Emanuel Moór (1863-1931): Double Cello Concerto and Brahms Double Concerto

[LateRomantic75]

I came across this interesting-looking release while browsing Amazon:

http://allegro-music.com/online_catalog_MOBILE.asp?sku_tag=TCL3CE1031

The item of interest is, of course, Emanuel Moór's Concerto in D for two cellos and orchestra, op. 69. Moór was a hugely prolific Hungarian composer (he composed eight symphonies!) whose cello sonatas have been recorded before. Apparently, Pablo Casals deemed him "a true genius" and "one of the outstanding composers of the century"! A pity the coupling is the Brahms, but beggars can't be choosers!

[edurban]

Verrry interesting.  My interest in Moor goes back to afternoons at NYPL looking at all the Moor scores on the shelves and thinking 'Who was this guy and why don't cellists play all this cello music?'  Maybe now we'll have answers...

David

[Simon]

You can hear an excerpt of the finale movement (from the same recording) available on YouTube :

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzh7h-Gfahg

[eschiss1]

Good to hear a commercial recording of this work; I know that a tape has circulated which I haven't heard (see this description.) (The concerto is in D major, not A, far as I know, btw.)

[Alan Howe]

Amazon's listing it, but it's not available yet:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FB7MPEG/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Moor-Doubles-Brahms/dp/B00FB7MPEG/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1385970107&sr=1-1&keywords=moor+doubles

[edurban]

Oh dear, dear.  Thanks to Eric for the link to the recording, which was made live at NYC's Town Hall in 1990.  Far from never having heard the piece...I was at that concert.  Uh oh.  O memory, where hast thou fled...

David

[eschiss1]

Then given the stuff in those programs, I envy you. Those look to have been -good- concerts by that late conductor...

[Alan Howe]

The Moór Double Concerto for two cellos in D major, Op. 69 (1906-7) is a lovely addition to the recorded repertoire. Very much post-Brahmsian in idiom, even occasionally developing an almost Elgarian glow, this may not be as memorable as one might wish, but how often do we encounter a new late-romantic concerto - and one for two cellos at that?
Structurally the piece is innovative: a Molto Moderato first movement (10:00) is followed by an Intermezzo (Allegro Vivace, with a contrasting central section; 4:33), then a really lovely, calm Adagio (6:25) and a suitably energetic finale (Allegro: 5:48).
Do get this CD!

[Alan Howe]

Here is my own listing of Moór's works:

Emanuel Moór (1863-1931)
(The Moór archive is held at Westminster Music Library, Victoria, London)

Symphonies, etc.
No.1 in E minor, no opus no. (1893) - MS
No.2 in C major 'In Memoriam Ludwig Kossuth', no opus no. (1895) - Simrock 
No.3 in D minor, Op.44B (1895) - pub. Rozsavölgyi
No.4 in B flat, no opus no. (1898) - Schmid
No.5 in A minor, Op.53B (1901) - unpub.
No.6 in E minor, Op.65 (1906) - pub. Siegel
No.7 in C major, Op.67 (1906) - pub. Siegel
Pensées Symphoniques, Op.75 (1908) - pub. Mathot
No.8 in A minor, Op.92 (1910) - unpub.

Piano Concertos, etc.
no opus no. (1886) - MS
(?Pirani lists another Piano Concerto from the same year, 1886 - MS)
No.1 in D major, no opus no. (1894) - pub. Simrock
No.2 in C minor, Op.46A (1888) - pub. Rozsavölgyi
No.3 in D flat, Op.57 (1901?) - pub. Siegel
No.4 in E flat, Op.85 (1908?) - pub. Mathot
Concertstück, Op.88A (1909?) - pub. Mathot
Concertstück, Op.113 (1910?) - pub. Mathot
Rhapsody in B major, Op.143B (1912?) - unpub.
Suite in A major (1914) - MS

Violin Concertos, etc.
No.1?, no opus no. (1886) - MS
(?Pirani lists another Violin Concerto from the same year, 1886 - MS)
No.2 in G major, Op.62 (1905) - pub. Simrock
No.3, Op.66 (1906?) - pub. Siegel
No.4, Op.72A (1908) - pub. Siegel
Suite, Op.73 (1908?) - pub. Siegel
Rhapsody, Op.84 (1908?) - pub. Mathot
Concertstück, Op.134A (1912?) - unpub.

Viola Concertos, etc.
Concertstück in C sharp minor (1886?) - MS
No.2 in C sharp minor (1886?) - MS

Cello Concertos, etc. 
No.1 in E minor, Op.61 (1905) - pub. Siegel
No.2, Op.64 (1906) - pub. Siegel
Rhapsody in G minor, Op.78 (1908?) - pub. Mathot
Largo, Op.105 (1914) - pub. Mathot
Rhapsody No.2 in A major (1911), no opus no. - MS
Ballade in E major (1914) - no opus no. - pub. Mathot

Other Concertos, etc.
2 Cellos in D major, Op.69 (1906/7) - pub. Siegel
Triple (Vn/Pf/Co), Op.70 (1907?) - pub. ?
Concertstück (Vn/Co), Op.98 (1909) - pub. Mathot
Chromatic Harp, Op.141 (1911?) - unpub.
Piano & Violin, no opus no. (1911) - MS
String Quartet, no opus no. (1916) - MS

Piano Sonatas
in C sharp minor, Op.60A (1905?) - pub. Siegel
Op.96 (1909) - pub. ?
No.2 in E flat, Op.103A (1909) - pub. Mathot
No.3 in B flat, no opus no. (1911) - MS 

Violin Sonatas
in G major, Op.12 (1887) - pub. Wetzler
in A minor, Op.21 (1888) - pub. ?
in A major, Op.23 (1891) - pub. Breitkopf und Härtel
in D minor, Op.26 (1893?) - one movement only - pub. ?
in C major, Op.51 (before 1901?) - pub. A. Schmid
Op.54 (1901?) - pub. A. Schmid
in E minor, Op.56 (1901?) - pub. Siegel
in E minor, no opus no. (1905) - pub. Engleman
No.3 in A major, no opus no. (1905?) - MS
in D minor, no opus no. (1905?) - MS
in E minor, no opus no. (1905?) - MS
in A minor, Op.74 (1908?) - pub. Siegel

Cello Sonatas
No.1 in C minor, Op.22 (1891) - pub. Gutman
in A minor, Op.53 (before 1901?) - pub. A Schmid
No.2 in G major, Op.55 (1901?) - pub. Siegel
in D major, no opus no. (1905?) - MS
No.3 Op.76 (1908?) - pub. Mathot
in E major (1913), no opus no. - MS

Viola Sonatas
Op.78A - no further details

Piano Trios
in C major, Op.81 (1908?) - pub. Mathot
Op.89 (1909) - pub. Mathot

String Quartets
in A major, Op.59 (1904/5) - pub. Siegel
Op.87 (1909?) - unpub.

Piano Quintets
in C minor, Op.19 (1888) - pub. Gutman
in C major, Op.97 (1909) - pub. Mathot

Choral
Mass (soli, chorus & orch.), Op.127 (1911?) - pub. Mathot
Stabat Mater (mezzo solo, women's chorus & orch.), Op.138 (1911) - pub Mathot
Requiem (4 soli, chorus & orch.), Op.151 (1916) - unpub.

[Wheesht]

I ordered the CD direct from Cello Classics in late December. The price was very reasonable and delivery to Switzerland quick. The concerto has made a wonderful addition to my ever growing collection of orchestral works for what is probably my favourite instrument. I agree with Alan that it may not be utterly memorable, but I have listened to it with great enjoyment several times now and the CD is still on top of my pile of new arrivals.

[scarpia]

Our community orchestra the Vermont Philharmonic is going to play the Moór Double Cello Concerto this weekend. I really should not drive that far because I am having foot surgery a few days before. But it sounds way to tempting.

[FBerwald]

Alan, wonderful listing. Amazing that he wrote so many concertant works. Any idea about the current status of these works... ms, lost, etc ....

[eschiss1]

The Free Library of Philadelphia has, not unusually, performing material for some of his orchestral works available for rental to orchestras etc. (including ms. score and parts for his piano trio-concerto opus 70, his symphony WoO 153 (which they give Op.67 in their listing- I don't think it is, though- see comments to IMSLP workpage) - same work...), full score and parts for his concerto Op.61 for cello and orchestra, for his 2nd cello concerto Op.64, for his rhapsody for violin and orchestra Op.84, for his suite "Pensées symphonique" op.75 for orchestra (pub. Mathot, 1909), also for his Improvisations Op.63 (Siegel, 1906), and for his D minor symphony Op.45, among other works still

It may be so- I am hoping it is- that a major national Library (Budapest Szechenyi??) might have a large collection of his manuscripts in safekeeping so that these scores are not lost, anyway (likewise those of other fine composers.) Will see if their online catalog provides a clue...

A quick search reveals not a manuscript score online by Moór but a manuscript collection of letters between him and Henri Marteau. That's intriguing. (see first page and on.)

[eschiss1]

If one wants a fairly complete list of Moór's compositions, why not remember the Verzeichnis of the Moór-Stiftung, then??

Emanuel und Henrik Moor Stiftung - Emanuel Moór Verzeichnis (German)

(The works from 152 on are "WoO" numbers - for works not given opus numbers, some of which were published, some of which weren't. (E.g. the early symphony in C (no.2) has a WoO number but was published - it is not the same btw as the symphony no.6 Op.67 in C (pub.1906) though is sometimes confused with it... while the string quartet no.2 has an opus number but was not published. )

Op.123 is the prelude for cello and piano, dedicated to Pablo Casals and published by Mathot in 1911. See the score of a violin/piano arrangement at

IMSLP.

[Alan Howe]

Excellent, Eric. Thanks!