Marx: Orchestral Works, Vol. 2

Featuring

Steven Sloane
Bochumer Symphoniker
Joseph Marx

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Composer Biography

Joseph Marx, the composer, was largely self-taught in music, but his intellectual development was shaped by conversations with epistemologist Alexius von Meinong and experimental psychologist Vittorio Benussi.

Critical Reception

Joseph Marx was revered by his contemporaries in Austria and enjoyed an undisputed international reputation as a major composer and teacher, with admirers including Nikolay Medtner, Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, and Pablo Casals.

Performer Biography

Steven Sloane, the conductor, is an Israeli-American musician who studied with Eugene Ormandy, Franco Ferrara, and Gary Bertini, and has served as music director for various organizations including the Spoleto Festival USA.

Performer Biography

The Bochum Symphony Orchestra, founded in 1919, is one of western Germany's leading orchestras and has a reputation as an innovative ensemble, with composers like Paul Hindemith performing their own works with them.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Joseph Marx, though an Impressionist, always called himself a 'Romantic' and deeply admired Classical composers like Mozart, Schumann, Bach, Haydn, and Schubert.

Compositional Technique

The titles 'Modo classico' and 'Modo antico' in Joseph Marx's works do not refer to specific musical theories but rather represent an attempt to convey the ideals of Classicism and antiquity, creating a cultural message.

Historical Context

Joseph Marx's shift to a more Classical style in his later works (1935-1945) was partly a response to the rise of Nazism and the decline of cultural importance of the arts, which he saw as fundamental.