Jenő Hubay

[Claude Torres]

Dear members,

It seems that this hungarian jewish composer, considered as the father of hungrian violin school, has not his post in the forum.
He was born Eugen Huber on 15 September 1858 into a German family of musicians in Pest, Hungary and died 12 March 1937 in Budapest.
He was the teacher of  Joseph Szigeti, André Gertler, Eugene Ormandy among many others

One should consider the Hungaroton collection of 16 CDs (http://www.hungarotonmusic.com/hubay-jeno-a210/albums.html)
Works for Violin and Piano (13 CDs)
Violin concertos (complete) (1 CD)
Songs (1 CD)
Complete Works for Viola (1 CD)

Also available the 3 CDs by Hypérion (http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/c.asp?c=C299)
Scenes de la csarda
The Romantic Violin Concerto Vol.3
The Romantic Violin Concerto Vol.6

A single Naxos 8.572078
Violin Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 / Scenes de la Csarda Nos. 3 and 4
Chloe Hanslip, violin

and probably many others works in various discs

See The Jenő Hubay Foundation http://www.hubay.hu/ for détails and list of works

Claude

[eschiss1]

Still no complete recordings of his operas or symphonies.
One waits patiently though

[Alan Howe]

Actually, if you do a search of the entire site, you'll find plenty of references to Hubay...

[BerlinExpat]

Jenö Hubay von Szalatna
(* 15th September 1858 in Pest; † 12th March 1937 in Pest)

Anna Karenina
Opera in 3 acts
Libretto by Alexander Góth after the novel by Leo Tolstoi
in a German translation by Hans Liebstoeckl
Première: National Opera, Budapest, 10th November 1923

There's a revival in Braunschweig (Brunswick) in November and December this year. I attended a performance two seasons ago and was swept off my feet by it. I'm definitely returning in the autumn. Last time Deutschlandradio Kultur gave preference to Dominic Argento's The Voyage of E. A. Poe so I hope this year they can be persauded to broadcast Anna Karenina. The only dates I can ascertain are 19th & 29th November and 11th December 2015.
The 15th April 2016 sees a real rarity: the premiere of Antonio Smareglia's La falena! There's an old recording on YouTube with Leyla Gencer.

[Alan Howe]

and was swept off my feet by it

I can't say I've been swept off my feet by anything of Hubay's. Mind you, I only really know the violin concertos; what is the opera like?

[eschiss1]

Have skimmed parts of the vocal score of Anna Karenina and been impressed; glad it's being revived. (Hope a revival of his The Venus of Milo--- with its weird (esp. for such a high-Romantic composer...) but appropriate (to the ancient Greek era of the prologue?) pentatonalities (or something??) --- is also in the offing!!)

[Alan Howe]

I'm yet to be convinced. I find the VCs attractive, but nothing much more. Does anyone think they are of greater significance?

[eschiss1]

At a guess, he's known as a violinist first, as a composer for violin a bit behind that, as a composer more generally very distantly behind that.  I haven't heard much of his music yet ; I can only say that some of those operas look more intriguing and inventive than I was expecting based on those self-same violin concertos and salon pieces (and they lead me to wonder about a work subtitled Symphony 1914...)

[BerlinExpat]

I was swept off my feet, Alan, because with Anna Karenina I had expected something akin to the violin concertos, but it's very different. I would never had guessed who it was by had I not known. Although premièred in 1923 in Budapest, Hubay started work on it in 1914. Wikipedia lists these operas composed in 1914:
Béatrice - Messager
The Boatswain's Mate - Smythe
Cléopâtre - Massenet
Francesca da Rimini - Zandonai
The Immortal Hour - Boughton
Madeleine - Herbert
Margot - Turina
Mârouf, savetier du Caire - Rabaud
I Mori di Valenza - Ponchielli
The Nightingale - Stravinsky
Of these I would say it sounds more in the direction of Zandonai than any of the others, although I don't know Turina's Margot. There's considerable momentum in the opera which I suppose is inevitable as it has to get through the main aspects of the novel in 150 minutes!

By the way Hubay's earlier The Violin-Maker of Cremona was once very popular was played in over 70 theatres up to WWII and the 100th performance in Budapest was conducted by Mascagni. It was doubled up with Cavalleria on its 300th performance.

[Alan Howe]

That's intriguing. Thanks!

[eschiss1]

Arranged brief excerpts from The Violin-Maker of Cremona do still figure among works of his that have shown up on recording from time to time (though I haven't heard them ) (not just, e.g., in volume 2 of a complete series of recordings of his violin and piano works, but in Biddulph's "Jenő Hubay & Carl Flesch" reissue album (1991), Symposium's "René Benedetti, Harry Solloway" album issued in 2005, and a couple of others (sometimes an intermezzo, sometimes a "violin solo" from the opera, his Op.40.)

[Claude Torres]

The Violin-Maker of Cremona

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAuJp3VW8n4
Ruggiero Ricci - violin, Leon Pommers - piano

C.T.

[minacciosa]

I've actually played the 3rd Concerto, and consider it among the best fiddle concerti. It is very dramatic and symphonic, and superbly written for the violin. It's certainly the best one of his four, and it should be played far more often. It makes a great effect in concert.

[JimL]

I'm particularly fond of the "Drammatico", No. 1.

[Alan Howe]

Oh dear, I'm afraid I find VC3 full of empty posturing and possessed of little real substance. Ideas often sound impressive at first, but usually lead nowhere. The best parts are the soaring lyrical passages, but even they seem rather wan to me. No, I'm not at all convinced about Hubay's powers as a composer - yet.