Song Without Words for cello & piano in D major, Op. 109
Albumblatt for piano in E minor, Op. 117, MWV U134
The ensemble Alte Musik Köln is an offshoot of the venerable historical-instrument group Musica Antiqua Köln, apparently formed with the intent of spreading the practices of authentic performance into the realm of Romantic chamber music. The historical instruments used here include an 1835 piano from the Berlin maker Kisting, as well as a violin, viola, and cello strung with gut and lacking certain modern conveniences such as a chin rest in the case of the violin. The basic sound of the ensemble remains quite different from ...
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The ensemble Alte Musik Köln is an offshoot of the venerable historical-instrument group Musica Antiqua Köln, apparently formed with the intent of spreading the practices of authentic performance into the realm of Romantic chamber music. The historical instruments used here include an 1835 piano from the Berlin maker Kisting, as well as a violin, viola, and cello strung with gut and lacking certain modern conveniences such as a chin rest in the case of the violin. The basic sound of the ensemble remains quite different from those of Mendelssohn recordings played on modern instruments. The biggest differences come with the piano of Tobias Koch, with its murky lower register and tinkly, almost harpsichord-like top. These result in a striking variety of piano textures that define the presence of the piano in the ensemble sharply and lend a distinctively poetic presence to its solo passages. The gut strings are especially noticeable in the two small pieces for cello and piano that conclude the disc;...
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