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Hamburger Concerto

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This article is about the album by Focus. For a work by the composer Ligeti, see Hamburg Concerto.
Hamburger Concerto
Studio album by
Focus
ReleasedMay 1974 (1974-05)
RecordedJanuary–March 1974
StudioOlympic Sound Studios
GenreProgressive rock, instrumental rock, Jazz fusion, Symphonic prog
Length40:06
LabelPolydor, Atco
ProducerMike Vernon
Focus chronology
At the Rainbow
(1973) 		Hamburger Concerto
(1974) 		Mother Focus
(1975)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Hamburger Concerto is the fourth studio album by the Dutch progressive rock band Focus, released in April 1974. It peaked at No. 20 on the UK charts.[2] The title track is based on Variations on a Theme by Haydn by Johannes Brahms. The composition also incorporates the first two verses of the Dutch Christmas carol O Kerstnacht, schoner dan de dagen at around 15 min. The first track is based on a Gaillarde of Joachim van den Hove of his work Delitae Musicae.

Track listing

[edit]

Vinyl release, 1974

[edit]
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Delitiæ Musicæ"Traditional; arranged by Jan Akkerman1:12
2."Harem Scarem"Thijs van Leer5:51
3."La Cathédrale de Strasbourg"van Leer4:59
4."Birth"Akkerman7:46
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Hamburger Concerto
  • I. Starter (Traditional; arranged by van Leer)
  • II. Rare (Akkerman)
  • III. Medium I (van Leer, Akkerman)
  • IV. Medium II (Akkerman)
  • V. Well Done (van Leer)
  • VI. One for the Road (Akkerman)"
20:20

CD release, 1988

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Delitiæ Musicæ"Jan Akkerman1:13
2."Harem Scarem"Thijs van Leer5:52
3."La Cathédrale de Strasbourg"van Leer4:59
4."Birth"Akkerman7:46
5."Hamburger Concerto
  • I. Starter (Traditional; arranged by van Leer)
  • II. Rare (Akkerman)
  • III. Medium I (van Leer, Akkerman)
  • IV. Medium II (Akkerman)
  • V. Well Done (van Leer)
  • VI. One for the Road (Akkerman)"
 20:19
6."Early Birth"Akkerman2:54
Total length:43:08

Personnel

[edit]
Focus in April 1974
Focus

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1974) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[3] 14
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[4] 95
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[5] 5
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[6] 16
UK Albums (OCC)[7] 20
US Billboard 200[8] 66

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[9] Silver 60,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "allmusic ((( Hamburger Concerto > Overview )))". www.allmusic.com. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
  2. ^ "Focus – Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  3. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 115. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  4. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 3856b". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Focus – Hamburger Concerto" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Focus – Hamburger Concerto". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  8. ^ "Focus Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 January 2023.
  9. ^ "British album certifications – Focus – Hamburger Concerto". British Phonographic Industry.
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