It must have been about
1987 that my good friend Colin Scott-Sutherland
loaned some old reel-to-reel tapes to
me. It took me a while to find a suitable
machine on which to play them. However
when I did I had the pleasure of hearing
a fragmentary 1950s broadcast of Patrick
Piggott as soloist in Marx's Castelli
Romani. It was, to be frank, a pretty
awful sounding tape but here, clearly
to be heard through all the grunge and
crackle, was a deeply attractive and
warmly impressionistic work. Friends
in the USA had already sent me an exhilarating
tape of Marx's Romantic piano
concerto as played by Jorge Bolet circa
1980 with the NYPO conducted by Zubin
Mehta. Colin then introduced me to some
of the songs and to the big first violin
sonata played by Peter Mountain and
later recorded by Tobias Ringborg for
Pavane.
Marx combines a number
of traits. He is determinedly romantic.
He is also a nature poet. His textures
are saturated and typically the music
has a decidedly Delian mien. Listen
to the woodland relaxation as the stormy
first movement of the Romantic Concerto
pauses to gain its breath. The third
movement of the Romantic Concerto returns
to the Straussian effulgence of the
first movement. There are also unblushing
links with the piano concertos by Harty
and Delius.
The soloist and orchestra
achieve a sustained radiance and gorgeous
romance; a sunset endlessly prolonged
and renewed. Apologies for those left
queasy by this purple prose; but be
assured the music is so much better.
Filigree decoration typical of Godowsky's
Java Suite is at times offset
by emotional depth. There are even traces
of Rachmaninov's aristocratic heroism
at 7.40 in the finale.
This ASV version by
David Lively (who recorded the Furtwangler
Symphonic Concerto for Marco
Polo) is not a world premiere. The first
recording was made for Hyperion in 1997.
Marc-André Hamelin's version
came out on CDA66990 [review]in
1998. That disc has the different advantage
of variety. There the Marx concerto
is harnessed to the Korngold Piano Concerto.
The comparative timings
for the Romantic Concerto are:-
| |
Hamelin |
Lively |
| I |
14:47 |
16:53 |
| II |
10:42 |
10:16 |
| III |
11:01 |
13:18 |
Not surprisingly, given these figures,
Lively's approach accentuates the breadth
and sunset grandeur of the Romantic
Concerto. Hamelin and Osmo Vänskä
on Hyperion are more tigerish. Neither
version does any violence to the score
which joyfully sustains this diversity
of interpretation. Both avenues strike
me as legitimate and enjoyable.
Marx's drenched romanticism continues
into the Castelli Romani. Here
the leonine weight of the orchestra
is slimmed away from nineteenth century
bravura into a romantically impressionistic
web. It is not a complete change of
gear: if you listen at 5:01 in the finale
of the Romantic Concerto you will hear
hints of de Falla and Rodrigo - a strong
Iberian accent. The 'look and feel'
of Castelli overall recall the
crystalline hieratics of Bax's Symphonic
Variations and Ireland's Legend.
Other approximate comparators include
the glitter of Gottschalk, de Falla's
Nights in the Gardens of Spain,
Arthur Benjamin's Caribbean populist
leanings and, from a previous generation,
the Grieg and Saint-Saëns concertos.
This is a world very closely related
to Debussy's Faune wandering
lost in wonder. The green sward of some
Mediterranean elysian paradise can be
heard in Tusculum. The finale
is an effervescently high-spirited Respighian
Presto romping along under title
Frascati. It drops its guard
when it slides into the 'kitsch' of
what sounds like a cheeky Neapolitan
song. The Austrian composer looks wistfully
across the Alps into Italy with its
easy-going optimism and humour. This
is a work that lives dangerously for
strait-laced concert audiences. Some
may find its eager brightness too strong
a mix and feel more at home with the
Romantic Concerto. I happily
endorse both and commend the Castelli
to you as a companion to other works
where sentimentality gets the upper
hand. There's even a mandolin at 7:48.
Link it with the lovely six piano concertos
by Palmgren, the Stojowski pair, the
Arensky and the Scriabin. This is a
piece guaranteed to puncture any pomposity
with its glitter and wholehearted humanity
and honesty. The work ends in a grandeur
linking back to the first movement but
echoing with cathedral bells and a flourishingly
majestic panache.
The notes are thorough
though not ponderous, setting the two
works in the context of Marx's life.
They evince years of painstaking and
costly research which Berkant Haydin
has ploughed into making the Marx revival
happen.
By the way, Mr Haydin's website is an
object lesson in how to present compendiously
encyclopedic information in an easily
assimilable format. The structuring
is logical and its merits are enhanced
by the many audio extracts. Often these
have been captured from rare and elusive
broadcasts.
We wait impatiently
for Marx's gorgeously epic Herbstsymphonie.
This will prove a revelation; as densely
and romantically luxurious as the Naturtrilogie
which launched the series. I should
also advance the ecstatic claims of
the orchestral Nordland Rhapsodie
and the choral-orchestral Herbstchor
an Pan, Abendweise, Berghymne
and Ein Neujahrshymnus. There
are delights and discoveries yet to
be made.
We are fortunate that
such an important series is in the hands
of Sanctuary-ASV who, across five Marx
discs already issued, have demonstrated
their tenacity, good taste and acumen.
The breakthrough for Marx will come
with his Herbstsymphonie which
is next in line for recording with Sloane
and the Bochum orchestra. The symphony
is a work of heroic proportions; something
of a Grail amongst Marxians and those
who champion rare repertoire.
In age where at last
Korngold, Bax, Miaskovsky, Foulds, Sorabji
and Griffes are beginning to receive
their due the merits of Marx's musical
legacy are at long last finding both
recognition, admiration and affection.
Rob Barnett
THE
MARX WEBSITE
http://www.joseph-marx.org/
MARX ON ASV
Orchestral Songs
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/Nov04/Marx.htm
Natur-trilogie
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2003/Aug03/marxnaturcss.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2003/Apr03/Marx_trilogy.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/Nov04/Marx3.htm
Serenades
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/Nov04/Marx3.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/Dec04/Marx_orchestral3.htm
String Quartets
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2000/apr00/marx.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2000/mar00/marx.htm
RARE PERFORMANCE
OF JOSEPH MARX HERBSTSYMPHONIE
Joseph Marx's epic Herbstsymphonie
(1922) will receive its first complete
performance in modern times at Graz
in October 2005.
Monday/Tuesday, 24/25 October 2005 19:45
Stefaniensaal
Details and booking:-
http://www.styriarte.com/recre/index.php/trade/productview/42/4/
For more information abot Marx please
go to the Joseph Marx website at: http://www.joseph-marx.org/en/
David Lively (piano) 
