String Sextet Op. 68 (Prize Sextet)
Piano Quartet Op. 16

Arnold Krug, a contemporary of Brahms, is almost entirely forgotten today, and unjustifiably so, as is amply proven by the two pieces of chamber music on this recording. He was a familiar figure in popular concert guides until well into the 1930s. In Wilhelm Altmann's Handbuch fur Streichquartettspieler (1929), for example, we read the following words on the String Sextet by this subtle Hamburg composer: Though Krug's Sextet by no means stands out with particular idiosyncrasy, it can hold its own with flying colors.{CPO}

Arnold Krug (1849-1904) was a German teacher, pianist and composer, whose main output consisted of songs, choral works, and piano miniatures considered to be "easy to moderately difficult" (booklet notes), and also include a violin concerto and a symphony. He spent some time in Leipzig studying under Carl Reinecke. Due to his long-standing commitments as a choir director, the bulk of his opus numbers consists of choral music. All of this explains the prosaic and conventional nature of his writing style. I know this is all very suggestive, but I personally prefer chamber music in which each individual part plays a unique role within the ensemble which in turn generates interesting and sometimes complex crosstalk between the instruments. In Krug's case, it's more of a one-for-all and all-for-one approach. Everyone follows, replicates, doubles and supports the main melody line. But the end result is still solid and rewarding chamber music, with an overall sunny outlook.

For example, the String Sextet Op. 68 is subtitled the "Prize Sextet" because it was awarded the first prize in the Stelzner Competition of the Dresden Conservatory in 1896. Its two outer movements are fuelled by a strong lyrical impulse whose momentum carries them through to an uplifting finish. But it is the Adagio tranquillo movement that is the ornamental centrepiece of this work. A passionate fervor drives it forward, with a main theme that at times reminds me of the autumn segment from Glazunov's Seasons. The solo piano segment which opens the Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 16 is where the connection with Brahms is the most vivid. It sets the tone for a highly dramatic first movement, reinforced with passages of notably strong nobility, exactly à la Brahms. But again it's the Adagio here that sets this work apart. The way the piano and strings play off each other is well written, and the dark undertone that settles in around the 4:00 minute mark only serves to make the beautiful main theme's return two minutes later all the more uplifting.

The Linos Ensemble whose recordings show a penchant for oft-neglected chamber music by Schmidt, Rontgen, Fesca and Farrenc to name a few, certainly know how to reveal this composer's best features, and expose his music to the light it deserves. I believe there's only one other recording of the sextet performed by the Summit Chamber Players on the AK Coburg label. Thanks again must go to the CPO label for expanding their catalogue with the inclusion of these unusual but nonetheless refined works, which would otherwise remain in the shadows.