Presents
Siegfried Fall
Piano Trio in a minor, Op.4
Siegfried Fall (1877-1943) was born in the city of Olmütz in the province of Moravia, then part of the Habsburg Austrian empire, now in the Czech Republic. Both his father and his brothers were opera composers. His initial studies were with his father before moving to Berlin where he studied with Heinrich von Herzogenberg and Max Bruch at the Berlin Hochschule fur Musik. Shortly after graduating, his Piano Trio in a minor, Op. 4 composed in 1899 received Germany's highest musical award for students, the Mendelssohn Prize. Several of his works received regular concert performance before World War I, including his operas, symphonies and chamber music, but after the war, he had little success and was forced to earn a living as an arranger and choral director in Vienna.
The opening movement to the trio, Allegro ma non troppo, begins with a highly romantic, yearning theme which has considerable energy and forward drive. One can well imagine the judges' reactions as the the trio grabs one’s attention from the opening notes and does not let go. The middle movement, a lovely, lyrical Adagio, is calm and again very romantic. The big finale, Rondo allegro, is the piece de resistance. It begins with a short, jaunty subject, which when developed is clearly recognizable as kind of folk dance melody. The second theme is broad and almost operatic in nature. A third theme is yet another lively folk melody. This movement, by itself alone, was worthy of the prize.
All in all, an outstanding late Romantic era piano trio which deserves concert performance and which can be recommended to experience amateurs.
Parts: $29.95
