Presents
Robert Fuchs
Serenade No.2 in C Major, Op.14
For 4 Violins, 2 Violas, 2 Cellos & Bass
His First Serenade for four violins, two violas, two cellos and bass or string orchestra dates from 1874 and was a tremendous success leading Fuchs to write a second in 1876. It was dedicated to Count Tamas Nyary a member of the Austro-Hungarian nobility and a minor composer in his own right. It is in four movements and opens with an Allegretto which begins with a gentle, upbeat march-like theme which dominates the entire movement. The emotional center of the Serenade is an expansive and sweeping Larghetto. The third movement, Allegro risoluto, is a energetic and resolute melody which Fuchs takes through several modulations. The finale, a Presto, is a whirling Italianesque tarantella in the tradition of Mendelssohn. Fuchs' serenades became so popular that he wrote four more. He was nicknamed The Serenade Fox (Fuchs is fox in German). Unfortunately, these were virtually the only compositions of his which achieved fame, despite the fact that his music was highly regarded by most of the day's leading musicians, including Brahms who almost never praised the works of other composers. Brahms wrote, “Robert Fuchs is a splendid musician, everything is so fine and so skillful, so charmingly invented, that one is always pleased.”
Robert Fuchs (1847-1927) was born near the Styrian capital of Graz and attended the University of Vienna Conservatory studying with Otto Dessoff and Joseph Hellmesberger. By 1875, he himself was teaching at the Conservatory, eventually rising to the rank of Professor of Composition. He was one of the most famous and revered teachers of his time. Mahler, Sibelius, Hugo Wolf, Franz Schmidt, Alexander Zemlinsky, Franz Schrecker and Richard Heuberger were among his many students. The entry in Cobbett's Cyclopedic Survey of Chamber Music has this to say about Robert Fuchs: "Fuchs was an extremely refined and cultured composer. He stood high in favor with Brahms who continually gave him warm recommendations to publishers. Together with excellent technical equipment, he possessed the gift for writing charming melodies."
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
