Lawrence Power, BBC Scottish SO, David Atherton - Paul Hindemith: The Complete Viola Music, Vol. 3 (2011)

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Lawrence Power, BBC Scottish SO, David Atherton - Paul Hindemith: The Complete Viola Music, Vol. 3 (2011)

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Vol. 3 of Lawrence Power's survey of the complete Hindemith work for viola features a cluster of works written for viola and orchestra in the short time between 1927 and 1930. Though Hindemith did not write a traditional concerto in the classical sense, the Op. 48 Konzertmusik, Kammermusik No. 5, and Der Schwanendreher each put the viola's abilities at the forefront of the orchestra. His personal knowledge of the instrument's technical, lyrical, and emotive abilities become quickly apparent as the viola is made to scurry around as nimbly as a violin in Konzertmusik, as emotionally rich as a cello in Trauermusik, or as colorful and evocative as a piano in Der Schwanendreher. All of these many moods are captured effortlessly by Power. His playing balances the clarity needed to execute agile passagework with the richness and depth needed for more lyrical sections. What's more, Power never gives the appearance of trying to make the viola sound like a violin; instead, he celebrates the viola's idiosyncrasies and transforms them into a rich, satisfying tapestry of sound. Joined by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under David Atherton, Vol. 3 of Power's hefty undertaking is just as worthwhile and engaging as the previous two and is certainly worth checking out.

Review by Mike D. Brownell, Allmusic.com

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Lawrence Power, BBC Scottish SO, David Atherton - Paul Hindemith: The Complete Viola Music, Vol. 3 (2011)

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Hindemith's music has held up remarkably well. Elements of his melodic and harmonic style that once seemed pedantic now come across merely as personal, even characterful. His music has humor, variety, more than a few good tunes, and of course his high level of craftsmanship speaks for itself. There have been remarkably few recordings of some of these pieces, especially the Konzertmusik Op. 48, which is really a delightful viola concerto in five brief but eventful movements. Like the fifth Kammermusik, it's scored for winds and lower strings, and this sets the solo lines in high relief and provides fetching and constantly changing washes of instrumental color. Both of these pieces come from Hindemith's "objectivist" neoclassical phase. Trauermusik and Der Schwanendreher are a touch (but only a touch!) more warmly lyrical.

All four works receive really excellent performances from violist Lawrence Power, whose consistently attractive tone and on-target intonation leaves no doubt that the sometimes off-kilter harmonies are the composer's and not an accident. David Atherton, as his earlier recordings of Kurt Weill reveal, also has a genuine feeling for music of this period. He projects the music's energy but never lets it turn mechanical or rhythmically stiff. Hyperion's engineering leaves nothing to be desired, making this a very rewarding and important disc. Even if you don't think you like Hindemith, you may want to give this a shot; it could change your mind.

Review by David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

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Lawrence Power, BBC Scottish SO, David Atherton - Paul Hindemith: The Complete Viola Music, Vol. 3 (2011)

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Despite their varying titles and formats, the larger works here constitute Hindemith’s viola concertos Nos 1-3. Kammermusik No 5 (1927), still audibly a product of the enfant terrible of the early 1920s, already begins to hint at the later composer’s formal rigour, a conjunction of extremes carried further in the second of Hindemith’s much less well-known Konzertmusiken, scored for viola and large chamber orchestra (1930; the others comprise a suite for large wind band, a piano concerto with brass and harps and the diptych for strings and brass composed for the Boston Symphony’s 50th anniversary). In The Swan-turner (1935), Hindemith’s mature style – first heard in Das Unaufhörliche (1931) and writ large through Mathis der Maler (symphony and opera) – is fully realised.

Collections of the concertos (with or without Trauermusik of 1936) have been few and far between. Hyperion wisely avoids a chronological sequence, placing Konzertmusik first and Kammermusik last. Power’s affinity with Hindemith’s music is as evident in these new recordings as in previous instalments, his tone perfectly balanced between strength and delicacy, avoiding Cortese’s over-burnished sound, his being until now the finest collection and penetrating deeper to the music’s core than either Dean or Schmidt’s now ancient-sounding renditions on Koch Schwann. Hyperion’s beautifully natural recording is the best yet but it is the partnership with Atherton and the BBC Scottish that makes this such a rewarding listen; their performance of Kammermusik No 5 more than stands comparison with the best of the competition – Doktor and Kashkashian – and is swifter, too. Der Schwanendreher and the Konzertmusik really come alive and the icing is a touching Trauermusik which sounds like a newly discovered work. The new market leader, strongly recommended. Now, how about the viola d’amore works on Volume 4?

Review by Guy Rickards, Gramophone

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Lawrence Power, BBC Scottish SO, David Atherton - Paul Hindemith: The Complete Viola Music, Vol. 3 (2011)

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Lawrence Power, BBC Scottish SO, David Atherton - Paul Hindemith: The Complete Viola Music, Vol. 3 (2011)

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Lawrence Power, BBC Scottish SO, David Atherton - Paul Hindemith: The Complete Viola Music, Vol. 3 (2011)

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Lawrence Power, BBC Scottish SO, David Atherton - Paul Hindemith: The Complete Viola Music, Vol. 3 (2011)

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