Romantic Discoveries Recordings

Heinrich Hofmann (1842-1902)
Piano music (volume 2)
John Kersey, piano
RDR CD22

Total time: 69 mins 9 secs

Flying Leaves: Five Little Pieces, op 85
1. Impromptu (2’40”) 2. Song (1’30”) 3. March (2’44”) 4. Nocturne (3’16”) 5. Ondines (2’54”)

Sketches, op 77
1. Rogue! (00’41”) 2. Elegy (2’05”) 3. Ländler (1’26”) 4. Birthday March (2’17”) 5. Melody (1’09”) 6. Dancesong (1’07”) 7. Scherzo (1’32”) 8. Humoreske (1’17”) 9. Sleep (1’47”)

Atmospheric Paintings (Stimmungsbilder), op 88
1. Gavotte (1’36”) 2. At Evening (1’54”) 3. Notturno (2’11”) 4. Hungarian (1’55”) 5. Dancesong (1’52”) 6. Elegy (2’04”) 7. Minnelied (1’44”) 8. Play of the Waves (1’28”) 9. Ballade (2’15”) 10. Impromptu (1’44”) 11. Rider’s March (1’13”)

Norwegian Songs and Dances (arranged from the duet versions by Ludwig Stark (1831-84))
1. Frau Holle’s Shepherd’s Magic Song (2’16”) 2. Dancesong (1’45”) 3. Sennerlied (3.19”) 4. Folk Hymn (3’52”) 5. Dancesong (2’31”) 6. Song of the Bard (2’46”) 7. Song (1’42”) 8. Springing Dance (3’17”)

Johann Heinrich Hofmann was born into poverty in Berlin, and first came to notice through his beautiful treble voice, singing in the cathedral choir and then the opera chorus. After his voice broke, he took up the piano and composition. His first major success, the Hungarian Suite, op 16, for orchestra, received over 100 performances in 1873. He wrote operas, orchestral and instrumental works in all genres, and enjoyed remarkable and continued success including state honours, becoming a wealthy man. However, in the years before his death, the critical tide turned, with Hofmann’s conservative style being seen as no longer fashionable in a world dominated by Wagnerism. This brought about a neglect from which his music has never recovered to this day, with one modern publisher of his work even going so far as to dismiss his compositional career as a “mistake” on his part.

In these two discs (volume 1 is CD21), it will be shown that Hofmann’s career is far from worthy of this assessment, with works ranging from early to late. We meet Hofmann the miniaturist and recognise at once a missing link between Mendelssohn, Schumann and Reger in his chosen world. Hofmann is a poet at heart, highly skilled at creating atmosphere in a few bars and in melodic invention and contrast. Above all his music radiates happiness and contentment; occasionally virtuosic, but always written with a careful eye to texture and pianistic effectiveness. The suite “The Trumpeter of Säkkingen” shows him at his best, responding to a tale of romantic love set during and just after the Thirty Years’ War. This was also to formthe subject of an 1884 popular opera by Victor Nessler. The “Norwegian Songs and Dances”, transcriptions by Stark of the original duets, pay homage to Grieg while showing a number of individual touches.