Hartmann: Chamber Music Elisabeth Zeuthen Schneider

• Emil Hartmann (1836 - 1898): Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 5:
• 1 Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 5: I. Poco andante - Allegro 12:21
• 2 Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 5: II. Romanza - Andantino con moto 05:20
• 3 Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 5: III. Scherzo - Allegretto vivo, sempre molto leggiero 03:09
• 4 Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 5: IV. Finale - Allegro molto 06:21
• String Quartet in A Minor:
• 5 String Quartet in A Minor: I. Allegro 06:27
• 6 String Quartet in A Minor: II. Andante cantabile 04:08
• 7 String Quartet in A Minor: III. Menuet 02:55
• 8 String Quartet in A Minor: IV. Finale 05:01
• String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 37:
• 9 String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 37: I. Moderato 08:04
• 10 String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 37: II. Andante 03:51
• 11 String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 37: III. Minuetto 02:47
• 12 String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 37: IV. Rondo 05:54
• Andante & Allegro for Violin & Piano, Op. 12:
• 13 Andante & Allegro for Violin & Piano, Op. 12 09:57
• Total Runtime 01:16:15

Info for Hartmann: Chamber Music

Emil Hartmann had a heavy family heritage to lift, being the son of one of the true greats in Danish music life, the composer and organist J.P.E. Hartmann. In Denmark, Emil Hartmann had difficulty freeing himself from his father’s shadow, but in Germany, things were easier. On this release, Elisabeth Zeuthen Schneider and friends delve into his chamber musical key works, providing the perfect showcase for the romantic flair of Emil Hartmann, making his lines sing beautifully and virtuosic passages dance, and finding intimacy and eloquence at telling moments.

"That we do not hear the music of the Danish-born Emil Hartmann is our tragic loss, for these world premiere recordings evince that he was an outstanding composer. Surrounded by a successful musical family, his father and brother-in-law (Niels Gade) were both famous composers, it was an atmosphere that found Emil often taking refuge in a mental home. Born in 1836, from an early age he had ambitions of becoming a composer in many guises, though too much was probably expected of him. Stylistically he belonged to the generation that had given Felix Mendelssohn to the world, and it was the refinement, elegance and textures of his German counterpoint that provided the basis for Emil’s output. Much of it was not published in his lifetime, and most has since remained undisturbed in the Royal Danish Library, with all of the works on this disc being recorded for the first time. But as you will discover in the four movements of the Piano Quintet, had it carried the name of Robert Schumann, it would have readily found a place in the chamber music repertoire. Thematically it falls kindly on the memory, the distribution of parts for the five performers only marginally favouring the piano. The slow movement is of innate beauty, while the scherzo and finale are full of bubbling good humour. Two String Quartets probably came from his later years—he died in 1898—and as with the Quintet, Hartmann’s gift of using equal voices that intertwine, permeate both scores. They are in four movements, the slow andante coming second, and are substantial in length, an Andante and Allegro for violin and piano, dedicated to Gade, offered here as an encore. Assembled from distinguished musicians from Denmark, Belgium and Germany, the ensemble have a flawless and cultivated tonal quality, admirable captured in ideally balanced sound. Much recommended." (David’s Review Corner)

Elisabeth Zeuthen Schneider, violin
Nicolas Dupont, violin
Tony Nys, viola
Justus Grimm, cello
Daniel Blumenthal, piano

Elisabeth Zeuthen Schneider
(geb. 1956) studierte bei den Professoren Milan Vitek und Endre Wolf an der Königlich Dänischen Akademie für Musik in Kopenhagen. Später studierte sie in den USA bei Alexander und Mischa Schneider vom Budapest Quartett, bei Isidore Cohen vom Beaux Arts Trio und bei Stanley Ritchie (Barockviolinist, University of Indiana).

Sie war mehrere Jahre lang zweiter Konzertmeister im Königlich Dänischen Orchester und im Radiosymphonieorchester. Seit 15 Jahren leitet sie das Trinitatis Kammerorchester.

Als Solistin hat sie mit dem Kopenhagen Sinfonieorchester, dem Aalborg Sinfonieorchester, der DR Sinphonia und dem Sønderborg Sinfonieorchester gespielt. Ferner hat sie mit dem Pianisten Ulrich Stærk und dem Trio Corelli in Europa und in den USA turniert. Elisabeth Zeuthen Schneider beherrscht ein weitgespanntes Repertoire und hat eine Reihe ehrenvoll erwähnter CDs bespielt.

Derzeit verbindet Elisabeth Zeuthen Schneider ihre umfassende künstlerische Tätigkeit mit einer Dozentur an der Königlich Dänischen Akademie für Musik in Kopenhagen.

Booklet for Hartmann: Chamber Music