Paul Hindemith
Kammermusik

Rhythmic vivacity and instrumental verve are just two of the characteristics of the "Kammermusik" cycle by Paul Hindemith: seven compositions written in the 1920s, along with a piece for wind quintet, the "Kleine Kammermusik," which is also typically included in the cycle. The pieces are of medium length, ranging from 13 minutes for the shortest to 20 minutes for the longest, adding up to a total duration of 2 hours and 20 minutes: a demanding listen, though not particularly difficult.

Chamber music is the title of this cycle because it was written for ensembles with a limited instrumentation, where the various instrumentalists are treated as if they were soloists: so much so that the first piece, "Kammermusik n. 1," is written "for 12 solo instruments," as the description states. Divided into four short movements, the piece seems to set the rules for all the others (with some exceptions): the extreme movements are fast and swift, characterized by intricate melodic lines and a masterful richness of timbre and style; the middle ones are slower and more reflective, with lyrical and relaxed passages.

Looking at the arrangement of the other pieces in the cycle, all composed for a solo instrument plus ensemble, we find the usual instruments of the classical tradition along with some surprises: thus the "Kammermusik n. 2" is written for piano, "no. 3" for cello, "no. 4" for violin. The "Kammermusik n. 5" is written for viola, an instrument of which Hindemith himself was a celebrated soloist, while the last two pieces of the cycle spotlight the viola d'amore, a curious seven-stringed baroque instrument ("no. 6"), and the organ ("no. 7"), for which it is very entertaining to hear the transformation, executed by the composer, of a pious instrument suitable for expressing the most solemn meditations into a raucous and intrusive machine that boldly spreads its impetuous voice into the sound space.

Even the "little" Kammermusik, the piece for five wind instruments mentioned at the beginning, doesn’t deviate stylistically from the other pieces in the cycle. Thus, anyone wishing to delve into listening to these Hindemith pieces has plenty of reasons to be drawn in: compositional expertise, instrumental exuberance, richness of sound, virtuosic passages that involve most of the instruments featured prominently in the various pieces... in short, with this music, we are faced with one of the most brilliant outcomes of the first half of the 20th century.

Music far beyond the usual "classical/romantic" dichotomy: music that makes me want to throw open the window and shout at the top of my lungs: I'm starting again with Hindemith!