Album insights
Max Bruch's enchanting chamber music's inception focused on two periods, the beginning and the end of his career. Between these times, he composed solo concertos, orchestral music, and grand choral works, believing they would ensure his immortality. This program illustrates this dichotomy.
Bruch hailed from Cologne, a charming city on the Rhine with French influences and both Catholic and Protestant traditions. Born on January 6, 1838, into a family deeply rooted in Cologne's bourgeois society, Bruch's father, a police president, conversed with him in French and even taught him English. His mother, coming from a prominent musician family and a renowned soprano herself, gave singing lessons. Leading a music circle dedicated to singing choirs, folk songs, and opera excerpts, music-making was a constant at the Bruch household. It was his mother who provided Max and his sister Mathilde with their initial piano lessons. Showing talent in painting, the young boy could boast several compositions by the age of eleven, among which was a septet that has been passed down. He received music theory lessons from Heinrich Breidenstein in Bonn, a friend of his father.
In 1850, the Cologne Conservatory was established under Ferdinand Hiller, who had been a loyal friend of Schumann during his final years and well-acquainted with figures like Hummel, Mendelssohn, and Berlioz. Hiller's broad influences shaped the curriculum, encompassing both Catholic and Protestant church music studies. Upon his arrival in Cologne, Hiller quickly recognized Bruch's talent before departing for Paris. By 1852, he returned as Bruch successfully vied for the Mozart Foundation prize, affording him four years of study under Hiller for composition and Carl Reinecke and Ferdinand Breuning for piano. Following this, from 1858, Bruch continued his studies across various music centers over five years while engaging in freelance musical pursuits.
In the famous Rococo Hall of Hotel Disch in Cologne on November 4, 1857, a farewell concert took place featuring his C minor piano trio among others. For a young composer, the trio deviated surprisingly from norms. While earlier practices in the Baroque era saw the commencement of a work with a slow movement, it was considered a bold step in the mid-nineteenth century. A Cologne critic, having heard a previous version of the trio at a Conservatory concert, didn't appreciate this departure from tradition:
The event commenced with a trio that resonated more in its original form than in its current version, where the prolonged Adagio constitutes the first movement, followed by a rather lovely Scherzo and a fiery Finale. The unclear nature of the first movement apparently left the audience uncertain. We cannot approve of this form.
The Andante molto cantabile of the trio starts with a solemn unison string phrase, transitioning fluidly with the piano's entry. The second theme carries a warm, romantic character with a passionate development before calming down and leading directly into the Allegro assai in G major. This graceful movement, though not a proper Scherzo, epitomizes the role with its balanced and dance-like essence. The Finale, an extremely dramatic Rondo marked Presto, almost relentlessly incorporates references to the work's opening theme towards the mid and end. The trio was performed in Leipzig by an ensemble including the dedicatees Ferdinand David and Friedrich Grützmacher and published in 1859 by Breitkopf & Härtel as op. 5. Despite its beauty and intriguing harmonic twists, this piece has yet to firmly establish itself in the repertoire. Perhaps this recording could sway opinions.
Bruch's string quartets all originate from his time in Cologne. A promising C minor quartet earned him the Frankfurt Mozart Foundation prize and was praised by Louis Spohr despite being lost until discovered in the foundation's archive in 2013. Considering it a youthful work, Bruch reused the Adagio theme in his first official Quartet, also in C minor and published as op. 9 in 1856. The E major Quartet No. 2, op. 10, was composed in 1860 after Bruch’s Leipzig residency. Wilhelm Altmann regarded it as more impactful than op. 9, a view deserving merit given both quartets' occasional performances and recordings.
The E major quartet opens with a slow introduction (allegro maestoso), hinting at Dvořák in its violin line. As the movement gains momentum (un poco più vivo), the initial theme reappears. The piece follows a sonata form with alternating fast and slow sections, where the brisk segments shine brightly, featuring a Tarantella rhythm passage—reflecting Bruch's fondness for such styles at the time. The Andante quasi adagio in B major offers a poignant atmosphere; its slow march thematic element is intermittently unsettling, contrasted by a more emphatic central section. The Scherzo in C♯ minor (vivace ma non troppo) is irresistibly rhythmic, featuring two trios—the first exuberant and the second akin to a folk dance, with a unique reprise at the end. The Finale (vivace) brims with joy and dance-like episodes, though imbued with a hint of melancholy in its harmony. This subtle duality seems foundational to the success of all famous works by Bruch. Published with a dedication to his Munich supporter, Ludwig von Stainlein, the E major Quartet saw performances by the Gewandhaus Quartet, with Ferdinand David as the Primarius presenting the C minor Quartet on February 10, 1859, and Raimund Dreyschock unveiling the E major Quartet on December 14, 1861. Clara Schumann also performed during the latter concert, playing Brahms' Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel and the piano quintet by her late husband.
Bruch's journeys led him to Munich and Mannheim, working as a conductor from the mid-1860s, initially in Koblenz (1865-67) and then Sondershausen (1867-70). His G minor Violin Concerto, the piece he is predominantly recognized for today, was created during this period. Unfortunately, he sold the concerto (along with all rights) for a meager sum to a publisher. Despite aspiring for a position in Cologne, he was never offered one. Operating as a freelance composer, he resided in Berlin, Bonn, and back to Berlin. In the early 1880s, he oversaw the Philharmonic Society in Liverpool, leveraging his English skills—making a trip back to Berlin to wed the singer Clara Tuczek, not even seventeen at the time. From 1883 to 1890, he served as the musical director in Breslau (now Wrocław), eventually teaching at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin until retiring in 1911. His later years were marred by the deaths of his second son Hans in 1913 and his blissful wife in 1919. Despite composing regularly, the intervals between works grew longer; in 1918 and 1920, he penned chamber music pieces heard in performances by the Nash Ensemble. He passed away on October 2, 1920, aged 82, as most of his works had already faded from the standard repertoire. History has not been particularly kind to him, but there may be a potential resurgence in the 21st century.
The rest of this program showcases pieces for two significant string players contemporary to Bruch. The Four Pieces for Cello and Piano, op. 70, composed in late summer 1896, pay tribute to the leading German cellist Robert Hausmann (1852-1909), a member of Joseph Joachim's Berlin Quartet who also performed Brahms' Double Concerto with the famed violinist. Although Bruch wrote several works for cello and orchestra—most notably, Kol Nidrei, also dedicated to Hausmann—these stand as the only preserved chamber music works for the instrument (a Cello Sonata from 1862 remains lost). The Four Pieces each adopt a tripartite structure, featuring captivating passages for the pianist. Built upon borrowed material, the Aria is actually from Bruch's eldest son Max Felix, who, at the age of twelve, wrote it for flute and piano that summer. Bruch extensively embellished it, seamlessly transforming the original into a cello piece undetectable by the uninitiated ear. It's conceivable that both the main and counter themes could be accompanied by lyrics. The other three pieces—a Finnish song, a lively Swedish dance, and the poignant Scottish melody, The la-rig—reflect Bruch's lifelong fascination with folk music from various regions. It remains a mystery why these successful and evocative works have been recorded by so few cellists.
It came as no surprise that Bruch would write a Romance for violin (his op. 42), given his acclaim for violin concertos; however, an unprecedented act occurred when he delved into writing a Romance for viola in 1911 with his op. 85. As a result of a newfound affection for this resonant string instrument, the piece was crafted for Maurice Vieux (1884-1951), a pivotal figure in establishing the modern viola in France, to whom it was dedicated. Initially performed by the eminent violinist Willy Hess—ardent supporter of Bruch's music—the Romanze premiered at a private concert in Berlin on April 25, 1911, attended by the composer. Over the summer, Bruch made