. Hough's playing and love the keyboard music of the early 19th century.

Hummel rediscovered by Hough.......2003-12-10

This is a refreshing disc to listen to, of a classical composer whose music is relatively little-known.
Stephen Hough's playing is thoughtful, intelligent and with the colorful qualities that I so enjoyed in his CD "Stephen Hough's New Piano Album."
Mr. Hough plays this music passionately. He understands every nuance, bringing a life to each piece and bringing out their beauties, which should inspire and motivate other pianists to tackle this neglected repertoire.
These classical sonatas are a nice departure from the great, but far too commonly-played, Beethoven sonatas. Hummel has lovely tunes that are comparable to several melodies found in the Beethoven or even Mozart sonatas. The presentation of any or all of these sonatas on stage would greatly help steer away from the monotony of many an all too common recital program.

Hummel: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 2 - Sonata No. 2 in E Flat Major, Op. 13 / Sonata No. 5 in F Sharp Minor, Op. 81 - Ian Hobson

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Hummel: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 2 - Sonata No. 2 in E Flat Major, Op. 13 / Sonata No. 5 in F Sharp Minor, Op. 81 - Ian Hobson

Manufacturer: Arabesque Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Hummel: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 3 - Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 20 / Sonata No. 4 in C Major, Op. 38 - Ian Hobson

ASIN: B000000T6P
Release Date: 1993-08-04

Tracks:

Sonata No. 2 In E Flat, Op.13: Sonata No. 2 In E Flat, Op.13: Movt 1 (Allegro con brio)
Sonata No. 2 In E Flat, Op.13: Sonata No. 2 In E Flat, Op.13: Movt 2 (Adagio con espressione)
Sonata No. 2 In E Flat, Op.13: Sonata No. 2 In E Flat, Op.13: Movt 3 (Finale-Allegro con spirito)
Sonata No. 5 In f Sharp, Op.81: Sonata No. 5 In f Sharp, Op.81: Movt 1 (Allegro)
Sonata No. 5 In f Sharp, Op.81: Sonata No. 5 In f Sharp, Op.81: Movt 2 (Largo con molt' espressione)
Sonata No. 5 In f Sharp, Op.81: Sonata No. 5 In f Sharp, Op.81: Movt 3 (Finale-Vivace)

Hummel, Vanhal & Mendelssohn: Viola Sonatas

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Hummel, Vanhal & Mendelssohn: Viola Sonatas

Manufacturer: Camerata
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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William Primrose: Viola Transcriptions
Carl Stamitz: Sinfonias concertante in C & in D; Viola concertos in A & in D

ASIN: B000059QJ0
Release Date: 2001-08-28

Tracks:

Vn Son in E flat, Op.5-3: I. Allegro Moderato
Vn Son in E flat, Op.5-3: II. Adagio Cantabile
Vn Son in E flat, Op.5-3: III. Rondo Con Moto
Vn Son in E flat: I. Allegro Vivace
Vn Son in E flat: II. Poco Adagio
Vn Son in E flat: III. Rondo: Allegretto
Vn Son in c: I. Adagio - Allegro
Vn Son in c: II. Menuetto: Allegro Molto
Vn Son in c: III. Andante Con Vars

Hummel: Flute Sonatas (Complete): Grand Rondeau Brillant; Trio for Flute, Cello and Piano

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Hummel: Flute Sonatas (Complete): Grand Rondeau Brillant; Trio for Flute, Cello and Piano

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
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Hummel: Violin Concerto
Hummel: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3
Hummel: Missa Solemnis in C Major / Te Deum
Hummel: Mandolin Concerto, Trumpet Concerto, Ballet Music
Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Piano Concerto in A Minor and B Minor

ASIN: B000001498
Release Date: 1996-07-09

Tracks:

Son for fl and pno in G, Op.2, No.2: Allegro - Lise Daoust/Carmen Picard
Son for fl and pno in G, Op.2, No.2: Romanze: Poco andante - Lise Daoust/Carmen Picard
Son for fl and pno in G, Op.2, No.2: Rondo - Lise Daoust/Carmen Picard
Son for fl and pno in D, Op.50: Allegro con brio - Lise Daoust/Carmen Picard
Son for fl and pno in D, Op.50: Andante - Lise Daoust/Carmen Picard
Son for fl and pno in D, Op.50: Rondo pastorale - Lise Daoust/Carmen Picard
Son for fl and pno in A, Op.64: Allegro con garbo - Lise Daoust/Carmen Picard
Son for fl and pno in A, Op.64: Menuetto moderato - Lise Daoust/Carmen Picard
Son for fl and pno in A, Op.64: Rondo: vivace - Lise Daoust/Carmen Picard
Gran Rondeau Brillant for fl and pno in G, Op.126: Adagio - Lise Daoust/Carmen Picard
Trio for fl, vc and pno in A, Op.78: Introduction: Cantabile - Lise Daoust/Carmen Picard/Elizabeth Dolin
Trio for fl, vc and pno in A, Op.78: Thema: Quasi allegretto - Lise Daoust/Carmen Picard/Elizabeth Dolin
Trio for fl, vc and pno in A, Op.78: Var 1 - Lise Daoust/Carmen Picard/Elizabeth Dolin
Trio for fl, vc and pno in A, Op.78: Var 2 - Lise Daoust/Carmen Picard/Elizabeth Dolin
Trio for fl, vc and pno in A, Op.78: Var 3 - Lise Daoust/Carmen Picard/Elizabeth Dolin
Trio for fl, vc and pno in A, Op.78: Var 4 - Lise Daoust/Carmen Picard/Elizabeth Dolin
Trio for fl, vc and pno in A, Op.78: Var 5 - Lise Daoust/Carmen Picard/Elizabeth Dolin
Trio for fl, vc and pno in A, Op.78: Var 6 - Lise Daoust/Carmen Picard/Elizabeth Dolin
Trio for fl, vc and pno in A, Op.78: Var 7: Finale-Rondo - Lise Daoust/Carmen Picard/Elizabeth Dolin

Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1

Average customer rating:

Interesting music...Would be more so with better interpreter

Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1

Manufacturer: Newport Classic
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 3
Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 2
Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Fantasies
Hummel: Piano Concerto in E major, Op. 110 / Concerto for Piano & Violin, Op. 17 - Howard Shelley / Hagai Shaham / London Mozart Players

ASIN: B00004C4KS
Release Date: 2000-02-15

Tracks:

Sonata No. 1 In C Major, Op. 2, No. 3: Allegro Spiritoso
Sonata No. 1 In C Major, Op. 2, No. 3: Adagio
Sonata No. 1 In C Major, Op. 2, No. 3: Rondo
Sonata No. 2 In Eb Major, Opus 13: Allegro con Brio
Sonata No. 2 In Eb Major, Opus 13: Adagio con gran Espressione
Sonata No. 2 In Eb Major, Opus 13: Finale, Allegro conspirito
Sonata No. 3 In F Minor, Op. 29: Allegro Moderato
Sonata No. 3 In F Minor, Op. 29: Adagio Maestoso
Sonata No. 3 In F Minor, Op. 29: Finale, Presto

Customer Reviews:

Interesting music...Would be more so with better interpreter.......2001-08-15

This album and its two companions are fascinating. By listening to this music, which was written around the same time as Beethoven's most thrilling piano works, one realizes just how avant-garde Beethoven (and Mozart and Haydn and Schubert, for that matter) really were. These are easy-on-the-ear, happy pieces, that don't so much develop as repeat,or repeat with simple variations and ornamentations. There's little dramatic trension, virtually no drama by modern-day ears' standards (though I'm sure it was demanding to audiences of its day). The works are pleasant and easy on the ear and easily forgotten the moment they are done. (Those interested in the history of this kind of music, and its place in Viennese society vis a vis the more "weighty" and innovative music of Beethoven, Mozart, et al, should check out the book "Beethoven and the Construction of Genius: Musical Politics in Vienna, 1792-1803," by Tia DeNora....) Here and there are moments of interest, unusual strokes and sheer exuberance. But they're far and few between and gone all too quickly. (These are much blander than Hummel's piano concerti, at least to my ears.) Constance Keene plays cleanly but without much expression or personality, and sometimes gets tripped up in the areas requiring more dexterity. One keeps wondering, though, what these works would sound like, what surprises are still locked up in them, waiting for a Pires or Pollini to reveal them to the world.

Hummel: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1 - Sonata No. 1 in C Major, Op. 2, No. 3 / Sonata No. 6 in D Major, Op. 106 - Ian Hobson

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Hummel: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1 - Sonata No. 1 in C Major, Op. 2, No. 3 / Sonata No. 6 in D Major, Op. 106 - Ian Hobson

Manufacturer: Arabesque Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Tracks:

Son No.1 in C, Op.2, No.3: 1. Allegro Spiritoso
Son No.1 in C, Op.2, No.3: 2. Adagio
Son No.1 in C, Op.2, No.3: 3. Rondo
Son No.6 in D, Op.106: 1. Allegro Moderato, Ma Risoluto
Son No.6 in D, Op.106: 2. Un Scherzo All'antico - Allegro Ma Non Troppo - Alternative
Son No.6 in D, Op.106: 3. Larghetto A Capriccio - Cantabile Ed Espressivo
Son No.6 in D, Op.106: 4. Finale - Allegro Vivace

Hummel: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 3 - Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 20 / Sonata No. 4 in C Major, Op. 38 - Ian Hobson

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Hummel: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 3 - Sonata No. 3 in F Minor, Op. 20 / Sonata No. 4 in C Major, Op. 38 - Ian Hobson

Manufacturer: Arabesque Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Hummel: Piano Sonatas, Vol. 2 - Sonata No. 2 in E Flat Major, Op. 13 / Sonata No. 5 in F Sharp Minor, Op. 81 - Ian Hobson

ASIN: B000000T6Q
Release Date: 1993-07-07

Tracks:

Sonata No. 3 In F Minor, Op. 20: Movement 1 (Allegro moderato)
Sonata No. 3 In F Minor, Op. 20: Movement 2 (Adagio maestoso)
Sonata No. 3 In F Minor, Op. 20: Movement 3 (Finale - Presto)
Sonata No. 4 In C Major, Op. 38: Movement 1 (Allegro maestoso - Allegro moderato)
Sonata No. 4 In C Major, Op. 38: Movement 2 (Adagio con molto espressione)
Sonata No. 4 In C Major, Op. 38: Movement 3 (Finale - Prestissimo)

Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 2

Average customer rating:

Delightful performance of two great sonatas
Trite works, anonymously played..."average" music of the day

Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: Newport Classic
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 3
Johann Nepomuk Hummel: Complete Piano Sonatas, Vol. 1

ASIN: B00004S2TC
Release Date: 2000-09-19

Tracks:

Son No.4 in C, Op.38: 1. Allegro
Son No.4 in C, Op.38: 2. Adagio
Son No.4 in C, Op.38: 3. Prestissimo
Son No.5 in f#, Op.81: 1. Allegro
Son No.5 in f#, Op.81: 2. Largo
Son No.5 in f#, Op.81: 3. Finale, Tempo Vivace

Customer Reviews:

Delightful performance of two great sonatas.......2002-03-31

Johann Nepomuk Hummel is little known in today's "mainstream" classical music, but in his time he was a very famous and respectable composer-pianist whose technical mastery had been said to be rivaled only by Beethoven. Hummel was also a pupil of Mozart, the successor of Haydn as Kappelmeister at the Esterhazy palace, and the original dedicatee of Schubert's last three piano sonatas.

Hummel's music may not have the genius of Mozart or the striking originality of Beethoven, but it never lacks charm and spontaneity. The C major sonata op. 38 is a homage to Mozart, as evident in the various themes "borrowed" from the K.330 Sonata, Haffner symphony, 25th piano concerto, and Figaro, among others. Mozartian but unmistakably Hummel, this work contains outbursts of difficult passageworks so unusual in the classical treatment of sonata.

Schumann is said to have wished that he could play the F# sonata op. 91, a dramatic, ambitious work of grand proportion and a "technical minefield" suffused with crossed-hands, rapid leaps, and rising double notes. Brooding melancholy and unexpected modulations characterizing this piece foreshadow the late romantic sonatas of Schubert.

The delicate and disciplined approach taken by Constance Keene is well suited to Hummel's often florid and contrapuntal writing. However, at times one is left wanting for more spontaneity and 'con fuoco', particularly in the F# minor sonata.

Trite works, anonymously played..."average" music of the day.......2001-08-15

This album and its two companions are fascinating, but not for the expected reason. By listening to this music, which was written around the same time as Beethoven's most thrilling piano works, one realizes just how avant-garde Beethoven (and Mozart and Haydn and Schubert, for that matter) were. These are easy-on-the-ear, happy little surface pieces, that don't so much develop as repeat with ornamentation. There's generally little dramatic trension, virtually no drama, and little in the way of organic unfolding. They are pleasant and easy on the ear and forgotten the moment they are done. Here and there are moments of interest, unusual strokes. But they're far and few between and gone all too quickly. (These are much blander than Hummel's piano concerti, at least to my ears.) However, it must be realized that Hummel was giving the aristocracy of Vienna what it basically wanted, and even here may have been pushing them far. Many at the time held the idealin music to be "agreeability," "tunefulness," and "beauty." Realistically that translates to simple meloides executed over and over so that the listener acquires an easy familiarity with them. The sudden changes in key, meter, dynamics, etc., of a Beethoven must have shaken these audiences to their bones! And that fundamental change in musical expectations and aesthetics paved the way for everything from Liszt to the avant-garde of our own century. THAT is why Beethoven is one of the world's greatest geniuses, something many people do not even realize. Hearing what "the rest of Vienna" was listening to at the same time that Beethoven was writing the likes of the Appassionata Sonata and the Fifth Symphony.

Tracks:

Son No.1 In C, Op.2, No.3: Movt 1 (Allegro spiritoso)
Son No.1 In C, Op.2, No.3: Movt 2 (Adagio)
Son No.1 In C, Op.2, No.3: Movt 3 (Rondo)
Son No.6 In D, Op.106: Movt 1 (Allegro moderato, ma risoluto)
Son No.6 In D, Op.106: Movt 2 (Un scherzo all'antico-Allegro ma non troppo-Alternative)
Son No.6 In D, Op.106: Movt 3 (Larghetto a capriccio-Cantabile ed espressivo)
Son No.6 In D, Op.106: Movt 4 (Finale-Allegro vivace)

Dimitri Kabalevsky / Johann Nepomuk Hummel / Ferruccio Busoni: Sonatas for Cello & Piano - Cristoforo Pestalozzi / Sandro D'Onofrio

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Dimitri Kabalevsky / Johann Nepomuk Hummel / Ferruccio Busoni: Sonatas for Cello & Piano - Cristoforo Pestalozzi / Sandro D'Onofrio

Manufacturer: Bongiovanni
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B00008ESJF
Release Date: 1995-03-08

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