Presents
Johanna Műller-Hermann
Piano Quintet in g minor, Op.31-World Premiere Edition
Johanna Műller-Hermann (1868-1941) was born in Vienna as Johanna Hermann. She received violin and piano lessons at an early age and wished to become a musician but due to circumstances of the time this was not possible and she entered a teacher training school and subsequently taught at a Vienna primary school to support herself until she was able to marry, which allowed her to quit teach and study music. She continued her violin and piano lessons and studied composition with several prominent composers including Joseph Labor, Guido Adler, Josef Bohuslav Foerster, Franz Schmidt and Alexander Zemlinsky. In 1918, she succeeded Foerster as Professor of Music Theory at the New Vienna Conservatory. She wrote in most genres includng chamber music. During her lifetime, she was considered one of the leading women composers in the German speaking world.
The Piano Quintet of dates from 1931-2 and is a product of her full maturity. It is in four movements. The powerful and dramatic opening movement is almost as long as the other three movements put together. It begins with a pensive Adagio sostenuto introduction which leads to the main section, a questioning and turbulent Allegro appassionato. The music runs the gambit every possible emotion from the lyrical and song-like, to explosive and violent. It is an edgy mix of post-Brahmsian, late Romanticism, sometimes, from a tonal standpoint, briefly veering off into the realm of dissonance. The second movement, Adagio, begins with a brooding piano and cello introduction before the other strings join in, singing a yearning, lyrical theme in choral fashion. Firmly in the late Romantic tradition, there is none of the edgy modernism of the first movement. Next comes a Scherzo, allegro moderato which has the qualify of a very modern take of a quick-step waltz, full of forward motion. A much slower and somewhat depressed trio section, marked Larghetto, provides a nice contrast. The finale begins with with the same motif heard in the Adagio sostenuto introduction with which the Quintet began. The main section, Allegretto amabile, starts off in a relaxed and genial fashion, bright and playful but every now and then it is interrupted, albeit briefly, by the ominous motif. And again, just before the movement ends, it appears but is quickly brushed away.
It is truly amazing that this work never saw the light of day until now. It cannot fail to make a very strong impression upon audiences who are lucky enough to hear it. We strongly encourage professional musicians to bring it to concert. By no means an easy work from an ensemble standpoint, stillit is not beyond experienced amateur players who are at home with the chamber music of Bruckner and the early tonal works of Zemlinsky and Schoenberg. Our edition is based on a manuscript made by Műller-Hermann in her own hand and which can be found in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (Austrian National Library). We are grateful to our friend Oliver Triendl for making the parts and recording used for the soundbites available to us.
Parts: $44.95
