 On ne sait presque rien de la vie Frühling (1868-1937) et, de la centaine d’oeuvres qu’il a composées, seule une dizaine a survécu. Il est né dans la communauté juive de Lviv (actuelle Ukraine), ce qu’il a sa vie durant caché (il s’est converti au protestantisme et a prétendu être né à Vienne) ; ce culte du secret explique en partie cette méconnaisance de l’homme, qui meurt seul, dans le dénuement et l’oubli. Le Quintette en fa mineur, oublié pendant près de 90 ans, plein d’énergie et de fièvre, rappelle le Mendelssohn du dernier quatuor, ou les harmonies de Grieg. L’Andante est poignant, et suivi d’un Scherzo d’une légèreté trompeuse, une sorte de bal populaire au rythme goguenard, agrémenté d’une partie centrale syncopée de toute beauté, où les cordes parfois grinçantes distillent une atmosphère vaguement inquiétante. Le Quatuor est de facture classique, d’une grande maîtrise contrapunctique, dans laquelle les différents thèmes introduits passent d’une voix à l’autre. L’admiration sans borne que vouait Frühling aux grand maîtres du XIXe siècle irrigue cette musique, qu’on ne pourra certainement pas qualifier de visionnaire, mais qui procurera grand plaisir aux mélomanes ayant déjà exploré le répertoire romantique, d’autant que l’interprétation, dynamique, est totalement convaincante. (Walter Appel) It is frankly little short of a miracle that the name of Carl Frühling (1868-1937) is still remembered today, since we know next to nothing about him. A mere handful of the hundred or more works he is thought to have composed is extant today. The main reason for his relegation to oblivion is a fact that Frühling was Jewish and he actually came from Lviv (today, the city is in Ukraine). Frühling concluded his piano studies around 1889 and quickly established himself as a pianist, and was frequently in demand as a chamber musician. He often shared a stage with musicians whose names are legend today, such as singers like Leo Slezak and violinists like Pablo de Sarasate. Frühling referred to himself throughout his life as a conscientious musician, not as a light-weight “composer of popular tunes”; he composed many extensive, profound works, a few of which have survived mainly in the field of chamber music. In them, Frühling did not attempt to disavow his role models, following in the footsteps of the Classical-Romantic tradition. Carl Frühling died on November 25, 1937, three days before his 69th birthday, a poor man, presumably without any prospect of performing or having his works performed. The Piano Quintet in F sharp minor op. 30 is one of Frühling’s works which was played comparatively often; it was even published. score of the Piano Quartet in D major op. 35 has survived in a collection owned by the New York-based Flonzaley Quartet (1902-1929).
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