Presents
Robert Volkmann
Serenade No.1 in C Major, Op.62
For 4 Violins, 2 Violas, 2 Cellos & Bass
Friedrich Robert Volkmann (1815-1883) was almost an exact contemporary of Wagner, however, he certainly did not tread the same path as his fellow countryman. Volkmann forever kept Beethoven in front of him as his model although he was later to fall under the sway of Mendelssohn and then Schumann. In his day, Volkmann and his music were highly regarded. Hans von Bülow, the famous conductor, noted that when Liszt had a stranger visiting him, for whom he wished to provide a superlative enjoyment, he played a Volkmann piano trio with Joachim the famous violinist and the cellist Cossmann. Volkmann's second piano trio was often mentioned in the same breath as Beethoven’s Op.97, “The Archduke.” High praise indeed for a composer whose works today are nearly all out of print. During his lifetime, Volkmann’s music was not only considered the equal of that of Schumann or Mendelssohn but also more advanced. It was commonly recognized that Volkmann's music was the link between Schumann and Brahms. Ars Longa, vita brevis as the saying goes, but alas for Volkmann it was not only vita brevis but also fama brevis! Though born and schooled in Germany, (he studied at Freiburg & Leipzig), Volkmann, after a brief stint in Prague, got a job in Pest in 1841 and made friends among the large German community there. Though he went to Vienna in 1854, he missed Pest and moved back in 1858 where he remained for the rest of his life.
He wrote three serenades which were among his most popular works and were often performed up until the First World War when he and his music, like those of so many other fine Romantic era composers, disappeared. Though originally for string orchestra and it is normally heard in this version, soon after its publication in 1869, it began to be played and performed by string nonets which gave the work a whole new quality of charm and intimacy. The Serenade No.1 consists of four short character pieces which are mood pictures: Maestoso alla Marcia - Un poco più lento, attacca: Allegro vivo attacca Andante sostenuto attacca Maestoso alla Marcia. Tchaikovsky, who was familiar with the Serenade, writing in a prominent Russian musical periodical, called it an outstanding and superb work.
Long out of print, we are pleased to reintroduce a work which makes a fine selection for nonet or string orchestra.
Parts: $47.95
Parts & Score: $54.95
