S. Karg-Elert: Romantic Pieces Op. 103 (Lars David Kellner)

Sigfrid Karg-Elert and the suction wind harmonium – Lars David Kellner's homage to an almost forgotten instrument

Sigfrid Karg-Elert was one of the few composers who attached serious artistic importance to the harmonium. He wrote most of his works for the (pressure wind) art harmonium – the instrument that came closest to his ideal sound with its expressive range and rich palette of registers. However, Karg-Elert also composed for the suction-wind harmonium without compromising his standards and tonal vision. Whether he did so for economic reasons in order to appeal to a larger audience remains unclear. What is certain, however, is that he was clearly skeptical of the smaller suction wind instruments with their lack of expression register and limited disposition. The above-mentioned limitations are no longer relevant, however, when a performer such as Lars David Kellner plays these works on a rare suction wind art harmonium. Such an instrument opens up tonal possibilities that come particularly close to the composer's ideas.

Op. 103 – Romantic Pieces

With this cycle, Karg-Elert places high demands on the disposition of the instrument. In addition to the constant demand for expression, he specifies registers that go beyond the standard equipment of the Normalharmonium – such as different 16' voices in the descant and, in particular, the Waldhorn register, whose sound character Karg-Elert describes in the score itself as “cheerful” and “resounding.” Titles such as Waldwanderung (Forest Walk), Einsamer First (Lonely Ridge) and Romantisches Tal (Romantic Valley) reflect the colorful effect of this register. Even the octave coupler, which he otherwise viewed critically, is used in Nächtliches Silber (Nocturnal Silver). A suction-wind Kunstharmonium from Lars David Kellner's collection offers ideal conditions for this: an extremely rich disposition, flexible division of treble and bass, an expressive Vox humana, and a sonorous sub-bass enable the convincing realization of these demanding sound structures.

Instrument: Suction-wind art harmonium (Lindholm); Recording: May 2025