In the early 19th century, symphonies and other large orchestral pieces were often promoted through chamber and keyboard reductions, which dramatically increased sales for publishers and made home performances a common pastime. A shrewd entrepreneur as well as a respected composer in his own right, Johann Nepomuk Hummel transcribed the first seven of Ludwig van Beethoven's symphonies and the Septet in E flat major for a quartet of flute, violin, cello, and piano, a format that fairly approximated the distribution of the ...
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In the early 19th century, symphonies and other large orchestral pieces were often promoted through chamber and keyboard reductions, which dramatically increased sales for publishers and made home performances a common pastime. A shrewd entrepreneur as well as a respected composer in his own right, Johann Nepomuk Hummel transcribed the first seven of Ludwig van Beethoven's symphonies and the Septet in E flat major for a quartet of flute, violin, cello, and piano, a format that fairly approximated the distribution of the orchestra's parts and made the music more accessible to amateur musicians. This is the first volume in a series on Naxos of Hummel's Beethoven arrangements, played by flutist Uwe Grodd and the Gould Piano Trio, which includes violinist Lucy Gould, cellist Alice Neary, and pianist Benjamin Frith. Their renditions of the Symphony No. 1 in C major and the Symphony No. 3 in E flat major, "Eroica," will be surprising to listeners who have never experienced the symphonies outside the concert...
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