Wilhelm Maria Puchtler

[Santo Neuenwelt]

Some time ago, I obtained a Musica  Bavarica CD #75120 which contained two works by the Bavarian composer Wilhelm Maria Puchter (1848-1881). One of the works, in which I am particularly interested, is his Op.9 Notturno in f minor for Piano Quartet. I found it an excellent work.

I have tried to locate the sheet music, but have had no success. Perhaps the Bayerischstaatsbibliothek has a copy. I have not checked with them, but they have not digitalized it.

Does anyone know anything about this composer and this work?

[eschiss1]

Apparently it's Puchtler, with an l. 1848-1881. Born Holzkirchen, died Nizza.

One work of his does seem to have been digitized- a Romanze for piano Op.7. (see http://resolver.staatsbibliothek-berlin.de/SBB0000EC3F00000000. Also his Zigeunerweisen op29 -see http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn=urn:nbn:de:bvb:12-bsb00010047-8.) Will need to keep looking for the notturno- maybe it's spelled nocturno, or something... hrm.

[Alan Howe]

Thanks, Eric. I have duly corrected the thread title.

[herrarte]

Anybody listened to Puchtler's take on the the same theme as Liszt's Sardanapalo as a Symphonic poem?



I find it kind of long and somewhat underdeveloped as a symphonic poem. 

[adriano]

There is also a very interesting opera "Sardanapalus" by Christian Ludwig Boxberg (1670-1729), which has a German libretto - a rarity for that time.
He was a student of the Leipzig Thomasschule.
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/christian-ludwig-boxberg-sardanapalus/hnum/5654997

Puchtler's tone poem "Sardanapal" (26 minutes) is a quite original piece; it was written when the composer was 23 years old. He died 10 years later. The work has 6 episodes and is written in the Neudeutsche Schule style. Liszt examined it and found it "full of energy, élan, originality, phantasy, musical qualities and knowledge". Hans von Bülow did not dare to intervene against the Munich Brahms-oriented clique who was against a performance, which means that this recording is a world premiere.
But a real discovery, a piece of immense beauty on this CD is Purchtler's 16-minute's "Quartett-Notturno" for piano, violin, viola and cello" - a chamber work un peu à la Raff and already pre-Rachmaninov-like. I've fallen in love with it :-)

... And there are, of course, Berlioz's "La mort de Sardanapale" and Ravel's "Myrrha", both Prix de Rome cantatas  - also based on Byron's tragedy. The Berlioz is for tenor, choir and orchestra (with a beautiful clarinet solo passage à la Weber) - and available on Harmonia Mundi. All of Berlioz's cantatas are reunited in there.
The three Ravel cantatas are available on a splendid EMI CD of 2000, conducted by Michel Plasson.
Both CDs are excellently performed!

[Alan Howe]

I must say I rather enjoyed this piece. It's not very individual, but it has plenty of variety in its six sections - and it's quite imposing in places. Definitely 'neudeutsch' in its orchestration and sonorities too. Well worth investigating.

[FBerwald]

I can't seem to find any sort of bio on this composer. Anyone here familiar with his works - style, list, etc?

[adriano]

There is a bio in the CD booklet. The style is something in-between Mendelssohn, Raff and Liszt. I am in contact with some German sources to get more infos. But, as already said, the CD's highlight is the Quartett-Notturno!
On the CD inlay and booklet he is wrongly called "Puchter".

[Alan Howe]

I'd say Liszt and Raff are good comparisons, particularly the former.

[adriano]

In the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek I have located a 20-page essay on Puchtler, They will send it to me today or tomorrow. So I may also find out the location of the scores. The mentioned Institute has only piano pieces.

[Wheesht]

In an 1877 letter to his publisher Simrock, Brahms wrote he had little to say about Puchtler: (sorry that the quote is in German only...):

"Über Puchtler weiß oder mag ich nichts Rechtes sagen. Vor allem scheint er mir (blos nach seinen Noten) ein sehr anspruchsvoller Mensch zu sein. Die Etüden sind horrend schwer und sehr unpraktisch, wie mir scheint. Ich möchte einmal seinen Fingersatz dazu sehen ... er sollte sie Liszt widmen ..."

[Alan Howe]

The gist of Brahms' opinion of Puchtler is that the latter's (piano) music is horrendously difficult to play - and that he should dedicate his Etudes to Liszt! Says it all...

[adriano]

This is my link to a substantial, over 20-pages essay on Puchtler (in German, written by Robert Münster), with a work catalogue and a discography. It was published in 2014. In there you will also find a letter by Johannes Brahms's to Puchtler and a quotation from a later letter, in which Brahms finds Puchtler's other works "just dreadful".

http://www.mediafire.com/file/s506bbkvk01qilk/Wilhelm+Maria+Puchtler+%281848-1881%29.pdf

[Alan Howe]

Thanks, Adriano. An invaluable source of information.

[Mark Thomas]

Much appreciated, Adriano. Thank you.