Chamber Works by Ernest Kanitz (CD Review)

by Karl Nehring

Kanitz: Sonata, Op. 10 for Violin and Piano*; String Quartet in D major; Sonata for Solo Cello; Concertino for Five Players**; Sonata Californiana for E flat Alto Saxophone and Piano. ARC Ensemble (Erika Raum, violin; Marie Bérard, violin**; Steven Dann, viola; Thomas Wiebe, cello; Joaquin Valdepeñas, clarinet; Kevin Ahfat, piano; with special guests Wallace Halladay, saxophone; Anna Stube, violin*; Joel Quarrington, double-bass). CHANDOS CHAN 20374

 

Over the past several years we have reviewed several releases by Canada’s ARC (Artists of the Royal Conservatory) Ensemble, an assemblage of musicians engaged in a series of recordings for the CHANDOS label under the heading “Music in Exile,” starting with our review (which you can read here) of the first commercial recording devoted to music by the Czech-born Jewish composer Walter Kaufmann (1907-1984). Other composers who were exiled by the Nazi regime but whose music has been brought out from the depths of obscurity by the ARC Ensemble’s noble efforts have included the Jewish-Ukrainian composer Dmitri Klebanov (1907-1987) (reviewed here); Alberto Hemsi (1898-1975), who was born in the Ottoman Empire in an area that is now part of Turkey (reviewed here); and the German-Jewish composer Robert Müller-Hartmann (1894-1979, who fled to England to work with the great British composer Ralph Vaughan Williams (reviewed here).

This newest release, the ninth in the Music in Exile series, features music by the Jewish Austrian-born composer Ernest Kanitz (1894-1978). His story is an interesting one. He had enjoyed early success in his career and had in fact become a prominent musician in Vienna during the 1920s and ‘30s, with frequent concerts and radio broadcasts. However, after the Nazi takeover of Austria in 1938, Kanitz eventually made his way to the United States, where he was able to continue his musical career by teaching and composing, but with death, his modest musical reputation quickly faded away and his music disappeared from the concert stage. Now the ARC Ensemble and CHANDOS are offering the musical world a chance to hear the music of Ernest Kanitz, which based on this release, is well worth hearing. 

The ARC Ensemble

The opening Sonata for Violin and Piano is a melodic marvel, three movements that are a delight from start to finish. So often, listening to sonatas by unknown 20^th-century composers can be a nearly unbearable experience; however, this was just the opposite. His String Quartet, although more serious in tone than the sonata that preceded it, particularly the opening movement, is still quite listenable and enjoyable. The relatively brief Sonata for Solo Cello provides a wide range of stylistic effects over its 10-minute duration, ranging from throwback to modernistic. It is one of those pieces that would benefit from being able to see the performer actually play in live performance to gain full appreciation of their performance; however, it is still an involving performance when only heard and not seen. The Concertino for Five Players, which is scored for clarinet, violin, viola, double bass, and piano, is a jaunty, slightly spiky three-movement work that is the most formal, modern-sounding composition on the program. However, it is also emotionally engaging in its own way, with many tender passages that speak to the heart. The quirkily named Sonata Californiana closes the program with three movements of expressive music that appeal to both heart and mind. The second movement, “Lament,” is a slow movement of utter beauty, followed then by the closer, “Hollywood,” a bustling romp.

Having listened to this recording many times, I find myself hoping to hear more music by Ernest Kanitz in the future. He composed orchestral music – let’s have it! And surely there is more chamber music. For now, however, we have this fine release, and once again, we music lovers owe a debt of gratitude to the ARC Ensemble and CHANDOS for bringing to light music that would have otherwise languished in darkness.