Presents
Ferdinand Hiller
Piano Trio No.6 in c minor, Op.186 / "Serenade No.2"
Ferdinand
Hiller's Piano Trio No.6 in c minor, Op.186 bears two titles. On the cover page
in large letters we see the word Serenade. Further down in small print, easy to
miss, we see 6th Trio. It was in fact his last piano trio and though
composed in 1879 toward the end of his life, the music gives no evidence
whatsoever that it was written by an old, and perhaps tired man. To the
contrary, this captivating work bubbles over with the good spirits and joy of
youth. Hiller himself wrote the word Serenade on the manuscript and it is clear
that the music was surely meant to entertain. The opening movement Praeludio,
Allegro moderato is a lovely kind of intermezzo rather than a distant relative
of the baroque praeludeio. The second movement, marked Alla marcia, Allegro
vivace, only vaguely resembles what we might expect a march to sound like.
Instead, the music is by turns playful and light hearted, although the dotted
rhythm is march like. Next comes a Notturno, Andante espressivo. From the start
we hear the lovely, languid melody given out by a nightingale. There is a more
turbulent middle section. The fourth movement, Intermezzo, vivace, is closer to
a scherzo, the buoyant, exciting and nervous theme is quickly passed from voice
to voice at breakneck speed. The finale, Vivace ma non troppo, opens quietly
with the piano beginning in starts and stops at a rather slow tempo. When the
strings join in, the music morphs into a very romantic waltz.
Ferdinand Hiller (1811-1885) first studied piano and violin in his native Frankfurt. His talent was such that he was taken to study with Johann Nepomuk Hummel, then the greatest living pianist. For more than 2 decades he was one of Mendelssohn’s closest friends, succeeding him as conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra. He served as a Professor and Director of the Cologne Conservatory for several decades. Among his many students was Max Bruch. Hiller’s vast musical output is more or less forgotten. It contained works in virtually every genre.
This is one Hiller's finest and most appealing works. It is sure to enthrall if presented in concert and good amateur will get much pleasure playing this as well. Long out of print, it is a pleasure to make it available once again and warmly recommend it.
Parts: $29.95
