Albin Fries (b. 1955)

[Balapoel]

Wow, a tonal composer I just discovered out of the blue. IMSLP has numerous recordings by him - and I checked them out. What unsung talent!

from website:
Albin Fries was born in Steyr, Upper Austria. After studying in Vienna with the internationally known pianist Alexander Jenner, he began his career as a concert pianist performing in such prestigious concert halls as the Musikverein (Golden Hall) with Tschaikovski's 2nd Concerto under the baton of  Franz Welser-Möst. Albin Fries was also drawn to composing and began winning acclaim for his works. In 1977 he won the "Young Composers Award" of Austria and in 1981 he was awarded the Upper Austrian "Talent Sponsorship Prize". His Piano Sonata was his first professional success. being  broadcast many times on national Austrian Radio as well as being performed at the Musikverein. This exposure attracted the attention of Leonard Bernstein from whom Albin Fries then took private composition lessons. Although at this time Fries had found his own "tonal language", he was enriched with a great deal  of valuable musical stimulation from Bernstein

Through Mr. Bernstein, Fries was given the opportunity to study  at  the Juilliard School of Music, in New York. Upon his return to Austria, Fries gave up his composing when he realized that his music was not fulfilling the Austrian "obligation" of an atonal contempory style. He became music coach and director of studies at the Vienna State Opera and teacher at the University of Music in Vienna.

In the winter of 2005, after a break of 20 years, he was inspired to compose again...a song, as a Valentine's Day present for his wife. This time, he did not try to write in an "intellectual modern" style but rather stayed true to his own style of late romantic tonal music.  Suddenly the channel for his creative tonal compositions was once again opened. He has continued to write for voice, instruments and piano. His most recent CD "Jahreszeiten" (the Four Seasons), has been awarded the St. Stephans Cathedral Radio Award in Vienna.


http://albinfries.com/

I recommend the piano quintet no. 2 in e minor, and the piano pieces. Great stuff.

Chamber music listing:
String Quartet No. 1 in d minor, Op. 3
String Quartet No. 2 in D 'In der Natur', Op. 7
Stifteriana, 7 bilder for violin and piano, Op. 8
Piano Trio No. 1 in A, Op. 9
Piano Trio No. 2 in F, Op. 26
Piano Quintet No. 1 in b minor, Op. 10
Piano Quintet No. 2 in e minor, Op. 22
Violin Sonata, Op. 18
Oboe Sonata, Op. 19
Horn Sonata, Op. 20
'Die Traume der Ruinen', 3 elegies for English Horn and piano, Op. 21
2 Legenden for flute, english horn, and piano, Op. 23
7 'Landschaftsskizzen aus dem Waldviertel' for english horn/flute and piano, Op. 25
Quintet for 2 violins, viola, 2 cellos, and soprano solo, Op. 28

[Alan Howe]

I see what you mean. A composer similar in outlook to Thomas Schmidt-Kowalski, maybe?

[Mark Thomas]

Judging by those brief excerpts I'd say that Fries is both more "19th century" in his basic language and more influenced by jazz and popular music that Schmidt-Kowalski, whose orchestral music at least is pretty firmly (just) post-Bruckner.

[ahinton]

Wow, a tonal composer...
Quintet for 2 violins, viola, 2 cellos, and soprano solo

Goodness me, a tonal composer who writes a string quintet with soprano solo! Dangerous habit, that! At least he used two cellos rather than cello and double bass, though, so not quite as bad as some whom one might mention...

[dafrieze]

He just came to my notice a day or two ago as well.  (Our last names are pronounced the same way.)  His second string quartet is very pretty - there's nothing in it that couldn't have been written in the first five years of the twentieth century.  YouTube has some orchestral snippets from his only opera; in terms both of its plot and the music I've heard, it sounds awfully saccharine.  There are some good songs, though.

[Balapoel]

I should note that his d minor string quartet is on youtube (a live concert).

[TerraEpon]

I assume this topic is the result of the huge dump of the recordings of his music on IMSLP. They seem to be actual recordings too, and not just MIDI realizations as many recordings are there.

[Balapoel]

I assume this topic is the result of the huge dump of the recordings of his music on IMSLP. They seem to be actual recordings too, and not just MIDI realizations as many recordings are there.

Yes, as I mentioned in the first post. The music is sensitively played by the performers too. I'm assuming the composer has given permissions, since IMSLP is stringent about copyright protection.

[eschiss1]

Mr. Hinton- haven't heard Holmboe's quintet "Zeit" but I assume this is the work you're referring to?

Balapoel- when recordings, scores, etc. by a living or recently deceased composer are posted on IMSLP, the editor is queried more or less immediately and the material deleted very soon if no good response is forthcoming, yes.  I have not followed this particular case myself. (I assume perhaps incorrectly that since the file listings give publisher name as Albin Fries he is uploading them himself. In the case of e.g. composer Willy Ostijn (another neo-Romantic posted at IMSLP, one whose music I like based on what I've heard; haven't heard Fries' yet), who died some years back, his nephew is uploading typeset scores and recordings (realizations and performances) on behalf of the estate, and the information on the various pages reflects this too.)
-Eric Schissel IMSLP admin on vacation (some would say permanent vacation- erm... I have no good answer to that.)

[ahinton]

Mr. Hinton- haven't heard Holmboe's quintet "Zeit" but I assume this is the work you're referring to?

Nor have I - and no, it's not!

[isokani]

I think Alistair is being self-referential, as it were.

[ahinton]

I think Alistair is being self-referential, as it were.

If that is indeed so, I can only say better that than self-reverential! That said, I must with pleasure exclaim "aye - so canny" of you to spot that (the puns really don't improve with time or age, do they?!)...

[Mark Thomas]

I must say that, having listened to a number of Fries' pieces (it rhymes!) at IMSLP, I find them rather sickly sweet and betraying the influence of Hollywood.

[eschiss1]

As well, since I was mistaken about the instrumentation of "Zeit" anyhow (it's a quintet, not a sextet - alto, 2 violins, viola, cello- it basely omits the bass. I still want to hear it - and Alistair's quintet, which I am aware is, unlike the Holmboe to date I believe, recorded.)
Cheers!

[eschiss1]

Belatedly, have heard a little more by Fries, and -
*not sure I hear the Hollywood/film-music connection personally.
*oddly- I do hear a Bax violin sonatas connection in the Oboe Sonata "Sommer". Not that I mind at all; I adore Bax's violin sonatas nos. 1 (early Borodin???-tinged and late versions) and no.3. And I rather like the 2nd piano quintet Mr. Fries wrote too. Time to download more, I do think. Hrm. I rarely hear recent music that actually rather "successfully" sounds more or less Romantic-era, or other era at all, rather than, composer of one era trying to emulate another era but sounding modern all the same (except for the very simplest of book exercises.)
(I'm told that Kreisler's pastiches are good examples in this line- of Romantic-sounding Classical/Baroque music.) These, and a few other things I hear recently, really do sound both like enjoyable music and in a more or less Romantic style. (Not without dissonance- pieces without dissonance you don't get outside of Satie and student exercises, more or less...- well, that's something for another time.)