FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797-1828)The Unauthorised Piano Duos, vol. 3

String Quartet in D minor, “Death and the Maiden”, D. 810 38:28transcribed for piano duet by Robert Franz (1815-1892)(Première recording)

¬ I. Allegro 11:33­ II. Andante con moto 13:15® III. Scherzo and Trio: Allegro molto 3:46¯ IV. Finale: Presto – Prestissimo 9:54

Symphony in B minor, “Unfinished”, D. 759 and D. 797/1 35:27complete performing edition(Première recording)

° I. Allegro moderato † 11:11± II. Andante con moto † 10:44² III Scherzo and Trio: Allegro – Poco meno mosso * 6:32³ IV. Finale: Allegro ** 7:00

† transcribed for piano duet by Anselm Hüttenbrenner (1794-1868)* completed and transcribed for piano duet by Anthony Goldstone (b.1944)** Entr’acte in B minor from Rosamunde, D. 797, transcribed by Friedrich Hermann(1828-1907), and adapted by Anthony Goldstone

Total duration: 73:55

GOLDSTONE AND CLEMMOWfour hands at one piano

FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797-1828)THE UNAUTHORISED PIANO DUOS

This CD follows Divine Art 25026 and25039, which also contain first recordingsof significant transcriptions for pianoduet/duo of Schubert’s masterpieces,including the “Trout” Quintet, the B flatmajor Piano Trio and the ArpeggioneSonata. It is the result of several years’detective work, frustrated by frequentblank walls. Thanks are due to Prof. BrianNewbould, who sent me Schubert’ssketches for the scherzo of the symphonyand directed me to the location of theunpublished Hüttenbrenner autograph;and to Raymond Brammall, who came tothe rescue by using his combinedphotographic, computer and musicalskills to produce large and eminentlyreadable pages from the miniscule filmnegatives of Anselm’s unclearmanuscript.

Robert Franz was born in the Saxontown of Halle. He overcame parentalresistance to become a highly successful– and widely honoured – organist,conductor, music director and composer,particularly of Lieder, of which he wrote

nearly three hundred; these were muchadmired, notably by Liszt, whotranscribed around thirty of them forpiano solo. When deafness and otherhealth problems necessitated retirementfrom public life, Franz’s future wasgenerously provided for by Liszt,Joachim and others.

Franz undertook his transcription ofSchubert’s “Death and the Maiden”String Quartet, D. 810, in 1878, thefiftieth anniversary of the Austrian’sdeath; we must be grateful for his greatskill in creating a “new” major Schubertsonata for piano four hands that isalmost as long as, and even morevirtuosic than, the mighty four-movement Sonata in C major, D. 812,generally known as the “Grand Duo”,and just as rewarding for performer andlistener. The fact that the Grand Duowas once thought to be the draft of anintended symphony demonstrates howmisleading and relatively unimportantthe medium of a great work can be.Robert Schumann was among thosedeceived despite the lack of supportingevidence – indeed Schubert clearlystated on the manuscript for publication“Sonate für's Pianoforte zu 4 Hände”.Nevertheless Joachim, Weingartner and

others orchestrated the work, and Toveyeven included Joachim’s orchestration inhis book analysing symphonies. Itseemed inconceivable that such a largesymphonic work could have beenconceived for the “domestic” medium ofthe piano duet, particularly as Schubertemployed “unpianistic” tremolandoeffects. Hüttenbrenner did not shy awayfrom this device in his transcription ofthe “Unfinished” Symphony (see tracks5 and 6), and it would later be usedfrequently by Liszt.

Similarly, composers have thought thatthe “Death and the Maiden” Quartetcries out for an expansion of forces,among them Mahler (who reworked itfor string orchestra) and John Foulds(for full symphony orchestra). It wasSchubert’s penultimate string quartet,composed in 1824 under the shadow ofserious illness.

The first movement [1] begins with aperemptory fortissimo declamationfollowed by a timid pianissimoresponse: it appears that death alreadythreatens. Although the fragmentarycharacter of this opening gesture givesthe impression of an introduction, it laterreveals itself to have been the firstsubject. Schubert, however, omits this

initial disjointed statement in therecapitulation, starting instead, after anexpectant build-up over a dominantpedal, where the first subject truly takesflight. Sudden accents and extremechanges of dynamics pervade themovement. The influence of Beethovenis strongly felt, and whether by accidentor design the life-affirming openingmotif of the senior composer’s finalsonata for cello and piano, Op. 102, No.2, makes several appearances, the firstappropriately on the cello at 3’34”.Brooding menace, intensity, tendernessand panic alternate in this movement,which, after a flurry, ends reflectivelywith the sensation of impending doom.

The variations on Schubert’s song “DerTod und das Mädchen” that form thesecond movement [2] give the quartet itssobriquet. Schubert used sections of hissongs on several other occasions as thebasis for variations in purelyinstrumental works, “Der Wanderer” inthe “Wanderer” Fantasy for piano solo,“Die Forelle” in the “Trout” Quintet and“Sei mir gegrüsst” in the Fantasy forviolin and piano being well knownexamples. But this case is especiallyremarkable in that only the piano partfrom the 1818 song is used, not the

vocal line, and the two sections of thetheme utilise completely different partsof the song. If one were unacquaintedwith the song one would never imaginethis to be possible, as the resultingtheme seems so inevitable.

The poem set by Schubert is by theGerman poet Matthias Claudius, whohad died two years before. It pictures amaiden close to death agitatedlybeseeching the spectre of Death to leaveher alone; he cajoles her with anassurance that he is a friend and that shewill sleep gently in his arms. Thesombre prelude that precedes the girl’splea forms the first section of the Gminor theme; the second begins witheight newly composed bars, after whichthe piano’s accompaniment to the latterpart of Death’s reply concludessoothingly in the major mode. Bothsections are repeated. The effect isheartrendingly sad, achieved with theslimmest of material: the rhythm ismonotonously dactylic (long, short,short) and the range of notes minimal –Schubert at his most magical.

Much use of treble descants is made inthe exquisite variations, five in all,which take the theme on a long journeywhile leaving it intact. In the energetic

third variation note values are dividedby four, and at 7’16” (and in the repeatat 7’55”) there may even be a referenceto the great violinist Paganini’s CapriceNo. 9 for solo violin, “La Chasse”, oneof the groundbreaking set of twenty-fourCaprices that had been published a fewyears before. (Paganini’s supernaturalreputation, combined with theconnotation of pursuit, makes this atempting possibility.) The following,delicate, major-key variation gives theimpression in this version of a musicalbox; it leads without a break into thefinal minor-key variation, almost a tonepoem in itself, whose dramatic secondsection, instead of being given an exactrepetition, assumes a calmer mood in itssecond statement, with lengthening notevalues and an eventual disintegrationback to the theme, unadorned. This leadsdirectly into the coda, which is takenfrom yet another unconnected area ofthe song, namely the piano’s postlude inthe major mode, which gives way toconsolatory silence – peaceful sleep.

The third movement [3] also has itsorigin elsewhere in Schubert’s oeuvre:the scherzo results from appropriatingthe sixth of his twelve German Dancesfor piano solo, D. 790, written in the

previous year, transforming this in theprocess from a G sharp minor miniaturein Ländler tempo into a furious scherzoin D minor, Allegro molto, marked byaccents and syncopations. The lovelytrio section, in D major albeit with brieftelling sojourns into D minor, is moreLändler-like, though no slower tempo isofficially assigned to it. Instead of theusual repeats, Schubert elaborates bothsections of the trio on second hearingwith a delicate treble descant, recallingthe procedure he had used in theprevious movement.

The Presto finale [4], in the composer’stypically idiosyncratic sonata-rondoform, is a frenetic 6/8 tarantella, hugelydemanding technically, both in theoriginal and in this transcription; thesedemands were matched by Schubert fouryears later in the tarantella finale of hisSonata in C minor, D. 958, for pianosolo. The tarantella, popularly associatedin legend with death, is believed tooriginate from either the hysteriabrought on by the bite of the tarantulawolf-spider or the dance traditionallyperformed to cure the victim. (It seems apity to spoil a good legend with the factthat this spider is not particularlydangerous to humans.)

We are launched into a demonic ride,interrupted only by the appearance of achordal second theme, which itself issoon joined by continuous quavers. At2’20” and subsequently, a phraseappears that has been cited as areference to another terrifying Schubertdeath ride – the song “Erlkönig”.Another intriguing connection, possiblyfortuitous, is that a swirling quaverfigure used extensively in thismovement, most strikingly in a sectionof the development beginning at 5’25”,was later adopted by Mussorgsky in histerrifying depiction of a witches’sabbath, Night on Bald Mountain. At thepoint of virtual exhaustion Schubertincreases the tempo to prestissimo for acoda that takes us first into D major butjust before the close lurches back into Dminor for its final climactic crescendo.

At the work’s first abortive try-out in1826 the eminent violinist and quartetleader Ignaz Schuppanzigh, who wasalso the dedicatee, is reported to havetold Schubert that it was unplayable andthat he should stick to song-writing. Onecan only imagine how this must haveaffected the ailing composer.

⎱ ⎱ ⎱ ⎱ ⎱

Anselm Hüttenbrenner was a prolificAustrian composer, a couple of yearsolder than Schubert. He was, in commonwith Schubert, a student of AntonioSalieri, as was Beethoven also, whosefriend he became and at whose death hewas present. A close bond developedbetween Hüttenbrenner and Schubert,who wrote a set of piano variations on atheme from a string quartet by hiscolleague, and Anselm’s C minorRequiem Mass was performed atSchubert’s memorial service. [OnDivine Art 25026 we included theoverture usually associated withRosamunde, though first used bySchubert in his 1820 melodrama TheMagic Harp, in a duet transcription byAnselm’s brother Josef.]

In 1823, within a few months ofcompleting the first two movements ofthe work now commonly known as the“Unfinished” Symphony, Schubert sentthe unpublished manuscript to Anselm, amember – later the president – of theGraz Music Society, which had awardedSchubert its Diploma of Honour. Nodoubt the composer was hoping for aperformance in Graz but this apparentlyfailed to materialise, perhaps in part

because of the absence of third andfourth movements. The manuscriptremained with his friend for the ensuingfour decades, after which it wasperformed in Vienna in 1865.Hüttenbrenner has attractedcondemnation for keeping thesymphony’s existence to himself for solong, but one should surely keep an openmind, as he could well have triedunsuccessfully to mount an orchestralperformance. It seems unlikely that hewould have wilfully prevented amasterpiece by a friend still held in greataffection from being heard, and interestin Schubert’s large-scale works wasvery limited after his death, despiteLiszt’s championship.

In 1853 Hüttenbrenner made the firstfour-hand arrangement of thesymphony. The title page of themanuscript reads, in translation:

“Symphony in B minor by FranzSchubert. Vienna 30th October 1822.Arranged for pianoforte four hands byhis friend in their youth [Jugendfreund]Anselm Hüttenbrenner, BadRadkersburg in September 1853.”

Anselm had moved to this small remoteStyrian town the previous year,following the death of his wife.

In deference to the memory of hisfriend, Hüttenbrenner’s transcription isquite literal, creating considerabledifficulties for the players, where latertranscribers would simplify textures.However, he did allow for the lack ofsustaining power of the piano by askingfor long notes to be replayed rather thanallowed to decay, and his solution to thelead-in to the second subject of the firstmovement is particularly imaginative.Several omissions and mistakes byAnselm have been corrected on thisrecording with reference to theorchestral score: after all, as far as isknown, he never heard Schubert’soriginal, and the unmarked condition ofthe four-hand autograph gives noindication that it was ever playedthrough.

The eight bars of cavernous pianissimooctaves played by the cellos and bassesto open the first movement [5] announcethat this symphony, in the highlyunusual key of B minor, will be like noother. The work is too well known toneed much commentary, but as

familiarity can blunt perception it maybe useful to remind ourselves that weare being taken on an adventure: forinstance, we note the “wrong” keys forthe second subject in both the expositionand the recapitulation; and the way inwhich the gently rocking second subjecttails off mid-phrase into silence, to becountered by sudden angry chords,presages Bruckner’s symphonies writtenhalf a century later. The powerful, oftenfrightening, development is as closelyargued as any by Beethoven, and thecoda, based on the opening bars, hasgreat sadness but also dignifiedresignation.

The Andante con moto secondmovement [6], in Schubert’s individualsonatina form, is sublime even bySchubertian standards. Two bars, whosetonic-dominant and descendingpizzicato traits recall features of the firstmovement, introduce the serene firstsubject. (The subject of thematic links inSchubert will resurface when the finaleis discussed.) The bitter-sweet secondsubject, whose syncopatedaccompaniment is reminiscent of that ofthe second subject of the firstmovement, is introduced by a four-bar

single line that is twice enigmaticallyextended in the celestial coda.

The first two movements are somagnificent that it would be difficulteven for Schubert to complete thesymphony on the same level. This taskwould be made more problematic by thefact that both of these movements had,unusually, been in triple time, as thethird – a scherzo – would necessarily be,added to which a symphony’s thirdmovement was traditionally in a lesslofty vein. However Schubert began thescherzo [7] on the reverse of the lastpage of the second movement, and sohis goal was definitely to complete a“normal” symphony. Following a meretwenty bars of orchestral score the onlyextant material by Schubert is a fairlyrudimentary solo piano sketch that islittle more than an aide-mémoire; thisbreaks off at the end of the first part ofthe trio section, which in any case givesonly the melody with no clue as to theaccompaniment that Schubert planned.Consequently in any completion anaccompaniment must be supplied, aswell as the entire second part of the trio.In parallel to making a piano duetversion of what was available, I have

filled out Schubert’s piano sketch andcompleted the trio.

Schubert begins the scherzoenergetically with quasi-Brucknerianbare octaves, subconsciously (orotherwise) recalling the rhythm of theAndante con moto’s main theme as wellas the descending triad that featuredprominently leading into the secondsubject of that movement. Schubertclearly wanted the trio to be morerelaxing as the G major melody is aninnocent waltz, dismissed in a 1941article by the respected Viennesecomposer and scholar Hans Gál in thisway:

“When the trio starts, even the bass hasshrunk off; all that is left is a lonely,unaccompanied line of sixteen bars, nobetter nor worse a tune than many othersin Schubert’s numerous sets of waltzes,but hopelessly outclassed by any one ofthe broad, sumptuous melodies in hismature works.”

Gál concluded that Schubert had run outof steam, and yet the melody has aninsouciant charm as well as the unusualcharacteristic that its first part (which isall there is) ends in the tonic key insteadof the expected dominant. I decided to

add a waltz-like accompaniment, whichI felt retained its intrinsic character.Schubert was not averse to writingLändler- or waltz-like trios, and indeedhe had a particularly august precedent inthe 39th symphony by his hero Mozart.In my second part, continuing the ideaof Schubert’s references to earlier ideas,I have occasionally incorporated into thequaver figuration fleeting hints of thefirst two movements.

When the symphony is completed bymusicologists, the finale chosen isnormally the extended B minor entr’acte(between Acts I and II) from theincidental music that Schubertcontributed in 1823 to Helmina vonChézy’s ill-fated play Rosamunde,Princess of Cyprus. It is often positedthat this entr’acte may have beenoriginally intended for the symphony, asit is in the right key, has the rightinstrumentation, belongs to the rightperiod and is unusually extended for apiece of incidental music.

If Schubert indeed discarded it as thesymphony’s finale it may be that, havingproduced two incomparable movementsand finding it impossible to complete ascherzo on the same level, he gave upthe idea of a conventional four-

movement symphony and recycled thepiece in Rosamunde. It certainlyoverpowers the rest of the incidentalmusic, and there is a motivic connectionwith the symphony in the thrice-statedopening B each time preceded by aflourish – a three-note run-up, exactlyreproducing the very end of the scherzo,in which movement Schubert refers tothe figure repeatedly. Additionally, thisrun-up has already been used in the firstmovement’s development and isultimately derived from its first subject.Schubert was beginning to think interms of thematically integrating thesections of a large structure, and hispioneering “Wanderer” Fantasy waswritten just after he broke off work onthis symphony.

This leads to my own minormodifications of the finale [8]: I havereproduced its opening flourish twice atthe end, subliminally reinforcing thethematic integration. (We also begin thefinale virtually attacca, which serves thesame purpose.) More contentiouslyperhaps, I was vaguely uneasy with theform of the piece as a symphonic finale,feeling that it lacked a certain cohesion.I eventually pinpointed the reason formy discomfort to the lack of any formal

return to the first theme, which is heardat 0’07” following a short introduction.Preceding the development are, oddly,two almost identical four-bar phrases; itwas a simple matter to intersect thesewith a restatement of the first part of theexposition, the continuation of which isrecapitulated by Schubert after thedevelopment, a familiar device inSchubert’s sonata-rondos, previouslyencountered in this recording in thefinale of the “Death and the Maiden”Quartet. I have added crescendo to thedynamics on occasion to aid the sense offorward momentum, but every note inthis movement is by Schubert.

The manuscript, to judge from itsappearance, seems first to have beenmarked Allegro, then changed to Allegromoderato and finally to Allegro moltomoderato, perhaps to accommodate acomplicated scene change in the play. Itis however indisputably alla breve,indicating two beats in a bar, not four,and Friedrich Hermann, the transcriber,favoured the original brisk Allegro,which we have retained, finding it to bemore in keeping with the ofteninfrequent changes of harmony andallowing the final few bars to open outinto an exhilarating B major conclusion.

[Presenting symphonies in historicallyinteresting versions for piano duet is along-standing interest of ours: Divine ArtCDs contain those of Mendelssohn,Dvořák, Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov.]

Finally some words about Hermann,who was born a day after Schubert’sthirty-first birthday, tragically his last:this German composer’s talents wereprecocious – at fifteen he entered theLeipzig Conservatory in the year of itsfoundation by Mendelssohn, who taughthim composition; at eighteen he becamethe principal viola player in theillustrious Leipzig GewandhausOrchestra; two years later he wasappointed Professor at the LeipzigConservatory and his symphony wasgiven a very favourable reception at theGewandhaus when he was just twenty-four years old.

© Anthony Goldstone 2015

Goldstone and Clemmow

With about forty CDs to their credit anda busy concert schedule stretching backmore than thirty years, the British pianoduo Goldstone and Clemmow is firmlyestablished as a leading force. Describedby Gramophone as ‘a dazzling husbandand wife team’, by International RecordReview as ‘a British institution in thebest sense of the word’, and by TheHerald, Glasgow, as ‘the UK’s pre-eminent two-piano team’, internationallyknown artists Anthony Goldstone andCaroline Clemmow formed their duo in1984 and married in 1989.

Their extremely diverse activities intwo-piano and piano-duet recitals anddouble concertos, taking in majorfestivals, have sent them all over theBritish Isles as well as to Europe, theMiddle East and several times to theU.S.A., where they have receivedstanding ovations and such pressaccolades as ‘revelations such as this arerare in the concert hall these days’(Charleston Post and Courier). In theirrefreshingly presented concerts they mixfamous masterpieces and fascinating

rarities, which they frequently unearththemselves, into absorbing and hugelyentertaining programmes; theirnumerous B.B.C. broadcasts have oftenincluded first hearings of unjustlyneglected works, and their equallyenterprising and acclaimed commercialrecordings include many worldpremières.

Having presented the complete duets ofMozart for the bicentenary, they decidedto accept the much greater challenge ofperforming the vast quantity of musicwritten by Schubert specifically for fourhands at one piano. This they haverepeated several times in mammothseven-concert cycles, probably a worldfirst in their completeness (includingworks not found in the collected edition)and original recital format. The MusicalTimes wrote of this venture: ‘TheGoldstone/Clemmow performancesinvited one superlative after another.’

The complete cycle (as a rare bonusincluding as encores Schumann’s eightSchubert-inspired Polonaises) wasrecorded on seven CDs, ‘haunted withthe spirit of Schubert’ – Luister, TheNetherlands.

With grateful thanks to:Barbara and Raymond Brammall and Alec Empson

With acknowledgments to:Musiksammlung der Österreichischen Nationalbibliothek (Robert Franz)Bibliothek und Sammlungen der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde and WienerMännergesangverein (Anselm Hüttenbrenner)

Recorded in St. John the Baptist Church, Alkborough, North Lincolnshire, England, in 2014A Maxim digital recording issued under licencePiano technician: Roger TostevinBooklet and packaging design: Stephen Sutton (Divine Art)℗ 2015 Goldstone & Clemmow © 2015 Divine Art Ltd (Diversions LLC in USA/Canada)

Caroline Clemmow Anthony Goldstone

GOLDSTONE and CLEMMOWMore fine, pioneering recordings from divine art

DDA 25020 Tchaikovsky for Four HandsSymphony No. 4, (arr. Taneyev), Romeo & Juliet (arr. Purgold), Russian Folk Songs“mind-blowing” – Glasgow Herald

DDA 25024 ExplorationsFirst recordings: Holst, Leighton, Stevenson and Hedges – splendid modern works from British composers“strongly recommended” – Musical Opinion

DDA 25026 Schubert Unauthorised Piano Duos, volume 1Includes the “Trout” Quintet and other gems in brilliant transcriptions“invaluable” – Gramophone

DDA 25028 Dvořák “New World” Symphony and Mendelssohn “Scottish” SymphonyThe composers’ own versions for piano duet of these orchestral masterpieces“A real joy. Recommended” – MusicWeb

DDA 25032 “Orientale”Music inspired by the East from Holst, Achron, Borodin, Mayer, Glière, Saint-Saëns, Gorb and McPhee“startlingly effective” – BBC Radio 3

DDA 25038 Graham Whettam Piano MusicFine music for two and four hands: solo performances by both of the duo partners“exuberant yet accessible music deserves to be much more widely known … exceptional performances”– New Classics

DDA 25039 Schubert Unauthorised Piano Duos, volume 2Transcriptions by Schubert’s friend and duet partner Josef von Gahy“bright detailed recording, committed playing ... no reservations” – Musical Pointers

DDA 25042 Grieg for Piano DuoIncludes Grieg’s version for two pianos of his Piano Concerto and his arrangement of a Mozart sonata“played with compelling freshness … an outstanding recital” – International Piano

DDA 25046 Mozart on ReflectionMany incredible gems, with a newly completed Sonata for two pianos“this is a valuable release, with fine recorded quality…” – International Record Review

DDA 25056 “Burlesque” – Piano Music by Brian ChappleFrom jazz to atonality, works of major importance“certainly a find for those that love to discover the new” – MidWest Record

DDA 25070 Chopin for Piano DuoIncludes the first recording of the F minor Piano Concerto in the arrangement by Chopin and Mikuli“fascinating ... dazzling virtuosity and verve” – New Classics

DDA 25089 The Jazz AgeGershwin, Milhaud, Carmichael, Hill, Moyzes, Seiber: an absolute festival of joy“particularly impressive ... a delightful new record” – BBC Radio 3

DDA 25098 Hans Gál: The Complete Piano DuosA rare treasure – Romantic and lyrical music deserving of a wide audience“This is a marvellous release ... performed and recorded to the highest standards.” – American Record Guide

DDA 25101 “Delicias” – Spanish delights for piano duoEuropean exoticism from Spanish composers and others inspired by Spanish culture“The performances are superb. Enthusiastically recommended” – Fanfare (USA)

DDA 25104 “Magical Places” – Evocative Symphonic PoemsFrom Britain and Ireland through France and Spain, to Russia and Scandinavia, a true musical adventure“Terrific performances ... A nicely judged programme that is superbly played and recorded with clarity.”– International Piano

DDA 25118 Rimsky-Korsakov – Music for Piano DuoThe composer’s own arrangements of Scheherazade and Neapolitan Song; and his wife Nadezhda Purgold’stranscription of Antar“Husband-and-wife team Anthony Goldstone and Caroline Clemmow [provide] cast-iron guarantees of superbperformances. Hugely enjoyable ... an unexpectedly colourful disc.” – International Record Review

DDV 24154 British Music for Piano DuoA highly acclaimed disc now re-issued, includes The Planets and other music by Holst, Elgar, Bury and Bainton“This is musicianship at its best, in ear opening interpretations.” – Classical Music Sentinel

ALL of the above CDs contain world première recordings of major piano duo repertoire.The Divine Art catalogue also includes many acclaimed solo recordings by Anthony Goldstone.

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