Foerster: Festival Overture, Op. 7 / My Youth Op. 44

Description

Josef Bohuslav Foerster (1859-1951)Festive Overture, Op. 70 World premi?¿re recordingMeine Jugend (My Youth), Symphonic Poem Op. 44 World premi?¿re recordingSymphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 54, 'Easter Eve'Josef Bohuslav Foerster was born in Prague in 1859. Hestudied at the Prague Organ School, and upon graduationhe was appointed organist at St Vojtĕch Church, takingover the post from no less a figure than Antonin Dvořák.In these years Foerster also had close contact with BedřichSmetana, and received encouragement from Tchaikovskyand others. In 1888 he married the famous Czech sopranoBerta Lauterer, and the couple eventually moved toHamburg. It was here that Foerster met Gustav Mahler, afellow German-speaking Bohemian, and the two becamefriends. The Foersters went with Mahler to Vienna in 1903,where they remained until they returned to Prague in 1918.By the time of his death, at the age of 91, Foerster hadbecome the grand old man of Czech music, teaching manyimportant young composers. In all this time he alsocomposed prolifically. His writing was influenced bothby his close connection with music for the church,including a complete mastery of Palestrina-stylecounterpoint, and by his love of the theatre. Music, and allart, was for Foerster an expression of the beauty of thehuman soul.Foerster's Festive Overture, Op.70, was written forthe opening of the new theatre at Kralovske Vinohrady inPrague in 1907. It begins with an arresting kettle-drumsolo, followed by an energetic main theme. The richlylyrical second theme combines Czech flair and Vienneseelegance. All three of these ideas are soon combinedcontrapuntally, yet with the utmost naturalness and flowingmomentum. In the development another theme is heard,also lyrical but with a striving, heroic character. In therecapitulation, after a dramatic pause, this heroic themeappears wistfully, before the kettle-drum solo returns tolead the music to a rousing conclusion.The symphonic poem Meine Jugend (My Youth) isalso a product of Foerster's years in Vienna. The bounding6/8 main theme suggests the stride of a confident youngman, happy with the world. This soon gives way to anotherof Foerster's gorgeously lyrical second themes, with adelicacy and radiance of scoring that here almost looksforward to Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier. These two ideasare developed with a wide variety of mood and expression,including some meltingly beautiful tranquil passages, untila broad climax is reached. A new, song-like theme thenappears, marked Andante religioso, which may representthe deep importance of faith in Foerster's life. Therecapitulation begins with a brief but fun fugato, perhapsa reference to his years of schooling. The second themethen returns even more richly scored than before, leadingto a dissonant outcry, representing the sudden death ofthe composer's mother. A passage of quiet stillness ensues,followed by the wonderful reassurance of the religiosotheme. A brilliant coda rounds off the work