Joseph Marx - Orchestral Songs (Angela Maria Blasi; Stella Doufexis)

Information

Composer: Joseph Marx

• Songs for high voice
• Songs for middle voice
• Verklärtes Jahr

Angela Maria Blasi, soprano

Stella Doufexis, mezzo-soprano

Bochum Symphony Orchestra

Steven Sloane, conductor

Date: 2004

Label: ASV

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Review

This is the second disc in a series devoted to Joseph Marx's orchestral works and after the success of the first, which featured some very beautiful symphonic pieces, we now have one devoted to the orchestral song medium. The Bochum Symphony Orchestra are attuned to these overtly romantic pieces and both soloists are also top class interpreters.

The eleven Songs for High Voice are delightful short pieces that create a haunting autumnal atmosphere that is full of nostalgic and romantic longing. They are very close to the Richard Strauss idiom especially 'Ständchen' and 'Sommerlied' but the original voice of Marx is also quite evident. Blasi sings with evident feeling for the music and the orchestral accompaniment is beautifully fashioned by Sloane and his Bochum players.

The six Songs for Middle Voice also have special features of their own although they are similar in construction to their counterparts for soprano. Stella Dolfexis is an exciting discovery as she brings with her a rich timbre and full tone that match the music perfectly. The song cycle 'Verklartes Jahr' is also very beautiful and deserves to be much better known although it si again superbly done by Sloane and the fine Bochum orchestra with Dolfexis bringing great swathes of power and drive to the final 'Auf der Campagna'.

AS&V's recording is excellently balanced although at times, the orchestra does appear to be slightly recessed. Most of the music has rarely been heard though and I do recommend this disc to those who enjoy late romantic composers such as Rott, Raff and Zemlinsky. Marx is definitely a voice that deserves to be much more frequently heard.

— Gerald Fenech

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Joseph Marx (11 May 1882 – 3 September 1964) was an Austrian composer, teacher and critic. Educated at the University of Graz, he earned a doctorate in 1909 with a study of tonality that introduced the term "atonality". Beginning his compositional career in 1908, he wrote extensively, producing more than 150 lieder, for which he is chiefly remembered, alongside orchestral and chamber works. A longtime faculty member and later rector of the Vienna Music Academy, he influenced numerous students. He was also active as a music critic in Vienna, writing about aesthetics and musical philosophy.

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Angela Maria Blasi (born 16 August 1956 in Brooklyn, New York) is an Italian-American lyric soprano. She began her career touring in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita before joining the Wiesbaden State Theatre in 1982. Her international breakthrough came with performances as Pamina at La Scala and the Royal Opera House. A prominent member of the Bavarian State Opera, she gained acclaim for roles in works by Mozart and Puccini and was named Kammersängerin in 1994. Blasi has performed worldwide, collaborated with leading conductors, and built a strong reputation in opera and concert repertoire.

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Stella Doufexis (15 April 1968 – 15 December 2015) was a German-Greek mezzo-soprano. Born in Frankfurt, she studied at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin and trained with prominent musicians including Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. Early in her career she performed with the Heidelberg Theatre, and later becoming a prominent member of the Komische Oper Berlin. Her repertoire included major roles such as Cherubino, Dorabella, Octavian and Meg Page. She appeared at leading opera houses and festivals across Europe, and was also a respected recitalist and concert soloist. She died of cancer at the age of 47.

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