Maria Herz was born in Cologne and studied there with Max von Pauer and Josef Schwartz. After her marriage in 1901 she lived in England (Yorkshire) until 1914. She raised four children and still found the time to lead a busy musical life. More information is available on her German Wikipedia (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Herz) page. It is not known exactly when she composed her (unpublished) piano concerto. Despite the early opus number, it is probably not from her English period but rather from the mid-twenties when she was at her most prolific. Her estate has been in the Music Department of Zurich Central Library since 2015.
In May 2019 her piano concert was played in Cologne with Alexandre Chenorkian as the soloist and the OZM Symphony of NRW and is available on Youtube (https://youtu.be/lIFHskKSYSQ).
Works of hers were performed in concert even as late as the 1930s ("Albert Maria Herz"- at first I thought that was someone else but Wikipedia informs me that was indeed her full name), but it's hard to tell here from Google Preview just what works they were- I'll have to do further research. (It's clear one of them was a set of orchestral lieder either by or arranged by her, but aside from that...)
Wikipedia says that she started signing her compositions "Albert Maria Herz" to honour her husband Albert, who had died in 1920, but also, possibly, because women composers were not taken seriously at the time.
Swiss Radio SRF Kultur will dedicate its "Passage" programme on Friday 9 October at 20.00 CET to Maria Herz (repeated on Sunday 11 October at 15.00 CET). What music of hers and how much will be part of that programme, I don't know. It's a programme in which music is discussed (in German), but for those who do not speak the language and are still interested in her music, there is a concert on 18 October in Zurich that will be recorded by the same station. Whether this is just for broadcasting at a later date or even a CD is not clear at the moment - nor indeed if this concerto, her last work, is suitable for discussion here.
Maria Herz: Concerto for Cembalo (or Pianoforte) with String Orchestra & Flute, op. 15 (1934/35) in a version for piano, string quartet and flute
Antonín Dvořák: Quintet in A major for two violins, viola, cello and piano, op. 81 (1887)
Here's the link (https://www.srf.ch/radio-srf-2-kultur/srf-kulturclub/18-oktober-2020-die-wundervolle-wiederentdeckung-der-maria-herz-ausgebucht).
QuoteIn May 2019 her piano concert was played in Cologne with Alexandre Chenorkian as the soloist and the OZM Symphony of NRW and is available on Youtube.
Thanks for the link, Wheest. It's a fascinating neo-romantic concerto, full of passion and never dull. It reminds me of another concerto but I can't work out which one; it happens as one gets older!
I wonder if someone here would be kind enough to record this performance of her Op. 15 concerto for piano, flute and strings, if and when it is broadcast.
Extracts from a concert in Cologne on 10 December including her sonata for violin and piano can be heard here (http://kultur-stifter.de/20191210.shtml) (the sonata is the last item).
I can, but I will have to be reminded a couple of days before, Gareth :-)
Dear Adriano,
Thank you very much indeed.
Gareth
The performance of 18 October last year with Maria Herz' concerto for piano, flute and strings will be broadcast on Swiss "Radio SRF 2 Kultur" on 23 May at 16.03 CEST and will be available to listen to indefinitely afterwards, according to the SRF website (https://www.srf.ch/audio/im-konzertsaal/das-zuercher-s-ensemble-spielt-musik-der-komponistin-maria-herz?id=11968925).
If you missed hearing the Concerto, Op. 15, no need to wait until May 23. It is still online at
https://neo.mx3.ch/mariaherz
The soloist in the Piano Concerto is the indefatigable Oliver Triendl I see. The man is a wonder.
Isn't he just ... and seeing his name on this upcoming release makes me really look forward to it.
Not my cup of tea at all, judging by the audio extracts - spiky chromaticism right on the outer edge of our remit. Sorry!
I agree, but each to his own, within our remit of course. :)