Lange, Julius (1866 - 1939) Piano Concerto

[Reverie]

Very little known about this composer. The dates I have copied off IMSLP so I don't know how accurate that is? I hope someone can do some "digging" !

Anyway this piano concerto has been a hidden wonder for too long. Great balance between orchestra and soloist.

PIANO CONCERTO:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnl_M80W_ww

[4candles]

Sounds rather accomplished to my relatively novice ears! Even on the evidence of this first movement, it certainly seems worthy of recording - but then so do so many of these unsung works!

[pianoconcerto]

I posted this comment on the youtube video.  Thanks for posting this concerto.  I hope you will upload the other two movements, too, since the manuscript on IMSLP is complete.  For information on Lange, see the Zentralbibliothek Zürich webpage <https://www.zbcollections.ch/home/#/content/897b0a89cd714e6c9dd6d311db380a20?tab=inhalt> that includes (under "Kontext") a brief biography as well as (under "Dateien") a detailed catalogue of his works and a photograph. Additional biographical information can be found at <http://www.archivaria.com/BusDbios/BusDbios7.html>.

[Reverie]

Many thanks for the links pianoconcerto. A short biography, work list and a photo! What more could I want. Thanks again.

[eschiss1]

I assume the birthdate comes from MusicSack which refers to 4 sources in turn, Wikipedia (Russian language) also.

[eschiss1]

And thanks also to pianoconcerto!

[Reverie]

All three movements of this accomplished piano concerto:

LINK:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnl_M80W_ww

[Alan Howe]

IMSLP has the date as '1924 or earlier'.

Brief biography (in German), as indicated by pianoconcerto, above:

Verwaltungsgeschichte: Lange, Julius (8.11.1866-1939); Komponist, Dirigent
Julius Lange wurde am 8. November 1866 in Mönchengladbach geboren. Er absolvierte sein Musikstudium am Conservatorium der Musik in Köln (u.a. bei Franz Wüllner und Isidor Wilhelm Seiss) und an der Königlichen Hochschule für Musik in Berlin (u.a. bei Friedrich Kiel, Ernst Friedrich Karl Rudorff, Adolf Schulze). Lange zog nach Zürich und wurde 1896 Klavierlehrer am Zürcher Konservatorium. Zudem leitete er den Männerchor Riesbach und den Lehrergesangverein Zürich, 1899 gründete er zudem einen Lehrerinnenchor. 1904 wurde Lange Bürger von Zürich. Zwei Jahre später siedelte er als Leiter des Kursaalorchesters nach Montreux über. 1909 nahm er einen Ruf nach Buffalo als Chor- und Orchesterleiter an, kehrte aber wegen des ersten Weltkrieges wieder in die Schweiz zurück. Ab 1917 wirkte Lange als Musikdirektor in Biel, zudem dirigierte er die Liedertafel und den Gemischten Chor Konkordia. Ab 1922 veranstaltete er auch regelmässig Kammermusikvorträge und Klavierabende mit Erläuterungen. Sein kompositorisches Oeuvre umfasst Klavierwerke, Vokalwerke (v.a. für Männerchor) sowie Orchesterwerke. Julius Lange starb 1939.
Quellen / Literatur:
Refardt, Edgar: Historisch-biographisches Musikerlexikon der Schweiz. Zürich 1928.
https://www.zbcollections.ch/home/#/content/897b0a89cd714e6c9dd6d311db380a20#%2F

Google translation:

Biography: Lange, Julius (November 8, 1866-1939); Composer, conductor.
Julius Lange was born on November 8, 1866 in Mönchengladbach. He completed his musical studies at the Conservatory of Music in Cologne (with Franz Wüllner and Isidor Wilhelm Seiss, among others) and at the Royal University of Music in Berlin (with Friedrich Kiel, Ernst Friedrich Karl Rudorff, Adolf Schulze, among others). Lange moved to Zurich and became a piano teacher at the Zurich Conservatory in 1896. He also directed the Riesbach Men's Choir and the Zurich Teachers' Choir, and in 1899 he also founded a female teachers' choir. In 1904 Lange became a citizen of Zurich. Two years later he moved to Montreux as director of the Kursaal Orchestra. In 1909 he accepted a position in Buffalo as a choir and orchestra director, but returned to Switzerland because of the First World War. From 1917, Lange worked as music director in Biel, and he also conducted the Liedertafel and the Konkordia mixed choir. From 1922 he also regularly organized chamber music lectures and piano recitals with explanations. His compositional oeuvre includes piano works, vocal works (especially for men's choir) and orchestral works. Julius Lange died in 1939.
Sources/literature:
Refardt, Edgar: Historisch-biographisches Musikerlexikon der Schweiz. Zürich 1928.

[Ilja]

A bit of a footnote, but it appears that Lange studied with Kiel and Rudorff in Berlin together with Fritz Kauffmann, of Franke fame. Kauffmann was a few years older but first trained as a pharmacist.

[Alan Howe]

This is a very interesting find - something like Korngold, perhaps? I enjoyed it a lot more than Senfter's PC.

[Mark Thomas]

That's setting the bar a bit low, though, Alan.

[Ilja]

I really enjoyed this concerto albeit in a superficial sort of way. The middle movement is perhaps the most exceptional (in a good or bad way, depending on your perspective) as it mostly feels like a string of piano miniatures with occasional accompaniment. The finale feels quite Von Sauer-ish, relatively light-footed compared to the opening movement. 

One thing: the coda to the first movement sounds very familiar; probably inspired (for want of a better word) by something I should've recognized immediately, but I didn't. Anyone?

[semloh]

I echo the previous comments. Enjoyable, but so many trills in the middle movement that I really wanted to 'fast forward'! The last movement scamper reminded me of Litolff. It was composed before 1924 (per imslp), but I wonder how long before? In fact, I have been unable to discover any of the dates of Lange's compositions, as he doesn't appear in any of my regular sources.

[Gareth Vaughan]

I must just add my thanks, Martin, for your rendition of this lovely piano concerto. It is quite a find IMHO. I have enjoyed discovering it very much indeed. I never knew Lange had composed one. I too, like semloh, was reminded of Litolff in the finale - thoroughly delightful.

[tuatara442442]

II never knew Lange had composed one.

Maybe you are thinking about Gustav Lange. But this Lange is a totally unknown Julius