Carl Frühling - Piano Quintet, Op. 30 (1892)

Carl Frühling (28 November 1868 – 25 November 1937) was an Austrian composer and pianist. Born in Lemberg (now Lviv, Ukraine), he attended from 1887 until 1889 the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde where he was taught the piano by Anton Door and music theory by Franz Krenn. He became a piano accompanist and teacher, working with Bronisław Huberman, Pablo de Sarasate, Egon Wellesz, and the Rosé Quartet. He died in Vienna in poverty. Please support my channels: Piano Quintet in F-sharp minor, Op. 30 (October, 1892) Dedication: Herr August Hansel 1. Allegro molto agitato ed appassionato (0:00) 2. Andante cantabile (9:01) 3. Scherzo. Allegretto grazioso (16:22) 4. Finale. Allegro vivace (22:59) Daniel Giglberger and Nina Karmon, violin Roland Glassl, viola Floris Mijnders, cello and Oliver Triendl, piano Details by Edition Silvertrust: The Piano Quintet was published in 1894 and, up until the start of World War I, enjoyed considerable popularity in Austria and Germany. The title to the first movement, Allegro agitato ed molto appassionato, well describes the music. From the opening notes, the rich melody, powerful and brooding but full of promise, seizes the listener’s attention. The dramatic music rushes forward, ever racing toward its destiny. Finally, the appearance of the more relaxed second theme allows for the relief of tension. The second movement, Andante cantabile, begins with a gorgeous cello solo. Soon the others join in to further develop this lovely and highly romantic melody. A playful and somewhat naughty Scherzo comes next. It is full of tricks and surprises. The darker and slower trio section provides a fine contrast. The last movement, though simply marked Finale, is clearly meant to be played at a brisk pace. The march-like main theme bursts forth with tremendous forward energy. Then, without warning, Frühling introduces an exciting fugue which is used as a lengthy introductory bridge passage to the buoyant but lyrical second theme. Carl Frühling (1868-1937) was born in what was then known as Lemberg, the capital city of the province of Galicia, a part of the Austrian Habsburg empire. (Today it is in Ukraine and known as Lviv). He studied piano with Anton Door and composition with Franz Krenn at the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna. Door had studied with Carl Czerny and was a close friend of Brahms while Krenn was considered one of the leading composition teachers of the day, having taught Mahler, Rott, Zemlinsky and Janacek. Upon graduating, Frühling was awarded the Liszt Prize for piano performance in 1889. For many years he enjoyed a career as an accompanist to some of the most important instrumental soloists and vocalists then performing, including such stars as Pablo Sarasate, Bronislav Huberman and Leo Slezak. He often served as pianist to the Rosé Quartet, then Vienna’s premiere string quartet. In the wake of the First World War and its catastrophic effect on Austria and Vienna, his career was virtually destroyed and, sadly, he and his music were soon forgotten. He composed in most genres and left several first rate chamber music compositions. Frühling was only able to interest publishers in a few works, largely due to the rise of anti-semitism in Vienna at the time he was composing. Frühling was Jewish. After his death, most of his manuscripts were eventually lost.