Robert Fuchs

[DennisS]

I am very pleased that some members have mentioned Fuchs's Serenades in this thread. My first encounters with Fuchs's music were via the Serenades. Initially I bought the  2 Naxos CDs of Serenades nos 1 - 5, which I loved and played constantly! I could easily understand why he was known as "Serenaden-Fuchs", due in part to the enormous popularity of Serenade no 1. This led me to purchase the disc coupling the PC with Serenade no 5. I was however slightly disappointed with the fifth serenade (I now had 2 versions of this work!) as I felt that it lacked the inspiration and musicality of the previous 4 serenades! I also purchased the Thorofon CD of his 3rd Symphony! I like Fuchs's music but have to confess that it's the Serenades 1 to 4 that I really love! Reading this thread reminds me to get out the serenades again and listen to them! It's been quite a while since I listened to them last!

[eschiss1]

My recommendation for a next Fuchs disc remains with either of the recordings of his string quartets (2 CDs, quartets 1 &2 , 3 & 4) on MDG, played really well by the Minguet Quartet and recorded very well too; possibly a better purchase than the Thorofon disc with no.3 which has received some - maybe deserved - and sharp criticism on grounds of performance and recording (I admit I may have a bit of a tin ear as it doesn't sound all -that- bad to me, but I can still maybe hear where they're coming from anyway.)  (Though if you get the Thorofon disc you do get a lovely tone poem whose momentary archaisms made me think just a little of some of Debussy's Sebastien music- maybe not the most useful or helpful of comparisons though you'll hear what I mean, I think.  Magnard's 3rd symphony (opening) may be a closer analogue (in time also) to what Fuchs seems to be trying at the opening of Des Liebes.  While not some sort of Styrian answer to Fauré, he could still have a fairly subtle ear for harmony, I think.)

[DennisS]

I noticed when reading the many posts on this thread that you said, Alan, that you had forgotten about the PC and that it was a really fine piece! I too had forgotten about the PC, partly because I didn't rate it all that highly. Your comment made me get the CD out again and give the PC another listen. I was surprised to discover that the PC was much better than I had remembered - tuneful, nicely scored and an enjoyable listen! Another of those cases where a piece of music must be given time to breathe -give it a listen, wait some time, then come back to it. This is not the first time that I have changed my mind about a work I initially didn't care much for! There's a lesson to be learned there! Also, I had mentioned in a previous post in this thread that I had a number of CDs of Fuchs's music but I only mentioned Symphony no 1! I have since discovered that I also have the Thorofon CD of symphonies nos 1 and 2! In view of my latest experience with the PC I am going to give the symphonies another spin! Perhaps I will change my earlier opinion of these works as well? UC you have trained me well!

[Alan Howe]

The symphonies are fine pieces, but I dare to suggest that the PC is better than any of them. Of course, it may be that the Thorofon CDs don't really give the symphonies a chance to shine.

You may find that this download-only version of Symphony No.3 is worth a listen:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fuchs-Symphony-No-Op-79/dp/B004B4UW0E/ref=sr_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1420478328&sr=1-1&keywords=fuchs+botstein

[JimL]

I actually have a fondness for Fuch's 1st Symphony.  That opening theme is totally haunting.

[Aramiarz]

I like very much the Sym 1&2, the first won the Schubert medal. I don't remember well the correct name!! The PC was dedicated to Brahms. I enjo y very much the Fuchs music!!
The violin sonates are well crafted pieces and I like me so much too

[eschiss1]

I gather that amazon link may also be available for free on iTunes (at least, I've heard that some of Botstein's performances have been made available so- that's one of his, yes?- he's doing fine work!...) - though I've considered using [what little is now left of - ah well! ] my Amazon.com giftcard-balance to get something from that part of their offerings sometime (haven't got an iTunes balance and don't like the no-copy policy I've heard about there- not even onto my iPod?? erm?... what?...)

[Gauk]

I recall that the Hyperion CD of the piano concerto got very lukewarm reviews when it came out. Quite undesreved in my opinion; I find it a very well-constructed, original and memorable piece.

[Alan Howe]

Quite right. A case of cloth ears on the part of the reviewers, maybe...?

[Gauk]

Quite right. A case of cloth ears on the part of the reviewers, maybe...?

I think it is more the silent tendency of reviewers to reason, "If this were good it would be famous. It's not famous so it can't be good". Maybe it is not conscious reasoning, but it's there. The reverse also holds true, so no-one dares call something rubbish if it is by someone famous. It's a herd instinct, I guess.

[Alan Howe]

You may well be right. Of one thing I am convinced, however: that critics don't spend enough time digesting important unsung music before they submit their reviews. What they are most often guilty of is superficial and hasty judgment...

[Gareth Vaughan]

How right you are, Alan.

[eschiss1]

Then as now, now as then, thinks "Serenaden-Fuchs".*

*The point may not be clear...
I like the Fuchs serenades I've heard, but they were, I gather, his calling-card works (maybe not the expression I want; the works with which he was identified) during his lifetime whether he wanted it so or not, at the expense of other works he himself (and I, I'll admit) value(d) more. Critics were partially to blame for this, and at least one contemporary review of his first string quartet - a quite good work in my opinion and very memorable (well, ok, in the performance I've heard, maybe not in the performance the critic had the chance of hearing) - does suggest a critic who expected something more like the recently published and performed 4th and 5th serenades, iirc. I think...

[eschiss1]

Belatedly as usual-

I now discover there -is- a book about Fuchs. (This sort of thing interests me ...)
It's in German, a language I only very barely know (thank goodness for- well, working hard, online translators, doing the best one can, I suppose.)
It's by Adalbert Grote, and the title is "Robert Fuchs : Studien zu Person und Werk des Wiener Komponisten und Theorielehrers". Published in 1994 by München : Musikverlag E. Katzbichler; Berliner musikwissenschaftliche Arbeiten, Bd. 39. The university ilbrary up the hill from me seems to have a copy, and might interloan me a copy at the public library near me (when my queue of interloan requests runs down) if I ask nicely and if it isn't a reference book, non-loan book (need to double-check that.) (Though even if it is, maybe some other library that loans to us has it as a loanable book. I do know I'm fairly interested in having a look, now I know of it. Even though a roughly similar book about Nicolay Myaskovsky (for instance...) was only available in Russian and German, I was very, -very- glad to be able to interloan a copy of the German translation of it last year; I still learned a lot.) I know there aren't that many people quite that interested in Fuchs' music around here, but thought I'd mention. 

(But even for people with other composers in mind, I mention this; worth noting that if you haven't already thought about it- you probably have, but ok, not everyone (I should have by now, but that's on me)- if you have a Romantic-era composer (ok, or three or five) over whose music you most seriously "obsess" (sort of ;^) ) there may be some significant research sources you haven't even thought of looking into yet, whose existence may prove remarkably easy to discover. I just plugged the name into Worldcat, entered some constraints ("music", quotes around the name, "book", etc.) and there it was early on...)

[eschiss1]

This latter book (Grote, 1994) has now arrived (along with a book on Marcel Rubin; both in German, but I can fake it. Sort of. I also ordered/interloaned a French 1940s B minor symphony a recording of which was uploaded here awhile back, but got Tchaikovsky's "Ukrainian" instead. (So goes, sometimes.))
Looking forward to reading the Fuchs- the latter half of which is filled with music excerpts from Fuchs, Jenner, Dessoff, Herzogenberg et al. ... including e.g. the whole first movement of Fuchs' first piano sonata op19, five pages from Op.20, 3 pages from Dessoff's sonata op.3, 10 pages from the Allegro moderato, ma energico of Fuchs' 2nd symphony... etc. )

(Oh, and 2 complete movements (first movement and variations), one annotated heavily, from Fuchs' D minor violin sonata op.68, are also in the back of the book. Nice )