7.3.11 Max Bruch

[french frank]

Max Christian Friedrich Bruch (1838-1920) Episode 1:

"Donald Macleod looks at Bruch's relationship with the city of his birth, Cologne. He had a very promising start as a student of Hiller, and then embarked on a career in the wider world, caught up in the battle between conservative and revolutionary forces in music in the late 19th century. Bruch grew increasingly bitter over the years that he was not able to base himself in Cologne permanently, as the right job offer never came, and the success or otherwise of his works there would always matter hugely to him."

:goofy:

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I hope to hear as much of this week's Bruch broadcasts as possible, perhaps by recording it to hear after work. "Listen Again" is all very well, but listening through the tinny speakers of a laptop is a less than rewarding experience

[StephenO]

I'm looking forward to this very much. There's far more to Bruch than the G minor Violin Concerto, so beloved of CFM listeners. I'm hoping for a generous helping of clarinet music - the wonderful Clarinet Trio and the Concerto for Clarinet, Viola and Orch included.

[umslopogaas]

Hmm, dont know much Bruch apart from the famous violin concerto no. 1, but a look on my shelves suggests he was a bit of a violin specialist. I also own:

Violin conc. no. 2 (2 performances, Accardo/Masur and Perlman/Jose Lopez-Corboz, with

Scottish Fantasy (Perlman/J L-C),

Serenade op 75
In Memoriam op 65 (both with Accardo and The Gewandhaus Orch. , Masur).

Nothing, alas, on the clarinet.

[french frank]

Friday seems to be clarinet day.

[Flay]

Thursday's write-up:
<< Donald Macleod looks at Bruch's stint in Liverpool as Director of the Philharmonic Society. Although he enjoyed domestic life in Sefton Park with his young bride Clara, his relationship with the city was uneasy. While his arrival was much trumpeted in the newspapers, his departure was barely remarked on. He wrote to his former teacher Hiller a year after beginning work there: "I am too much a German, and my whole being and feelings are too deeply rooted in German soil for me ever to consider myself to be at home among the driest, most boring, most unmusical race on earth". >>

Ouch! Are we British that bad?

[Suffolkcoastal]

I much prefer the 2nd & 3rd Violin Concerto's to the 1st, the Double Piano Concerto is quite enjoyable too. There are also the three symphonies. The 3rd in particular is absolutely delightful, another of those works that should be in the general repetory but isn't. It looks as if only the 1st symphony (the weakest of the three) is being broadcast complete though, with only the scherzo of the 3rd tomorrow, sadly another missed opportunity.

[Roehre]

I much prefer the 2nd & 3rd Violin Concerto's to the 1st, the Double Piano Concerto is quite enjoyable too. There are also the three symphonies. The 3rd in particular is absolutely delightful, another of those works that should be in the general repetory but isn't. It looks as if only the 1st symphony (the weakest of the three) is being broadcast complete though, with only the scherzo of the 3rd tomorrow, sadly another missed opportunity.

I agree. I prefer the Scottish Phantasy to the 1st VC too, but that at least is sometimes broadcast.
The other double concerto (for clarinet and viola and orchestra op.88) is a delightful work as well.
My order of the symphonies would be 3-1-2, as the 2nd is IMO suffering from some longueurs, which is not helped by the lack of a scherzo either. Btw, the third symphony would be a nice coupling with Schumann's third, both being inspired by the Rhine.
The neglected Romance for viola and orchestra would have been a nice non-bleeding-trunk work to be broadcast as well IMO.

[StephenO]

Friday seems to be clarinet day.

[ardcarp]

I missed most of Bruch CotW unfortunately. Reading the posts, I see some are dismissive of 'the' violin concerto. It is a pretty good piece really...must be, or it wouldn't be so well-loved. However, was the double concerto for clarinet and viola played/mentioned? Now that really is a corker...full of scrummy tunes as you'd expect, but really well-wrought too. IMO the Scottish Fantasy is rambling by comparison.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Reading the posts, I see some are dismissive of 'the' violin concerto. It is a pretty good piece really...must be, or it wouldn't be so well-loved.

It's a very fine piece, and Richard Strauss liked it enough to "quote" it as the "mountain theme" in his Alpine Symphony. Apparently, when rehearsing his composition, R.S. would say "let's play from the Bruch Violin Concerto..."

[Roehre]

It's a very fine piece, and Richard Strauss liked it enough to "quote" it as the "mountain theme" in his Alpine Symphony. Apparently, when rehearsing his composition, R.S. would say "let's play from the Bruch Violin Concerto..."

...as it is a too beautiful a melody to be used only once" (was R.S' defense for doing so)