Moritz Moszkowski - Prelude and Fugue for String Orchestra Op. 85

Описание: Maurycy Moszkowski - Preludium i Fuga na Orkiestrę Smyczkową
Published in 1910

Conductor: Ian Hobson
Orchestra: Sinfonia Varsovia

0:00 - Prelude
4:42 - Fugue

Bio
Of Moritz Moszkowski (1854-1925), Ignacy Jan Paderewski said "After Chopin, Moszkowski best understands how to write for the piano, and his writing embraces the whole gamut of piano technique." Moszkowski in his day was a highly sought-after piano teacher, a gifted composer, and celebrated pianist. Today his is largely unknown, but, like Lyapunov, the internet has given him enough exposure to revive his reputation. Certainly, Moszkowski's compositions still inspire, and it is hard to argue that they don't have any artistic merit. But it is important to remember where music was heading at the time of Moszkowski's decline. According to Wikipedia, he rejected students because "they wanted to write like artistic madmen such as Scriabin, Schoenberg, Debussy, Satie ..." This represents a very conservative outlook that meant a quick dismissal from progressive critics. Moszkowski's own reclusivity did not help either; as his health deteriorated he spent less time in public. This could only damage his popularity.

Moszkowski did not die forgotten, however. In his later years, Moszkowski had severe financial troubles, but many of his friends and former pupils gathered to give a concert to assist him financially. Unfortunately, by the time the money got to him, he had died of stomach cancer.

In terms of his compositional career, Moszkowski's output on the whole is very large and of incredibly high value. Much of Moszkowski's piano output requires a light touch and an incredible amount of agility and virtuosity. Moszkowski's orchestral works display cleverness but rarely span the full range of emotions that other composers of that time express. Often, he is accused of being a composer of salon music, which makes sense on an aesthetic level, as some of his compositions can be very emotionally dry. Of course he did compose many pieces intended for the salon, but it is unfair to label his whole output in this way. Today, his etudes, the Spanish Dances, and the Piano Concerti are rather popular on the internet, less so in the concert hall.

The Prelude and Fugue
Contrary to much of Moszkowski's output, this prelude and fugue is extremely expressive.
By the time this piece was composed, his health had already begun to decline. Moszkowski had been suffering from a neurological problem since the 1880's, shifting his focus from performing to giving lessons and composing. His wife had also left him at the beginning of the 1890's. That is to say that life became more complicated for him. In the works that surround this one, more resignation and sadness appear in Moszkowski's writing (see Op. 84 no. 3 for example).

Prelude - A slow and foreboding prelude. The pulsating energy combined with the slow climbing and retreating contrapuntal melodies that all overlap each other to create a kind of desolate sea. The moments where the violins emerge over the waves and cry out as the emotional climax unfolds are easily the most brilliant moments of the prelude. One could only imagine the inspiration that brought Moszkowski to write something like this.

Fugue - The prelude and the fugue really do exist together. The fugue carries on the themes of the prelude, introducing new figurations and presenting the mood differently. The leggiero of the fugue's opening may deceive the listener into thinking that the atmosphere of the prelude has been left behind, but the first hints to the contrary appear in the decrescendo at (6:27) and the following phrases. The restatement of a theme from the prelude at (6:37) makes it clear that the mood of the prelude is present here as well. In the fugue, however, there is some resolution that pivots from the desolation of the prelude into the full-blown contrapuntal whirlwind that follows. As the pieces comes to a close. the cadence slowly reveals a d-major chord that resounds in triumph.

Biographical info comes from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moritz_...
Imslp: https://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Moszk...