Carl Reinecke

[Stonebraker]

Simply, is he worth spending lots of time listening to? I heard a bit of one of his pieces on the radio, and have now listened to some of his chamber music and I find it pretty good. Is most of his stuff worth checking out? Any advice would be appreciated.

[SONNET CLV]

Carl Reinecke. Simply, is he worth spending lots of time listening to?

Of course, only you can answer your own question with any authority, or to any personal satisfaction. If you like listening to Reinecke's music, or anybody else's, then it is certainly "worth listening to." Right?

Most of the posters here will be familiar with the Reinecke Symphonies. Why not try one? You can pick up the Symphony No. 1 (coupled with the King Manfred music) on an inexpensive NAXOS disc. If you like it, try more. I find that First Symphony well worth an occasional listen -- a powerful first movement, a lyrical second ... It's often described as Schumannesque with touches of Mendelssohn thrown in for good measure. If you have liked music of this ilk, go for it.


Part of the joy of this hobby of music appreciation is exploring new works, finding buried treasures, taking your ears to places your ears have never gone before. Not every direction will prove pleasing, but companies like NAXOS and disc distributors such as Berkshire Record Outlet make delving into the new a fairly inexpensive venture.

Here's one thing I've learned from my several decades of music listening/collecting -- You generally can't go wrong with the big guns. Those famous names are famous for a reason. But often the more obscure folks prove quite delightful, and if you keep up with the pursuit of music, you'll eventually gather round you a coterie of reliable standbys that may not be so much a part of the beaten track but still give you great musical pleasure. That's all that matters.

Enjoy.

--SONNET CLV (currently listening to Carl Reinecke's Symphony No. 1, the Andante second movement, performed by Alfred Walter and the Rhenish Philharmonic Orchestra on NAXOS 8.555397 -- a listening experience suggested by a new music-loving acquaintance, I'm proud to say)--

[Jack Kelso]

Yes, Reinecke is a very pleasant, conservative master of all forms. He was a satellite more of the lighter Mendelssohn-Gade group than of the heavier, more impassioned Schumann or Brahms style. His "König Manfred" overture and incidental music are melodic but a bit thinner than, say "Die schöne Melusine" of Mendelssohn.

He also has a very fine flute concerto....and some concert overtures which are mildly like tone-poems (after Mendelssohn's "Hebrides"), e.g., "Aladin"---a charming piece!

Interestingly, although he was one of the most conservative composers of the 19th century, he (like Spohr) was fascinated by the music of Wagner.

Tschüß!
Jack

[otterhouse]

The middle movement of his harpconcerto (also on naxos, together with his Flute concerto, played by Patrick Gallois(!)) is a real gem.

Rolf

Greetings from the Netherlands,
Rolf
http://homepages.ipact.nl/~otterhouse
(my classical lp->mp3 hobby page, updated every friday)
http://www.youtube.com/otterhouse
(my classical music youtube channel)

[MaestroDJS]

Here's one thing I've learned from my several decades of music listening/collecting -- You generally can't go wrong with the big guns. Those famous names are famous for a reason. But often the more obscure folks prove quite delightful, and if you keep up with the pursuit of music, you'll eventually gather round you a coterie of reliable standbys that may not be so much a part of the beaten track but still give you great musical pleasure. That's all that matters.

Exactly. I never forget these words which began a review of recordings by lesser-known composers, which could also apply to Carl Reinecke:

The dimmer lights of 19th-century music have always had a certain attraction.

Such overshadowed romantics as Louis Spohr, Max Bruch and Karl Goldmark should be approached not with suspicion (''there must be a reason why they are forgotten'') but with intense curiosity (''there must be a reason why they were popular''). After all, though it is easy to affect the attitude that one requires nothing but the best, it is more stimulating to acknowledge that neither these lesser men nor others who joined them in limbo were fools.

[Jack Kelso]

Here's one thing I've learned from my several decades of music listening/collecting -- You generally can't go wrong with the big guns. Those famous names are famous for a reason. But often the more obscure folks prove quite delightful, and if you keep up with the pursuit of music, you'll eventually gather round you a coterie of reliable standbys that may not be so much a part of the beaten track but still give you great musical pleasure. That's all that matters.

Exactly. I never forget these words which began a review of recordings by lesser-known composers, which could also apply to Carl Reinecke:

The dimmer lights of 19th-century music have always had a certain attraction.

Such overshadowed romantics as Louis Spohr, Max Bruch and Karl Goldmark should be approached not with suspicion (''there must be a reason why they are forgotten'') but with intense curiosity (''there must be a reason why they were popular''). After all, though it is easy to affect the attitude that one requires nothing but the best, it is more stimulating to acknowledge that neither these lesser men nor others who joined them in limbo were fools.

Yes, indeed! And THE two most popularly performed symphonies around 1898 were Robert Volkmann's First Symphony (in D Minor) and Anton Rubinstein's 2nd Symphony ("Ocean")! (By the way, the Volkmann is a real gem---Grove's calls it the finest German symphony written between Schumann and Brahms.)

...while the 11 Symphonies of Raff were just becoming forgotten.....

Tschüß!
Jack