Fritz Volbach (1861-1940)
Poème symphonique "Es waren zwei Königskinder", op. 21
Symphonie en si mineur, op. 33

Sinfonieorchester Münster
Golo Berg, direction

Musicologue, théoricien auteur de nombreux traités sur la composition et l’orchestre, Fritz Volbach fait aussi partie de ces compositeurs de la génération de Mahler et Strauss qui écrivirent des œuvres marquées par le post-romantisme. Il était légitime que cet artisan de la vie musicale de Münster reçoive l’hommage posthume de l’orchestre de sa ville. Les deux partitions gravées en concert en janvier sous la baguette de Golo Berg illustrent l’art de ce musicien aujourd’hui bien oublié. Son beau poème symphonique « Es waren zwei Königskinder » de 1900 ne démérite pas à côté des premiers de Strauss tandis que son unique symphonie de 1908 s’avère plus conventionnelle mais d’une rigueur d’écriture qui ne faiblit toutefois jamais tout au long de ses quatre mouvements. Dans l’encyclopédique exploration que CPO mène du répertoire allemand du tournant du XXe siècle, voici une nouvelle étape de qualité. (Richard Wander)

Since 2017 Golo Berg has been the general music director of the Münster Symphony Orchestra, which was founded by the composer Fritz Volbach in 1919. It was only logical that Berg would also occupy himself with the composer around this centennial year, and Volbach turned out to be a significant personality both as a musicologist and as a composer. Berg and cpo both were surprised by the originality and high quality of these works. During the first decade of the twentieth century Volbach’s name continued to be thoroughly familiar to people who were interested in music; his works were regularly included in programs, but then they were forgotten somewhat. Volbach’s most popular works included the Symphonic Poem »Es waren zwei Königskinder« based on the famous folk ballad of the same name. Like Richard Strauss in Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, Volbach drew on this universally familiar material of folk character in response to the turn-of-the-century predilection for German tales and sagas. He attached great importance to clear structure and an intelligible musical realization, so that the story of the two enamored but unlucky royal children can be imagined without difficulty. The subsequently composed Symphony in B minor formed the crowning conclusion of Volbach’s instrumental music for orchestral ensembles. It represents, so to speak, the »royal category« at the end of his development inasmuch as his aim in this form was to demonstrate his true mastery as a composer.