22 tracks

Johanna Martzy Ferenc Fricsay • Jean Antonietti Berlin, 1953 - 1966

Dvořák | Brahms | Bach | Händel | Vivaldi Kreisler | Fiocco | Ravel | de Falla Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904) Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) | Violin Concerto in A Minor, Op. 53 32:34 Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) I. Allegro ma non troppo 11:31 Violin Sonata in D Major, RV 10 9:03 II. Adagio ma non troppo 9:56 I. Moderato (a fantasia) 2:15 III. Allegro giocoso, ma non troppo 11:07 II. Allegro moderato 2:45 III. Largo 1:27 IV. Vivace 2:36 Johannes brahms (1833-1897) Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Major, Op. 78 25:43 I. Vivace ma non troppo 10:08 Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962) II. Adagio 7:32 Rondino über ein Thema von Beethoven 2:44 III. Allegro molto moderato 8:03 Joseph-Hector Fiocco (1703-1741) | Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) Bent O’Neill Violin Sonata No. 1 in G Minor, BWV 1001 16:52 Suite No. 1 in G Major (Allegro) 3:20 I. Adagio 4:26 II. Fuga. Allegro 5:34 Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) III. Siciliana 3:52 Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Fauré 2:54 IV. Presto 3:00

Manuel de Falla (1876-1946) | Georg Friedrich Händel (1685-1759) Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962) Violin Sonata in A Major, Op. 1 No. 3 8:12 Danse Espagnole (from La vida breve) 3:353:35 I. Andante 2:11 II. Allegro 1:54 III. Adagio 1:06 IV. Allegro 3:01 Johanna Martzy – the Franz Liszt Music Academy in Buda- year later, at the age of 23, she moved western European music metropolises The Memory of a Legendary Violinist pest had included Joseph Szigeti, Jelly to Geneva, Switzerland and won the and rapidly made her name familiar to d’Arányi, André Gertler, Stefi Geyer, Concours International d’Execution in that concertgoers. In addition, she regularly The name of the Hungarian violinist Sandór Végh and the later conductor city during the same year. The perfor- commuted during the 1950s between her Johanna Martzy is only known to experts Eugene Ormandy. Hubay, who taught mance of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto Swiss residence and Scotland, where her today. Nonetheless, the meteoric begin- Martzy privately at first, prophesied a with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande first husband, Béla de Csilléry, was music ning of her career was highly promising. great future for her. She was accepted under Ernest Ansermet, part of the prize director at Trinity College in Glenal- Long-term success would surely have at the Music Academy in 1932 and taken awarded by this competition, is consid- mond, Perthshire. In late 1949, in Glarus, placed this musician on a level with the under the wing of Nándor Zsolt, an assis- ered the beginning of her career. she met an amateur violinist and violin greatest of all violinists if adverse circum- tant of Hubay. After the deaths of both On the occasion of a performance at the collector resident there, Daniel Tschudi, stances and a far too early death had not professors, in 1936 in 1937 respectively, Dutch radio station VARA, she became a Swiss publisher. On the occasion of stood in her way. she joined the class of Ferenc Gabriel. acquainted with the director of the music her second visit to Tschudi in the spring In 1940 and 1941 she won two prizes at department there: Jean Antonietti (1915- of 1950, he offered her a violin from his Johanna Martzy was born on 26 Octo- the Academy, completing her studies one 1994). Alongside occasional performances collection, the Carlo Bergonzi „Salabue“ ber 1924 in Timisoara, then still in Hun- year later. In 1943, her last year in Buda- as a piano soloist, his career soon became of 1733, as a permanent loan. It became gary and today the second largest city pest, she made her public debut as soloist centred on the function of accompanying, Johanna Martzy’s preferred instrument in Romania. The youngest of five chil- with an orchestra, on the occasion of a in which capacity he worked with Elisa- from this time on. In addition, Daniel dren, she began playing the violin at the guest appearance of Willem Mengelberg beth Schwarzkopf, Tibor de Machula and Tschudi acquired a Stradivari („ex Huber- age of six, initially studying with a local conducting the Budapest Philharmonic. other renowned artists. He performed in mann Kreisler“ of 1733) in 1956, but this teacher, Josef Brandeisz. He recog- Very soon after the occupation of Hun- concert with Johanna Martzy for the first instrument never completely satisfied nised her extraordinary talent and sent gary by German troops on 19 March 1944, time in February 1949 in Amsterdam, just Johanna Martzy. her to Budapest in order to work with there began a massive ghettoisation and a few days after Martzy’s debut with the In 1957 the musician embarked upon Jenő Hubay, Hungary’s most impor- deportation of Hungarian Jews. Johanna Concertgebouw Orchestra performing the her first tour of the USA, the climax of tant violin pedagogue at that time. Jenő Martzy attempted to flee Hungary. She Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. which was the performance of Bach‘s Hubay (1858-1937) was then, at 71 years arrived in Austria and remained in an Intensive concert touring began in 1950; Violin Concerto in E major with the New of age, a living legend whose pupils at internment camp there until 1946. One these tours took the violinist to the York Philharmonic under André Cluytens. In August 1959 there was a momentous husband in the late 1950s, Johanna Martzy with her fellow countryman István Hajdu of the conductor Sergiu Celibidache, éclat that apparently heralded the end of had married her long-time patron Daniel (Jean Antonietti had remained her faith- who categorically rejected recordings, the ascendency of her career. The Czech Tschudi. A daughter, Sabina, was born ful accompanist until at least 1966) and can lead to lasting presence through skil- Philharmonic Orchestra had refused to to the couple in February 1960. With gave private lessons. She performed ful play with the media: in the case of appear with her as soloist at a guest per- her new role as a mother in a very well- in public for the very last time in 1976. Celibidache, this was achieved through formance at the Edinburgh Festival. She to-do atmosphere, the purely financial Her husband died two years thereafter, provocative newspaper interviews and her then husband de Csilléry were motivation to perform concerts probably in April 1978, and cancer led to her own and by allowing radio recordings of his accused of having supported the regime waned. She completed a tour of South death just a little over a year later, on concerts). Johanna Martzy’s recording of Admiral Miklós Horthy during the America in 1960, as well as concerts in 13 August 1979. career lasted only a short while, due to final years of the war. The background Canada and the USA and, in 1962/1963, The brief obituaries (not even the Neue a chain of unfortunate circumstances. of the refusal to perform, however, a final USA tour on the West Coast. Zürcher Zeitung remembered her with an After her Amsterdam debut at the Con- was that Johanna Martzy had stated in Her final appearance at the London Proms extensive appreciation) that only referred certgebouw, she caught the attention of a newspaper interview that she refused was in 1966, and one year later she was to her biographical stations made clear Deutsche Grammophon, which initially to appear in states of the Eastern Bloc, invited for the last time to perform con- to what extent her star had faded in the engaged her for three years. In particular, including her homeland. Many Hungarians certs with the Berlin Philharmonic and the nearly twenty years after the Edinburgh the recording of the Violin Concerto of in fact, including a number of intellectuals, Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich. When she éclat. Antonín Dvořák under the direction of left their country at the latest after the was invited to play in Budapest 1969, she the Hungarian conductor Ferenc Fricsay failed national uprising in 1956. Instead broke her oath not to perform in the Since the twentieth century at the latest, brought her a great deal of recognition. of performing with the Czech Philhar- Eastern Bloc so that she could visit her with the rise of recording technique, the The studio production of the Violin Con- monic, she ultimately played with another mother, who had remained in Budapest. posthumous fame of a musician is no certo of Peter Tchaikovsky, however, also orchestra in Edinburgh. It is entirely con- During her stay, she was diagnosed with longer dependent only on his/her stage with Fricsay, stipulated by a contract for ceivable that the éclat was to serve as hepatitis A; back in Switzerland, the diag- presence and the accompanying daily late 1953, was never realised. A lucra- political means to harm Johanna Martzy’s nosis was expanded to hepatitis B. Under critiques. Nowadays, the medial avail- tive offer by the producer Walter Legge reputation. Engagements now became these circumstances, she had to reduce ability of sound carriers is what primarily convinced the violinist to switch to the less numerous; private reasons also came her concert activities still further. During decides the public presence of the artist. English firmColumbia . Her third recording into play. After the divorce from her first this period she occasionally performed (Even an attitude of refusal such as that engagement in London was, at the same time, the Columbia debut of the conductor Johanna Martzy’s “official” recording the Dvořák Concerto with the RIAS Sym- Stravinsky. The critics were not sparing Wolfgang Sawallisch. During the unusually legacy ends exactly at the moment when phony Orchestra under Ferenc Fricsay. At in their praise. In Die Welt on 16.5.1957 long production sessions, tensions grew the major recording firms switched to all the other concerts, she was accom- one could read: “When the first notes between the violinist and the conduc- stereophonic recording techniques. The panied by the Berlin Philharmonic: in 1952 sounded of the F major Sonata of Han- tor; the result was that Johanna Martzy entire repertoire now had to be recorded under Joseph Keilberth, the Concerto del, one was enraptured by the beauti- did not release the tapes (they were anew, and a good deal of what had been of Brahms, in 1953 Beethoven’s Violin ful, voluminous sound of this instrument, only issued in 1995). Nor were the other produced at the end of the mono era had Concerto under Eugen Jochum, Men- dark like a viola in the lower octave, soft recording projects under a lucky star. no more chance of commercial success. delssohn in 1955 with André Cluytens and round like a flute in the high range During the production sessions of Bach’s Johanna Martzy’s records, all of which on the podium, Mozart (Violin Con- of the E string. However, it is especially works for solo violin, conflicts arose with were produced in mono, completely dis- certo in G major) under Christoph von the art of bowing, richness and variability the producer Walter Legge which were appeared from the market within just a Dohnányi in 1961 and Tchaikovsky’s Vio- vibrato – an almost incidental fingering apparently more of a private nature than few years. lin Concerto in 1963 with Georg Solti as security about which one does not wish anything to do with content; she swore well as a second time in 1967 under Franz to speak – that make such extraordinary that she would never work with him again. Alongside her activity in the recording Allers. In addition, she came to the city violin playing possible.” And the critic in A recording series begun in the summer studios of the record companies, how- for six chamber recitals between 1957 Der Tag wrote: “The flawless, even tone of 1955 with violin sonatas of Schubert ever, Johanna Martzy was also a regular and 1966 with her piano accompanist with its unsentimental warmth and clever was soon interrupted. One half year later, guest in the radio studios. The artist Jean Antonietti. At the centre of each her dosage of colours, the spiritual tension the recordings were realised in the Berlin visited the Berlin RIAS studios (the legal recitals was one of the solo sonatas and that never lets up in the ideally clear dis- Electrola studios, this time with a Ger- successor of the RIAS is the present-day partitas of Johann Sebastian Bach, with position, the technical superiority, the man production team. It is conceivable Deutschlandradio) four times, each of the exception of the Partita in E major. absolute purity of intonation – one didn’t that Johanna Martzy did this in order to which was also the occasion of a Berlin On the other hand, she twice performed know what one should admire most.” escape the direct influence of Legge. At concert performance. She came to Berlin the Partita in D minor (concluding with the a final London recording date in Decem- to perform concerts almost every year “Chaconne”). Alongside Bach, she played Johanna Martzy’s violin playing was out- ber 1955, the withdrawn Sawallisch pro- between 1952 and 1967. She performed works ranging form those of Handel and standing for its clear, powerful yet lumi- duction was made up for with another practically all the violin concertos of her Vivaldi, Beethoven, Schubert and Brahms nous tone in all registers, the intensity conductor, Paul Kletzki. (rather slender) repertoire: in 1953, only to compositions by Ravel, Prokofiev and of which always remained perceptible in soft and accompanying passages as well. ist losing control of the reins for even a not for a moment interrupt the melodic concert activities. As with the orchestras Thanks to superior fingering and bowing second. This moment of control seems to flow in any of the three voices. Dance-like of the regional broadcasters (the later technique, she mastered every techni- have been one of Johanna Martzy’s main aspects occasionally flare up in the mono- ARD), the musicians were employees of cal hurdle. She largely avoided stylistic character traits; it allows the large-scale phonic runs (e.g. CD 2, track 3, 2´33´´). the station. In accordance with the RIAS’s means such as portamento, change of formal architecture of the Bach solo vio- In the fourth movement, the breathlessly status as a station dependent on Ameri- position and vibrato, or used them only lin sonatas, for example, to come into its hurtling “Presto”, the violinist brings out can supervisory authorities, this practice very sparingly. The criteria for choosing own so incomparably in the ambivalence an ambiguous play with syncopations by ran counter to American law. For this her repertoire was primarily the musi- between strictness and ease. It would be means of graduated accentuation of the reason, the music department head at cal content of the works, a good num- no exaggeration to say that these two strong beats of the bar and differenti- that time, Wolfgang Geiseler, was advised ber of which were written during the aspects are found as personality traits in ated connection of sequences of tones in May 1953 to disband the orchestra by early 20th century. She had little interest a number of her photographic portraits (phrasing). late June. A compromise was found at the in entertaining “tidbits” and circus-like as well. emergency meeting held on 11 June 1953, virtuoso fodder. The allures of the “star” Johanna Martzy recorded the two vio- A discovery of a special kind is the as the then orchestral director Heinz seemed foreign to her nature. She was lin sonatas of Handel and Vivaldi in the recording of the Violin Concerto of Hoefs reported. After its disbandment, occasionally accused of austerity due to RIAS studio on the occasion of her Berlin Antonín Dvořák. The radio production the orchestra was transferred into a her rather objective manner of perform- concerts, in each case on the previous documented here was made just a few private corporation which prevented ing, which was orientated on the work day (on 4.5.1962 and on 9.2.1964). She days prior to the commercial recording. its demise. The corresponding decrease itself. The recordings on this CD do interprets the works impressively, with a How could it happen that a work by the in salary for the musicians was to be not confirm this; on the contrary, every powerful tone and a broadly played déta- same interpreter was produced at the compensated by commercial record- single tone sings out most intensively in ché (even though this manner of playing same recording location twice in succes- ings. Extensive recording activities now Maurice Ravel’s Berceuse, bringing out its may not seem very authentic nowadays). sion within a few days? The reasons for began for the American record company folkloristic tone without overloading this In the G minor Sonata of Johann Sebas- this unusual procedure lie in the radio- Remington. The records were released small gem in any way whatsoever. And tian Bach, the interpretation is shifted political circumstances of those days. exclusively on the American market, in Manuel de Falla’s Danse espagnole the still more to the level of details. In the The RIAS Symphony Orchestra had been mostly with soloists and conductors Spanish dance rhythms blossom in highly third movement, “Siciliana”, Martzy plays founded in 1946 with the aim of produc- who are hardly known any more today. expressive fireworks without the violin- the arpeggiated chords in a way that does ing studio recordings for radio alongside At the same time, production activity for the RIAS was severely cut back; the one may assume that each movement tra, the same soloist – only the produc- cesses. All the other radio recordings last radio production with Fricsay took of the Dvořák Violin Concerto was tion team was new: Wolfgang Lohse and heard here were made about ten years place in May 1954. (In the late summer played through once at the most and Alfred Steinke. Both had been engaged by later, when her career was drawing to a of 1955, the RIAS Symphony Orchestra was then recorded in one piece. (The cus- the RIAS around May 1952 and moved to close. They impressively document that converted into a GmbH (Ltd.) bound tom of scheduling the dress rehearsal DGG in the summer and autumn of 1952 the violinist was at the height of her pow- to the newly founded SFB; its name was of a concert more or less as a produc- (they succeeded Elsa Schiller, the first ers at this time, both in terms of techni- changed to Radio Symphony Orchestra Ber- tion date in the studio, when the music RIAS music department director). The cal accomplishment and in the intensity of lin. Since 1993 it is known as Deutsches had been optimally rehearsed, originated results are astonishing and contrary to her interpretations. Symphonie-Orchester Berlin.) largely as the result of economic con- all expectations; the respective sound Johanna Martzy’s concerts of 7 and siderations.) Record companies were images of the productions are so different Rüdiger Albrecht 8 June 1953 with the RIAS Symphony contacted and negotiations made with that it seemed justified to issue the radio Translation: David Babcock Orchestra took place at the time of this Deutsche Gramophon, possibly because of recording for this very reason. On the mood of crisis in June 1953. On 8 June, at the uncertainty as to whether more radio present recording, the sound of the violin 10 o’clock in the morning, the orchestra productions would be made in the future. is more firmly integrated in the orches- met at the Jesus-Christus-Kirche in Ber- The orchestra has already worked with tra, and the instruments are graduated lin-Dahlem to record the works of the Deutsche Gramophon a number of times in depth thanks to the analytical sound evening concert programme for the RIAS before (it was probably decisive that image. Ferenc Fricsay’s masterly timing is archive. The recording protocol lists all Johanna Martzy had recorded her first shown in the fact that he retains both the four works on the concert programme, two records for DGG). Thus it happened fundamental tempi and internal propor- but only the Dvořák Concerto and Mau- that the orchestra gathered together tions in both recordings, only performing rice Ravel’s La valse could be preserved two days later, from 10 to 12 June, in the third movement slightly more broadly on tape during the three-hour recording the Jesus-Christus-Kirche once again. in the radio production presented here. session. There was no more time for a Three day-long sessions for the record- Haydn Symphony or for Béla Bartók’s ing production of the Dvořák Violin With Dvořák‘s Violin Concerto, this Dance Suite. Taking the circumstances Concerto were planned this time. The edition presents a sonic testimony from of a production session into account, same recording room, the same orches- Johanna Martzy‘s period of great suc- Thank you for your interest in this audite recording. Please note that this free PDF version of the booklet is for your personal use only! We kindly ask you to respect our copyright and the intellectual property of our artists and writers – do not upload or otherwise make available for sharing our booklets or recordings.

recording: June 8, 1953 (Dvořák) • May 4, 1962 (Bach, Brahms, Handel) February 9, 1964 (Vivaldi) • April 4, 1966 (Kreisler, Fiocco, Ravel, de Falla) recording location: Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin-Dahlem (Dvořák) Siemensvilla, Berlin Lankwitz (Vivaldi, Kreisler, Fiocco, Ravel, de Falla) RIAS Funkhaus, Berlin – Studio 7 (Bach, Brahms, Handel) recording producer: Hartung (Dvořák, Barahms, Bach, Handel) • Praetzel (Kreisler, Fiocco, Ravel, de Falla) Hermann Reuschel (Vivaldi) recording engineer: Siegbert Bienert (Vivaldi, Kreisler, Fiocco, Ravel, de Falla) Kossel (Dvořák) • Steinke (Brahms, Bach, Handel)

Eine Aufnahme von RIAS Berlin (lizenziert durch Deutschlandradio) recording: P 1953, 1962, 1964 + 1966 Deutschlandradio research: Rüdiger Albrecht remastering: P Ludger Böckenhoff, 2015 rights: audite claims all rights arising from copyright law and competition law in relation to research, compilation and re-mastering of the original audio tapes, as well as the publication of these recordings. Violations will be prosecuted. The historical publications at audite are based, without exception, on the original tapes from broadcasting archives. In general these are the original analogue tapes, mstaster which attain an astonishingly high quality, even measured by today’s standards, with release their tape speed of up to 76 cm/sec. The remastering – professionally competent and sensitively applied – also uncovers previously hidden details of the interpretations. Thus, a sound of superior quality results. CD publications based on private recordings from broadcasts cannot be compared with these. 1 We have made every attempt to clear rights for all material presented here. Should you nonetheless believe that we have accidentally infringed your rights, please let us know at your earliest convenience. We will endeavour to resolve any issues immediately. photos: Deutschlandradio-Archiv art direction and design: AB-Design

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