Maria Bach Chamber Music Worth Exploring
Who was Maria Bach? Not a descendant of Johann Sebastian Bach — at least by blood. She was an Austrian pianist, violinist, and composer. Bach was born in 1896 and died in 1978.
She experienced success as a composer in 1920s Vienna. After the war, she married the painter Arturo Circelli. Bach transitioned from music to painting, with some success. She returned to composing in the 1960s.
Roughly speaking, her music falls into two significant periods — prewar and postwar. This release features a selection of her prewar compositions.
Her 1930 Piano Quintet is one of her most successful works. It’s also her most recorded (relatively speaking). The quintet is subtitled the Volga Quintet, and it’s based on the Volga boatmen’s song. The quintet is a well-structured work, with rich, complex late-Romantic harmonies.
Her Sonata for Cello and Piano in C minor is an earlier work, completed in 1924. Her sister Helen, a cellist, premiered the work. Bach dedicated it to Helen’s teacher, cello virtuoso Paul Grümmer. A wise move. Grümmer performed the sonata often in concert.
The work’s tonal language is a little conservative. But the cello gets one long, lyrical melody after another. And each one depends on the musicality of the cellist to bring it to life. And that makes this a piece worth hearing.
The Suite for Cello Solo in F minor seems inspired by the Cello Etudes of David Popper. As such, it’s full of technical challenges for the performer. Alexander Hulshoff delivers exceptional performances. He really digs into his instrument, giving the music additional weight and expressiveness.
This release introduced me to the music of Maria Bach. It made me want to hear more. I’d especially like to hear some of her postwar pieces.
Well-recorded and well-performed.
Maria Bach: Piano Quintet “Wolga-Quintet”
Cello Sonata; Suite for Cello Solo
Oliver Trindl, piano; Mariana Grauman, Nina Karmon, violins; Öykü Canpolat, viola; Alexander Hülshoff, cello
Hanssler Classic HC21051
