Paul Juon (1872-1940) was a very successful and well-respected composer during his lifetime. Born in Moscow to a German mother and Swiss father, he attended the Moscow Conservatory in 1889, studying violin with Jan Hřímaly, and composition with Aleksandr Taneyev as well as Anton Arensky, whose students also included Scriabin, Glière, and Rachmaninoff. He completed his musical studies in 1895 at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin where he was awarded the Mendelssohn Prize. Following his studies, he briefly taught violin and theory at the Baku Conservatory in Azerbaijan. In 1906, Joseph Joachim – a close friend and colleague of Johannes Brahms – hired Juon to teach at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin, a professorship he held until he left Germany in 1934. Citing health reasons, not to mention the political climate of the emerging Third Reich, Juon and his family emigrated to Vevey, Switzerland, where he remained for the rest of his life.

While Juon composed orchestral works, concerti, piano music and choral works, chamber music comprises a substantial amount of his output, including three sonatas for violin, a cello sonata, four string quartets, several piano trios, a piano quartet, and a piano quintet. The Sonata in D Major for Viola and Piano, like all Juon’s chamber repertoire, displays a masterful integration of the instruments, sensitivity to musical color, and unerring sense of form and proportion. Juon is often referred to as the “Russian Brahms,” for as Edwin Evans states in the fifth edition of the Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians: “Juon’s style is an interesting blend of Russian and German, the material being almost invariably Slavic in character, while the treatment thoroughly German, leaning often toward Brahms.”

This blend is certainly clear in Juon’s Sonata, first published in 1901. The first movement, Moderato, is in traditional sonata form, the viola sounding a sweeping melody over a somewhat static accompaniment. This quickly changes, however, as the viola and piano trade melody and accompaniment frequently. Both parts sound musical lines that are barely contained within the given meter of 6/4, again reminding the listener of Brahms. The second melody in the first movement is presented in 5/4, recalling Evans’ reference to Slavic folk melodies. The second movement, Adagio assai e molto cantabile, again features long, sweeping melodies first presented in the viola. They are supported not only by the echoing of the melody by the piano, but also by the piano’s low range and thick, almost orchestral texture. The third movement, Allegro moderato, stands in relief to the first two, as its opening melody is sounded in unison by the viola and piano. Its return near the end of the movement passes almost unnoticed as it returns softly in the piano only. After a brief diversion to the lyrical second melody, the first one returns as the viola makes its final, commanding statement.

— Program notes by Dr. Amy Engelsdorfer, Assistant Professor of Music, Luther College

“In what was their first musical meeting, in June 2008, both artists offered vocal colors and fiery temperaments that meshed thrillingly, as evidenced on a new DVD from Delos…there is enough material here to thrill fans of both singers, and it’s a delight to see them play off one another with bristling intensity.
 
“Radvanovsky and Hvorostovsky’s stage chemistry is entertaining to watch, with the baritone’s control and reserved power nicely complementing the soprano’s dramatic edginess and uninhibited ferocity. Verdi’s vocal effects come naturally to these musical actors, and just the right amount of stage movement brings dramatic life to the duet scenes.
 
“Hvorostovsky’s extraordinary breath control draws the listener viscerally into the action, and the ending, without indulgence or crooning, hits the mark.
 
“A sea of onstage microphones and plenty of audience shots in the brightly lit auditorium of the Moscow Conservatory contribute to the fun, fan-club atmosphere of this gala concert.” — Judith Malafronte, Opera News

Read the full review in the June 2012 issue of Opera News www.operanews.com!

Or Purchase Hovorstovsky in Moscow from these online retailers:

Austrian Robert Fuchs (1847-1927) is perhaps the most well-known of the composers featured here. He attended the Vienna Conservatory, studying with Otto Dessoff and Joseph Hellmesberger. He later joined the composition and music theory faculty there in 1875, and taught such prominent composers such as Hugo Wolf, Gustav Mahler, Jean Sibelius and Alexander von Zemlinsky. Fuchs remained at the Conservatory until 1912.

A prolific composer, Fuchs composed in a number of genres, including symphonies, piano and organ works, as well as serenades and chamber works, which were highly popular. His compositional style was certainly influenced by Franz Schubert. In a 50-year retrospective on Fuchs, Robert Pascall notes: “One of his principal, lifelong gifts was a rich lyricism, and many of his works are dominated by simple but haunting neo-Schubertian melodies.” Furthermore, “Fuchs’ style developed quietly towards refinement, economy and thematic ingenuity.” (The Musical Times, vol. 118, no. 1608, February 1977, 115-117.) Fuchs was also befriended and mentored by Johannes Brahms; the usually abrasive Brahms paid Fuchs this compliment: “Fuchs is a splendid musician, everything is so fine and so skillful, so charmingly invented, that one is always pleased.” (Richard Heuberg: Erinnerungen an Johannes Brahms; Tagebuchnotizen aus den Jahren 1875 bis 1897, Tutzing, 1971, p. 48.)

During his life, Fuchs’ music was not so well known outside of Vienna. Fuchs did little to promote his own music in larger circles despite the praise he received from Brahms and famous contemporary conductors such as Arthur Nikisch, Felix Weingartner and Hans Richter. The first movement of the Sonata in D Minor for Viola and Piano, Allegro moderato, ma passionato, is a traditional sonata form which features intricate passagework in the piano and singing lines in the viola, certainly not unlike a Schubert Lied. The second movement, Andante grazioso, is a minuet and trio compound ternary form, which features a dialogue between viola and piano at the outset. The final movement, Allegro vivace, is a seven-part rondo, in which the primary theme is remarkably lyrical and contrasts with the more detailed passagework that follows in the other sections. Fuchs references the opening octaves from the very beginning of the movement near the end, as well as repeated sixteenth-note passages to end the piece with a flourish.

— Program notes by Dr. Amy Engelsdorfer, Assistant Professor of Music, Luther College

Known widely as a performer, composer, teacher, and scholar, Ernest Walker (1870-1949) was a key figure in the English musical establishment during the first half of the 20th century. Born in Bombay to English parents, his family moved back to England in 1871, where he eventually began his study of piano, harmony, and counterpoint with some of the finest teachers of his time. Educated at the Balliol College at Oxford University, Walker received his Doctor of Music degree in 1898.

Walker served as assistant organist to John Farmer at Balliol College from 1891-1913 and as Director of Music from 1901-1925, eventually resigning the organist post because he felt that the texts that were sung by the choir were not compatible with his own mystical views. In his position as Director, he enriched the Sunday chamber music concert series begun by Farmer, where he frequently performed as a pianist with artists such as Adolf Busch, Lionel Tertis and Sir Donald Tovey. He also became quite well known as a collaborative pianist, and appeared in concert with Joseph Joachim and Pablo Casals.

Walker arranged for and participated in English premieres of works by the leading composers of the day, such as Debussy, Strauss, Wolf, Marx, Reger, Scriabin and Rachmaninoff. In addition to his performance career, Walker was also a renowned scholar and critic. He edited and contributed articles in various publications, the most famous of which is the second edition of the Grove’s Dictionary of Music and Musicians from 1902. He also wrote articles and critiques for The Times and Manchester Guardian, where he was known for his blunt opinions. His most important literary work is History of Music in England from 1907, which was revised and published in subsequent editions and is still in use today.

A highly regarded teacher, Walker worked with many students during his time at Oxford. The most famous include William Walton and Adrian Boult. His dedication to his students was recalled by J. S. Westrup in a memorial piece to Walker and fellow organist Stanley Robert Marchant: “[Both] had, however, one outstanding characteristic in common: they were both men of the highest integrity, and they were both generous in their counsel and encouragement to younger men.” (Music and Letters, vol. 30, no. 3, July 1949, 201.)

Walker’s compositional style was more conventional during the earlier part of his career; his use of chromatic harmony greatly increased later. While he is best known for his choral works, he also composed a considerable amount of chamber music. The Sonata in C Major for Viola and Piano from 1897 is one of his earlier works and follows a rather atypical movement structure. The first movement, Andante, sempre largamente, quasi un poco adagio, is especially evocative of the lieder of Wolf or Strauss, with its broad, full accompaniment. The first movement, while in sonata form, is quite brief – a mere 84 measures. The second movement, Presto agitato, is substantially longer – 430 measures. The movement is a large ternary form, opening with a rhythmically active,
staccato melody in F minor, which contrasts with the middle section, its F major cantabile melody sounded exclusively in the piano. The viola sounds motives from the opening section, which helps return us to the opening rhythmic section once again. The third movement, Allegro ma non troppo, may be loosely characterized as a sonata rondo form. Walker sets forth an easily recognizable, lyrical melody that contrasts with a second. The first melody appears as a “fugato” — a small section in which the melody is recast in the minor mode, and presented in individual voices. Finally, we hear the opening melodies in the major mode once again, and a brief allusion is made to the melody of the first movement in the piano.

This work was originally composed for violist Alfred Hobday (later to become the principal violist of the London Symphony Orchestra) and was edited for publication by Lionel Tertis in 1912. Robert Hull from The Musical Opinion (July 1931) says, “This work, both in mood and execution, reveals a freedom of invention and melodic fluency possessed of attractions which do not recede. We find appropriate harmonic variety without a corresponding complexity. Rhythmically the music is very much alive. It is rare to find a composer with such an assured aptitude for proper treatment of the viola as a solo instrument. The temptation is to think of it, tonally, in terms of the violin. Dr. Walker shows that his comprehension extends to every potentiality which reason demands; and in the security of his technique the poetry is not neglected.”

— Program notes by Dr. Amy Engelsdorfer, Assistant Professor of Music, Luther College

For many years, Benjamin Dale (1885-1943) was known more as an administrator; fortunately, this perception is changing to include his talents as a composer. He showed early promise, with his first orchestral composition, an overture, performed when he was 14 years old in 1900. He entered the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) that same year, studying composition with Frederick Corder, professor of composition and also known for his published history of the institution. Corder’s appreciation for the music of Richard Wagner certainly influenced his teaching; subsequently, Dale’s own compositions reflect the lush and harmonically complex textures of the mid- to late-19th century. He was appointed professor of harmony at the RAM in 1909 and named its warden in 1936.

Dale was stranded in Germany at the outbreak of World War I and interned there until 1918. During that time he busied himself by composing entertainments for his fellow prisoners. Upon his release, Dale worked as an administrator and examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music in Australia and New Zealand. He wrote a number of works during this period, although his most well-known pieces were written much earlier.

The Romance on this program is the second movement of three of the Suite in D Minor for Viola and Piano, Op. 2, composed in 1906. This particular work was a favorite of Lionel Tertis, one of the first internationally known violists and a fellow alumnus of the RAM. Tertis liked the work so well that, upon his request, Dale orchestrated the last two movements. The Romance was a constant part of his concert repertoire and also a favorite encore. The initial marking, largo, quasi fantasia, is certainly apt, imparting a surreal feeling to the listener, beginning on a D major triad in the piano in first inversion. Furthermore, the piano’s initial gestures include ties over the bar lines in the score, as well as uneven divisions of the beat; the effect of this and the inverted chords is a general “wash” that keeps the listener somewhat disoriented until the first entrance of the viola at the end of measure 4.

Dale deftly shows the viola’s many timbral colors, with its initial entrance in the lower range, and an unexpected G# on the strong beat blending with the dark colors implied by the correspondingly low register of the piano. A large ternary form, this work’s first section is very lyrical. The B section is much more rhapsodic and technical, with both the viola and piano performing flashing scale passages and wide leaps, both with new material as well as brief references to opening gestures. The final section is a near-verbatim repetition of the first, with the viola and piano fading, both tonally and rhythmically, into the same “wash” that begins the piece.

— Program notes by Dr. Amy Engelsdorfer, Assistant Professor of Music, Luther College

“…Part of the appeal of this song cycle is the collision between the small ensemble of classical instruments and the thoroughly contemporary language. …What makes (The Dream Gallery) persuasive is the depth of characterization in the texts (which are Abel’s own), not the novelty. …These acid yet humane portraits of California will be recognizable to anyone who has lived there, or really to any American. A bit like a West Coast William Bolcom, but not much like anything else out there, this is most highly recommended.” — James Manheim, Allmusic.com

Read the full rave review on Allmusic.com!

Purchase today via The Delos Store!

Or Purchase The Dream Gallery from these online retailers:

]]> http://delosmusic.com/2012/05/allmusic-reviews-abel-the-dream-gallery/feed/ 0 http://delosmusic.com/2012/05/allmusic-reviews-abel-the-dream-gallery/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/delosmusicblog/~3/YmNphzsqWXg/ http://delosmusic.com/2012/05/andrew-von-oeyen-brings-in-a-rave-review-from-pacific-symphony-performance/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 15:16:21 +0000 Delos http://delosmusic.com/?p=1658 Andrew von Oeyen gets a rave review from The Orange County Register for his Thursday night performance with the Pacific Symphony:

“Andrew von Oeyen revived Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1 (which doesn’t seem to be played that often anymore) before intermission. The California native, a Juilliard grad now in his early 30s, gave it a thrilling ride. He laid into the whiz-bang outer movements with considerable gusto and grit, the fingers flying, not skating over the keyboard but digging in, and not using too much of the sustaining pedal to smooth it over. He rendered the slow movement with simplicity and intelligence, his voicing just-so. It’s not the most profound piece; but it’s an awful lot of fun when played like this. By all means let’s have von Oeyen back.” — Timothy Mangan, The Orange County Register

Read the full review on OCRegister.com

Liszt Piano Music
Andrew von Oeyen, piano

Celebrating the Bicentennial of Liszt’s Birth (1811-1886)

LISZT:
Piano Sonata in B Minor
Waldesrauschen (Zwei Konzertetüden)
Vallée d’Obermann (Années de Pèlerinage)
Liebestraum No. 3 in A-Flat Major
VERDI-LISZT:
Concert Paraphrase of Rigoletto
WAGNER-LISZT:
Elsa’s Bridal Procession (Lohengrin)
Isolde’s Liebestod (Tristan und Isolde)

Buy Direct from Delos and Save!:

]]> http://delosmusic.com/2012/05/andrew-von-oeyen-brings-in-a-rave-review-from-pacific-symphony-performance/feed/ 0 http://delosmusic.com/2012/05/andrew-von-oeyen-brings-in-a-rave-review-from-pacific-symphony-performance/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/delosmusicblog/~3/4W3mskxConM/ http://delosmusic.com/2012/05/looking-ahead-to-some-special-reissues/#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 14:39:42 +0000 Delos http://delosmusic.com/?p=1624

]]> http://delosmusic.com/2012/05/looking-ahead-to-some-special-reissues/feed/ 0 http://delosmusic.com/2012/05/looking-ahead-to-some-special-reissues/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/delosmusicblog/~3/m_GtoSAc3pY/ http://delosmusic.com/2012/05/andrew-von-oeyen-to-perform-with-the-pacific-symphony/#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 15:03:13 +0000 Delos http://delosmusic.com/?p=1615 Tonight (May 10) through Saturday, Delos artist Andrew von Oeyen will perform Mendelssohn’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with the Pacific Symphony. Or as they posted on Twitter and their website “Young superstar Andrew von Oeyen performs a piano concerto written by another young superstar, Felix Mendelssohn.” If you’re in the Santa Ana area, make sure to get out to this concert. With Andrew von Oeyen, a new work by American Composers Competition winner Narong Prangcharoen, and Schubert’s Ninth Symphony, it’s bound to be a good. one!

We’ll make sure to share the guaranteed rave reviews for Andrew von Oeyen as they come in throughout the weekend.

Here’s the Pacific Symphony conductor Carl St. Clair in a preview of the concert:

Liszt Piano Music
Andrew von Oeyen, piano

Celebrating the Bicentennial of Liszt’s Birth (1811-1886)

LISZT:
Piano Sonata in B Minor
Waldesrauschen (Zwei Konzertetüden)
Vallée d’Obermann (Années de Pèlerinage)
Liebestraum No. 3 in A-Flat Major
VERDI-LISZT:
Concert Paraphrase of Rigoletto
WAGNER-LISZT:
Elsa’s Bridal Procession (Lohengrin)
Isolde’s Liebestod (Tristan und Isolde)

Buy Direct from Delos and Save!:

]]> http://delosmusic.com/2012/05/andrew-von-oeyen-to-perform-with-the-pacific-symphony/feed/ 0 http://delosmusic.com/2012/05/andrew-von-oeyen-to-perform-with-the-pacific-symphony/