Robert Fuchs, a composer on this album, taught at the Vienna Conservatory, where his students included Gustav Mahler, Jean Sibelius, Hugo Wolf, and Alexander von Zemlinsky.
Composition History
Robert Schumann's Märchenbilder for viola and piano of 1851 served as a model for many subsequent viola works, including pieces by composers on this recording.
Performer Biography
Rainer Moog, the violist on this album, was the solo violist of the Berlin Philharmonic from 1974 to 1978 and has taught at several prestigious music academies worldwide.
Interpretation
Rainer Moog, the violist on this recording, has restored the original voice leading and sound image in his version of Brahms's two sonatas, making the viola more prominent and song-like.
Composer Biography
Friedrich Kiel, Johannes Brahms, and Robert Fuchs knew and admired each other, and all three received early musical instruction due to their talent.
Historical Context
Many composers felt the viola lacked the brilliant tone of the violin and the sonority of the cello, and its proportions did not lend themselves to virtuoso playing.
Composer Biography
Friedrich Kiel, a composer featured on this album, worked as a composer and music instructor for a prince at age 19, and Johannes Brahms, also featured, spent three winters as a choir director and piano teacher at a princely court.
