Meisterklasse! amarcord’s new album is devoted to Carl Reinecke and his students.
Carl Reinecke presided over the Gewandhaus Orchestra for 35 years – longer than any other of its directors before or since. Moreover, he was highly regarded as a pianist and composer, and spent 42 years at the Leipzig Conservatory, where he moulded upcoming generations of musicians by teaching the piano and composition. amarcord’s brand new album entitled ‘Meisterklasse’ is devoted to Carl Reinecke – one of the most influential artists to hail from the musical city of Leipzig – and his students.
There’s a wealth of material for amarcord to draw on, even just considering Reinecke’s works for male voices – 70 in all. The Leipzig quintet has chosen six of them, and combined them with works by Reinecke’s composition students. They include European luminaries such as Edvard Grieg, Max Bruch, Leoš Janácek, Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis, and also Ethel Smyth – the first woman to be admitted to Reinecke’s composition class thanks to her determination to enter this male domain.
In addition, listeners are introduced to composers such as Sveinbjörn Sveinbjörnsson, Arthur Sullivan and Charles Villiers Stanford – and not just musically, for the detailed booklet contains plenty of information about them all.
amarcord is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year with several star-studded recitals in Leipzig. And its latest production shines a light on yet another facet of Leipzig and its influence on Europe’s musical development that’s definitely well worth exploring.
Happy listening!
