Romantic Piano Concerto

Joseph MARX Romantic Piano Concerto Castelli Romani David Lively, Piano Bochum Symphony Orchestra • Steven Sloane Joseph Marx (1882–1964) Piano Concertos Lying beneath the piano while one’s mother practises spectacular choral works with orchestral accompaniment, Marx and his ‘house pianist’ Angelo Kessissoglu, a The first movement, Lebhaft (Allegro moderato) , concert pieces and gazing at sheets of music without inlcluding Herbstchor an Pan (‘Autumn Chorus to Pan’), native of Trieste, gave the first performance of the follows sonata form. It opens with a measured drum roll understanding them might not always seem the ideal Morgengesang (‘Morning Song’), Abendweise (‘Evening Romantisches Klavierkonzert in the summer of 1919 in introducing the passionate initial theme. Next comes a prerequisite for subsequently becoming a composer, Melody’) and Ein Neujahrshymnus (‘A New Year’s Hymn’ the version for two pianos (remarkably, Kessissoglu was songlike theme played on the winds, that proceeds music teacher and critic of some renown. In the case of – this latter work was orchestrated later on, but since the still playing and accompanying works by Marx in the early through several episodes of increasing intensity. The Joseph Marx (1882–1964), however, this did indeed orchestral score has been lost, a new arrangement was 1980s!). Once Marx had orchestrated the work, the development, in 6/8 rhythm, recalls the main theme, albeit prove to be the case. Marx’s mother noticed her son’s made in 2004). After going on to write a considerable premiere of the orchestral version took place on 19 this time in predominantly orchestral form. In the gifts at an early stage and sent him to Johann Buwa’s amount of chamber music as well (the Violin Sonata No.1 , January 1921 with Kessissoglu and the Vienna recapitulation the pianist finally has to pull out all the music school in Graz, where Joseph soon developed into works for cello and piano, a piano trio, three piano Symphony Orchestra with Ferdinand Löwe conducting, stops: the songlike theme of the exposition is heard again an excellent pianist, so much so that Buwa once went as quartets and further chamber works with piano), he went whom Marx would succeed as director of the Vienna on a greater range of instruments, before the movement far as to say ‘This child will be a second Rubinstein!’ on to write a series of piano pieces in 1916, which are Music Academy in 1922. In the Romantisches concludes with a solemn coda. Although Buwa’s prediction never came true, there was considered gems of the piano literature (comparable with Klavierkonzert it is noticeable that the orchestration does The second movement, Nicht zu langsam (Andante never any alternative to music for Marx. Marx carried on those of York Bowen), but are inexplicably hardly ever not yet display the typically colourful, even hedonistic affettuoso) , has a tripartite structure, and is in the key of F playing the piano in secret, having been forbidden to do played. style of Marx’s subsequent works, rather remaining sharp minor. It celebrates Bachian polyphony and the so by his father, and also became a very accomplished Marx, who frequently accompanied his own songs on faithful to the spirit of the 19th century. Even with his Romanticism of the 19th century. An elegiac Pastorale violinist and cellist, even as a teenager making the piano and continued to do so until shortly before his choice of title – ‘Romantic’ – Marx was seeking to leads into the main section, in which the piano takes up arrangements of works by Haydn and Schubert and death, is known to have been an excellent pianist. His distance himself as clearly as possible from the the Pastorale theme in improvisatory fashion. After a performing them with friends in taverns. Even at this early students who are still alive tell of how, throughout his burgeoning modernism of the Second Viennese School. brilliant climax there follows an episode on the piano, stage the influences of Debussy and Scriabin, whose professorship of over four decades teaching music theory By contrast the spirited piano part, which demands following which the central movement, after a works he had studied, were audible in his music, and he and composition in Graz, he would play even the most considerable virtuosity and stamina on the part of the recapitulation of the first part, comes to a contemplative had an extensive knowledge of many other great difficult piano pieces by heart, flawlessly, whenever soloist, is relatively modern in its overall tonal structure conclusion. musicians such as Max Reger (according to Marx, ‘the prompted. He could quite conceivably have made a living and belongs squarely in the 20th century. The third movement, Sehr lebhaft (Allegro molto) , reviver of the spirit of Bach’). On one occasion Reger was as a concert pianist with the requisite training but, as is The Romantisches Klavierkonzert (1919–20) is initially suggests parallels with the first. The main theme so astonished that Marx turned out to know a number of well known, Marx prioritised composition and teaching stylistically closer to Scandinavian piano concertos such follows, with impassioned upswings in mood. A lyrical his obscure works that he exclaimed ‘That damned Marx from the outset in his work. The hugely demanding piano as those of Palmgren and Hannikainen as well as British piano passage leads in to a surprising ‘caravan theme’ on really knows his stuff!’ part in his Romantisches Klavierkonzert (‘Romantic Piano piano concertos (for instance those of Harty and Delius). the winds, which is then taken up by the orchestra. In the In the years that followed, Marx increasingly Concerto’) as well as the pianistic subtleties in his second Moreover, the highly varied harmonies frequently betray recapitulation the main theme is varied and leads in to an developed into a ‘piano composer’ (similar to piano concerto, Castelli Romani , mark him out as a true hints of Scriabin and Debussy in their sound. The work expansive cadenza. On several occasions Marx Rachmaninov) and wrote a number of pieces for piano piano virtuoso. The first sketches of the Romantisches can be described as a ‘symphonic duet’ between piano anticipates themes from the later Herbstsymphonie . The and organ that are still unpublished but of almost Klavierkonzert , written just before the monumental and orchestra. The piano is only occasionally deployed as soloist is required to continue demonstrating a remarkable uniformly excellent quality. There followed a period, from Herbstsymphonie (‘Autumn Symphony’) date from 1916, a separate instrument, instead being woven into the level of technique right up to the very end, until the work approximately 1905 to 1912, during which Marx but Marx shelved work on the remainder of the score until overall symphonic structure, and thus is often used for its comes to a spirited conclusion in the main key of E flat composed songs for piano. Around 150 songs were 1919. At this point his development as a composer of colourful effects. Nevertheless, this must seem a major. written in total, which were performed by renowned artists orchestral music was already complete. As a symphonist thankless task to most pianists, given that only an On one of his trips south by car Marx, whose mother and are nowadays more frequently performed. It was only who also frequently conducted his own works Marx experienced listener will realize what a phenomenal was half Italian, visited the Castelli Romani, the rocky at the age of about 30 – after he had written two focused primarily on orchestral music until the beginning physical effort the soloist has to put into this piece. This is cities and ruins on the wooded hills outside Rome. With unfinished symphonies (in 1901 and 1906) as well as two of the 1930s, and besides the Herbstsymphonie , wrote a doubtless one of the reasons that hardly anyone seems to his second piano concerto, Castelli Romani (1929–30), orchestral works for chorus (also fragments) – that Marx number of other masterly large-scale orchestral works, dare to take on this gloriously unbridled, wild and named after the same place, Marx created a striking published his first orchestral works. These were such as the Nordland-Rhapsodie (‘Nordic Rhapsody’). Romantic virtuosic piece. memorial to this artistically and historically significant site Joseph Marx (1882–1964) Klavierkonzerte – as he would go on to do one more time with Auf der Campagna, with people dancing to breezy rhythms and to Wenn ein 3jähriger Junge unter dem Klavier liegt, handelte sich hierbei um eindrucksvolle Chorwerke mit Campagna (the fifth part of Verklärtes Jahr , ‘Transfigured a mandolin solo. In the very distance Marx gives us a während seine Mutter Konzertstücke übt, und wenn er Orchesterbegleitung, darunter Herbstchor an Pan , Year’, 1930–32). glimpse of the gleaming Roman Forum and St Peter’s sich Notenblätter anschaut, obwohl er ihren Sinn nicht Morgengesang , Abendweise und Ein Neujahrshymnus The premiere took place in Darmstadt on 5 February Cathedral. The Gregorian theme of the first movement is versteht, muß aus ihm nicht unbedingt ein hoch- (dieses Werk wurde später orchestriert, doch da die 1931, with Karl Böhm conducting. The soloist, Walter taken up again, and the work concludes with a jubilant angesehener Komponist, Musikpädagoge und -kritiker Orchesterpartitur verschollen ist, wurde es 2004 neu Gieseking, repeatedly conveyed his huge admiration for peal of bells. werden. Bei Joseph Marx (1882 –1964) hat sich dies arrangiert). Nachdem er

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