Moritz Moszkowski - Ballade in G-Minor for Violin and Orchestra Op. 16 No. 1 (Brabbins, Little)

Maurycy Moszkowski - Suita na orkiestrę / Suite d'Orchestre No.1
Published in 1878. Arr. 1888

Conductor: Martyn Brabbins
Orchestra: BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

Bio
Of Moritz Moszkowski (1854-1925), Ignacy Jan Paderewski said "After Chopin, Moszkowski best understands how to write for the piano, and his writing embraces the whole gamut of piano technique." Moszkowski in his day was a highly sought-after piano teacher, a gifted composer, and celebrated pianist. Today his is largely unknown, but, like Lyapunov, the internet has given him enough exposure to revive his reputation. Certainly, Moszkowski's compositions still inspire, and it is hard to argue that they don't have any artistic merit. But it is important to remember where music was heading at the time of Moszkowski's decline. According to Wikipedia, he rejected students because "they wanted to write like artistic madmen such as Scriabin, Schoenberg, Debussy, Satie ..." This represents a very conservative outlook that meant a quick dismissal from progressive critics. Moszkowski's own reclusivity did not help either; as his health deteriorated he spent less time in public. This could only damage his popularity.

Moszkowski did not die forgotten, however. In his later years, Moszkowski had severe financial troubles, but many of his friends and former pupils gathered to give a concert to assist him financially. Unfortunately, by the time the money got to him, he had died of stomach cancer.

In terms of his compositional career, Moszkowski's output on the whole is very large and of incredibly high value. Much of Moszkowski's piano output requires a light touch and an incredible amount of agility and virtuosity. Moszkowski's orchestral works display cleverness but rarely span the full range of emotions that other composers of that time express. Often, he is accused of being a composer of salon music, which makes sense on an aesthetic level, as some of his compositions can be very emotionally dry. Of course he did compose many pieces intended for the salon, but it is unfair to label his whole output in this way. Today, his etudes, the Spanish Dances, and the Piano Concerti are rather popular on the internet, less so in the concert hall.