Paul Hindemith: Complete Orchestral Works [Box Set] [Box set]

Editorial Reviews
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

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.

Amazon.com

For the last decade or so, CPO has been the only label of note to advocate the music of Paul Hindemith (1885-1963). Not only have they gone about this advocacy with great enthusiasm, they've also sought out some of Hindemith's lesser-known works. And while Volume I contains Hindemith's clear masterpieces, Volume II shines with its own gems. Most notable among the major works in this set are The Four Temperaments (1940) and the Piano Concerto (1945), both clear Romantic masterpieces and both excellently performed. Of the lesser-known works, the best are the suites from the ballets, Der Damon (1922) and Herodiade (1944). Also in Volume II are the complete cello concertos, which contain some of Hindemith's moodiest writing. The sound quality in all five discs is warm and focused with the exception of disc two, which contains somewhat muted recordings of Kammermusik No. 2 and Konzertmusik. This is a minor complaint, however. Hindemith fans will want this collection if they don't already have any of these five previously released discs. --Paul Cook

Hindemith: Complete Orchestral Works, Vol. 3 (Box Set)

Average customer rating:

Great collection for a great project

Hindemith: Complete Orchestral Works, Vol. 3 (Box Set)

Manufacturer: Cpo Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005B17N
Release Date: 2001-04-17

Tracks:

Concerto For Clarinet And Orchestra: Rather Fast - Reinhold Friedrich
Concerto For Clarinet And Orchestra: Ostinato. Fast - Reinhold Friedrich
Concerto For Clarinet And Orchestra: Quiet - Reinhold Friedrich
Concerto For Clarinet And Orchestra: Gay - Reinhold Friedrich
Concerto For Horn And Orchestra: Moderately Fast - Reinhold Friedrich
Concerto For Horn And Orchestra: Very Fast - Reinhold Friedrich
Concerto For Horn And Orchestra: Very Slow/Moderately Fast/Fast/Lively/Very Slow - Reinhold Friedrich
Concerto For Trumpet, Bassoon, And Strings: Allegro Spiritoso - Reinhold Friedrich
Concerto For Trumpet, Bassoon, And Strings: Molto Adagio/Allegro Pesante - Reinhold Friedrich
Concerto For Trumpet, Bassoon, And Strings: Vivace - Reinhold Friedrich
Concerto For Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, Harp, And Orchestra: Moderately Fast - Reinhold Friedrich
Concerto For Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, Harp, And Orchestra: Grazioso - Reinhold Friedrich
Concerto For Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, Harp, And Orchestra: Rondo. Rather Fast - Reinhold Friedrich

Tracks:

Violin Concerto: Massig Bewegte Halbe - Dene Olding
Violin Concerto: Langsam - Dene Olding
Violin Concerto: Lebhaft - Dene Olding
Kammermusik No.4, Op.36/3 For Violin Solo And Large Chamber Orchestra: Signal, Breite Majestatische Halbe - Dene Olding
Kammermusik No.4, Op.36/3 For Violin Solo And Large Chamber Orchestra: Sehr Lebhaft - Dene Olding
Kammermusik No.4, Op.36/3 For Violin Solo And Large Chamber Orchestra: Nachtstuck, Massig Schnelle Achtel - Dene Olding
Kammermusik No.4, Op.36/3 For Violin Solo And Large Chamber Orchestra: Lebhafte Viertel - Dene Olding
Kammermusik No.4, Op.36/3 For Violin Solo And Large Chamber Orchestra: So Schnell Wie Moglich - Dene Olding
Tuttifantchen, Orchestral Suite, Christmas Fairy Tale: Vorspiel. Langsam, Jedoch Fliessend - Dene Olding
Tuttifantchen, Orchestral Suite, Christmas Fairy Tale: Lied. Leicht Bewegt - Dene Olding
Tuttifantchen, Orchestral Suite, Christmas Fairy Tale: Intermezzo. Munter - Dene Olding
Tuttifantchen, Orchestral Suite, Christmas Fairy Tale: Lied. Langsam - Dene Olding
Tuttifantchen, Orchestral Suite, Christmas Fairy Tale: Marsch. Nicht Schnell - Dene Olding
Tuttifantchen, Orchestral Suite, Christmas Fairy Tale: Musik Zum Kaspertheater. Lustig - Dene Olding
Tuttifantchen, Orchestral Suite, Christmas Fairy Tale: Tanz Der Holzpuppen. Allegretto - Dene Olding
Tuttifantchen, Orchestral Suite, Christmas Fairy Tale: Lied. Langsam - Dene Olding
Tuttifantchen, Orchestral Suite, Christmas Fairy Tale: Melodram. Schnell-Sehr Langsam-Langsam-Sehr Langsam - Dene Olding
Tuttifantchen, Orchestral Suite, Christmas Fairy Tale: Wiegenlied. Langsam - Dene Olding
Tuttifantchen, Orchestral Suite, Christmas Fairy Tale: Schlusslied. Breit, Freudig - Dene Olding

Tracks:

Kammermusik No.5, Op.36/4 For Viola Solo And Large Chamber Orchestra: Schnelle Halbe - Brett Dean
Kammermusik No.5, Op.36/4 For Viola Solo And Large Chamber Orchestra: Langsam - Brett Dean
Kammermusik No.5, Op.36/4 For Viola Solo And Large Chamber Orchestra: Massig Schnell - Brett Dean
Kammermusik No.5, Op.36/4 For Viola Solo And Large Chamber Orchestra: Variante Eines Militarmarsches - Brett Dean
Konzertmusik, Op.48 For Viola And Large Chamber Orchestra: Lebhaft - Brett Dean
Konzertmusik, Op.48 For Viola And Large Chamber Orchestra: Ruhig Gehend - Brett Dean
Konzertmusik, Op.48 For Viola And Large Chamber Orchestra: Lebhaft - Brett Dean
Konzertmusik, Op.48 For Viola And Large Chamber Orchestra: Leicht Bewegt - Brett Dean
Konzertmusik, Op.48 For Viola And Large Chamber Orchestra: Sehr Lebhaft - Brett Dean
Der Schwanendreher Concerto For Viloa And Small Orchestra After Old Folk Songs: Zwischen Berg Und Tiefem Tal - Brett Dean
Der Schwanendreher Concerto For Viloa And Small Orchestra After Old Folk Songs: Nun Laube, Lindlein Laube. Fugato. Der Gutzgauch Auf Dem Zaune Sass - Brett Dean
Der Schwanendreher Concerto For Viloa And Small Orchestra After Old Folk Songs: Variationen: Seid Ihr Nicht Der Schwanendreher? - Brett Dean
Trauermusik For Viola And String Orchestra: Langsam - Brett Dean
Trauermusik For Viola And String Orchestra: Ruhig Und Bewegt - Brett Dean
Trauermusik For Viola And String Orchestra: Lebhaft - Brett Dean
Trauermusik For Viola And String Orchestra: Choral: Vor Deinen Thron Tret Ich Hiermit - Brett Dean

Tracks:

Kammermusik No.6, Op. 46,1 For Viola D'Amore And Orchestra: Massig Schnell, Majestatisch - Brett Dean
Kammermusik No.6, Op. 46,1 For Viola D'Amore And Orchestra: Langsam - Brett Dean
Kammermusik No.6, Op. 46,1 For Viola D'Amore And Orchestra: Massig Schnell, Bewegt - Brett Dean
Kammermusik No.6, Op. 46,1 For Viola D'Amore And Orchestra: Lebhaft, Wie Fruher - Brett Dean
Kammermusik No.7, Op.46,2 For Organ And Orchestra: Nicht Zu Schnell - Brett Dean
Kammermusik No.7, Op.46,2 For Organ And Orchestra: Sehr Langsam Und Ganz Ruhig - Brett Dean
Kammermusik No.7, Op.46,2 For Organ And Orchestra: Ohne Tempobezeichnung - Brett Dean
Organ Concerto: Crescendo - Brett Dean
Organ Concerto: Allegro Assai - Brett Dean
Organ Concerto: Canzonetta And Two Ritornelli - Brett Dean
Organ Concerto: Phantasy On Veni Creator Spiritus - Brett Dean

Customer Reviews:

Great collection for a great project.......2006-04-08

This box set contains mostly the wind, violin, viola, and organ concertos that Hindemith wrote. Most of these works are hard to find on disc, especially the organ works. The Violin Concerto soloist Dene Olding is a little weak, and the orchestra at times empahsizes this by showing a full force that Olding simply can't match. I find the wind concertos to be tedious and not very interesting. But the Kammermusik are uniformly excellent. The viola works are fine, as well. I thought the Trauermusik was especially good, heartrending when it needed to be, contemplative in the best sense of the word. Albert's conducting throughout is solid and sure, but it's a shame that not all of Hindemith's music is equally good. No conducting can save the clunkers from themselves (like the mediocre Clarinet Concerto), but for the price, it's a set definitely worth exploring.

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