As is my wont in idle moments, I was searching for Rontgen and Roentgen
at Amazon, and suddenly this cd popped up!  I thought it was a mistake
at first.  The odd name puzzled me.  The cd is called "Right Through
The Bone" (RCA Red Seal 88697 15837).  I had to take off my bifocals
to read the bottom legend: Julius Roentgen Chamber Music.  There was
an RCA-Sony-BMG had gone nuts.  Did they get the right Roentgen?

I quote from the liner notes to explain the title and the odd cover art.

   "In spite of the renewal of interest in Julius Roentgen
   over the last few years, the Roentgen name will probably
   always be synonymous with the achievement of his distant
   relative, the scientist Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen (1845-1923)
   who discovered X-rays, won the 1901 Nobel Prize, and
   ultimately transformed medical science.  Edvard Grieg's
   affectionate encomium, that Julius's music went "right
   through the bone" thereby making it far more powerful than
   Conrad's x-rays, provided the spark for the title of this
   recording."

There is a piano quintet; a clarinet, viola and piano trio; a
viola sonata, and a string sextet. I could give you adjectives like
"delightful", "mysterious", "charming", "exciting", and so forth, but
my words can't come close to letting you know how much I am enjoying
listening to these pieces!  If you like Romantic chambermusic, grab this
cd, especially since it isn't nearly as difficult to find as it has been
to assemble the other works of Roentgen (NM Classics, ETCetera, Cobra,
and at last, CPO).  They are only scratching the surface of his output,
too!

The pieces are all performed very, very well by the ARC ensemble,
Artists of the Royal Conservatory (Canada), and I highly recommend
this cd!  Although all of these pieces were written in the 20th century,
the music is tonal, solidly Romantic, and luscious.  Do not expect Brahms
rehashed, although if you already love the chambermusic of Brahms, you
will not be disappointed, and you might also recognize particular gestures.
Band 7 even quotes the very opening measures of the slow movement of the
Schumann piano quartet before it becomes pure Rontgen again!

Mimi Ezust

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