Hans Gál: Music for viola and piano on RecArt

In getting to grips with Hans Gál’s music, the listener must realise that his aesthetic is conservative. Brahms, and to a lesser extent Mahler, can be seen as influential. The avant-garde and even the strictures of Schoenbergian dodecaphonic techniques are not heard. It has been well summed up in the current online edition of Grove’s Dictionary: his style “[unites] many elements: the clarity, playful humour and formal mastery of early Classicism; the chromatic harmony and extended tonality of early 20th-century, pre-serial music; a Schubertian love of melody; the lyricism and emotional restraint of Brahms and the contrapuntal textures that remained fundamental to his style.”

For a detailed introduction to Hans Gál see Margaret Moncrieff Kelly’s outstanding “Personal Tribute and Memoir” in these pages.  For a brief biographical overview, see my review of his Music for Voices, Volume 2, here.

The Viola Sonata, op.101, written in 1942, is a major work by any standards. It opens with a thoughtful Adagio which traverses some deeply felt emotions. This surely reflects the challenging times Gál was experiencing that year. Sadly, his mother was badly injured in a road accident and subsequently died. Equally traumatic for him was the suicide of both his sister, Edith and his aunt, Jenny. Both had remained in Germany, and now took this action to avoid deportation to the concentration camps.  The second movement is a parody of a Viennese waltz, with a certain amount of humour. That said, the rapt “trio” section reverts to deeper thoughts. The finale is a march, opening with a restless theme in A minor. This is transformed in several ways, before being slowed down and reprised for the final time in the major key. Overall, this beautifully devised sonata seems to look beyond Gál’s painful personal circumstances. Although there is much brooding, the overall impact is of optimism, rather than angst or resentment.

The beautiful, deliciously retro, Impromptu was written in Edinburgh during 1940. It was dedicated to Gál’s young son, Peter, who had recently taken up the viola. The liner notes remind the listener that an “impromptu” was understood by the composer as “spontaneous invention.” Certainly, it has the freedom of expression that this implies. This present from father to son probably coincided with a term break from the lad’s boarding school. Gál’s daughter, Eva Fox-Gál suggests that the pair of them would have played it together. Nothing complicated, just romantic, Brahmsian and emotionally plangent. It should be in the repertoire of all violists and would make a moving encore.

The Suite for viola and piano has several incarnations. It was originally written for the virtuoso Dutch saxophonist, Jules de Vries and was scored for alto saxophone and orchestra. It received its premiere in Borås, Sweden as Suite Concertante. The liner notes explain that at the back of Gál’s mind, the piece was, from the start, envisaged for viola and piano. Seemingly the composer performed it in Edinburgh in this format in 1951. The Suite has four movements. The opening “cantabile” is an intimate dialogue between instruments that is lugubrious and ruminative. It leads into a “furious” dance which is acerbic, if not too dissonant. A gently unfolding minuet follows, which continues the mood of soul-searching, even harking back to Elgar. The finale, titled “Burla,” is a rondo featuring a rumbustious refrain contrasting with expressive episodes. The work ends with a dramatic cadenza.

The CD booklet is informative. The first part gives an outline of Hans Gál’s life and times. Then follows an appreciation of the composer by the Katarzyna Wasiak. There are biographies of the performers. The most important section is the last, which features an interview with Eva Fox-Gál. This is presented in question/answer format and offers a considerable insight into the works recorded on this disc. The booklet is printed in Polish, German, and English.

The Viola Sonata and the orchestral version of the Suite were featured in the first volume of Toccata Classics’ survey of Gál’s viola music, played by Hanna Pakkala (viola) and Irina Zahharenkova (piano). It is reviewed here, by Richard Hanlon. There are several other recordings of the works included on this disc.

I enjoyed this new release of Hans Gál’s chamber music from RecArt. I found it absorbing from the first bar to the last, but more importantly, it moved me. The performances by Magdalena Tchórzewska (viola) and Katarzyna Wasiak (piano) balance the humour, the warmth, the lyricism and the introspection of these appealing works. It is complimented by an excellent recording and informative documentation.

Track Listing
Hans Gál (1890-1987)
Sonata for viola and piano, op.101 (1942)
Impromptu for viola and piano (1940)
Suite for viola and piano, op.102a (1949)
Magdalena Tchórzewska (viola), Katarzyna Wasiak (piano)
rec. 16-17 November 2019, Aula Nova Hall, Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music, Poznań, Poland
Recart 0045

With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.