Chamber Works by Ernest Kanitz

Ernest Kanitz (1894 – 1978) Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 10; String Quartet in D major; Sonata for Solo Cello; Concertino for Five Players; Sonata Californiana.
ARC Ensemble Erika Raum violin, Marie Bérard violin, Steven Dann viola, Thomas Wiebe cello, Joaquin Valdepeñas clarinet and Kevin Ahfat piano and joined by - Anna Štube (violin), Wallace Halladay (saxophone), Joel Quarrington (double-bass)
Chandos CHAN 20374
chandos.net

The ARC Ensemble's invaluable Music in Exile series continues its mission to rescue forgotten émigré composers from undeserved obscurity, this time turning its attention to the Viennese-born Ernest Kanitz (1894-1978). A student of Franz Schreker who enjoyed considerable success in interwar Vienna—where he taught at the New Vienna Conservatory and founded the celebrated Vienna Women's Chamber Choir—Kanitz was forced to flee Austria in 1938 despite his conversion to Christianity. After a circuitous journey through New York and South Carolina, he eventually settled in California, establishing a distinguished teaching career at USC while continuing to compose prolifically until his death.

The programme offers a fascinating window into Kanitz's compositional evolution, beginning with the 1921 Violin Sonata. Its opening movement immediately establishes a melancholic temperament, the piano's beautiful lead drawing the violin into music of considerable tension. The taut Adagio proves particularly affecting, violinist Anna Štube and pianist Kevin Ahfat bringing exquisite expressiveness to its more introspective moments before a fugal epilogue lifts the spirits. The brief solo Cello Sonata follows, its angular, haunting themes handled with sensitivity by cellist Rachel Mercer, the second movement's resonant poco adagio particularly well judged.

The 1945 String Quartet, dedicated to fellow émigré Ernst Toch, provides one of the disc's highlights. Whilst the opening maintains that characteristic melancholy, a charming Rondino second movement offers welcome contrast. The third movement, "Old Viennese Tune and Variations", finds the ensemble at their most eloquent, their phrasing of the melodic lines capturing the music's nostalgic character with touching elegance.

The 1948 Sonata Californiana for alto saxophone and piano makes a fitting conclusion, its Hollywood-inflected finale—complete with bluesy touches—suggesting a composer who had successfully transplanted himself to new soil.

Throughout, the ARC Ensemble perform with their customary polish and rhythmic perspicacity, making a persuasive case for this unjustly neglected figure.