This Week in Classical Music: December 5, 2022.Ernst Toch.For the last several weeks we’ve been preoccupied with the music of Rome.It’s now time for us to get back to important dates in the musical calendar.Today it’s about the composer who was very prominent early in the 20th century Europe but is practically forgotten these days, Ernst Toch.Toch was born on December 7th of 1887 in Leopoldstadt, the same poor Jewish district of Vienna where Arnold Schoenberg was born some 13 years earlier.Toch started composing early but for a while wasn’t sure what his real calling was: he studied philosophy and medicine at fine universities before turning to music full time.In 1909 his Quartet no. 6 was performed to great acclaim by the Rosé Quartet (the quartet, one of the best in Austria, was founded by Arnold Rosé, the longtime concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Mahler’s brother-in-law).During WWI Toch served in the Austrian army in South Tyrol.The war affected him profoundly, and his post-war style changed from the late-Romantic to much edgier, sometimes atonal.Also at that time Toch moved from Austria to Mannheim, Germany.Here’s Toch’s Quartet no.9, from 1920, performed by the Verdi Quartet.And to compare, the lyrical Violin Sonata from the end of his early Romantic period; it’s performed by the violinist Annette von Hehn and the pianist Katya Apekisheva.
The 1920 were very productive for Toch: he composed two short operas, a Concerto for Cello, and several orchestral pieces.His works were regularly performed at the prestigious Donaueschingen Festival.All this ended in 1933 with Hitler coming to power.Toch, who was Jewish, moved to Paris, and from there to London.(An interesting aside concerning Toch’s stature in Germany at that time: he was in Florence in April and May of 1933 at the very first Maggio Musicale Festival, representing Germany along with Richard Strauss.From Florence he went to Paris, rather than returning to Germany).For a Jew, refugee life in Europe wasn’t easy, and in 1935 Toch moved to the US: he received a position at the New School for Social Research, or, as it was then known, the “University in Exile,” as many emigrees from Europe found jobs there.To support himself, he started writing music scores for movies, following the path of many exiled composers (Erich Wolfgang Korngold was the most successful of them), and eventually moved to California.All along he was trying to establish himself as a serious classical composer in the US – a position he rightfully held back in Europe.That didn’t work out, as the American public wasn’t very interested in his more modern compositions (though his film music was quite successful).After the war, Toch attempted to reestablish himself in Europe but that also didn’t work out: while “too radical” for the conservative late-1940s – early 1950s America, Toch wasn’t radical enough for the post-war Europe, where the likes of Stockhausen, Boulez and other composers of the Darmstadt school were gaining prominence.Eventually Toch reverted to teaching and composing symphonies, mostly in the late-Romantic style.
Here, from 1932, is Toch’s Piano Concerto, with Todd Crow at the piano and the NDR-Hamburg Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Leon Botstein.
Ernst Toch, 2022
This Week in Classical Music: December 5, 2022. Ernst Toch. For the last several weeks we’ve been preoccupied with the music of Rome. It’s now time for us to get back to important
dates in the musical calendar. Today it’s about the composer who was very prominent early in the 20th century Europe but is practically forgotten these days, Ernst Toch. Toch was born on December 7th of 1887 in Leopoldstadt, the same poor Jewish district of Vienna where Arnold Schoenberg was born some 13 years earlier. Toch started composing early but for a while wasn’t sure what his real calling was: he studied philosophy and medicine at fine universities before turning to music full time. In 1909 his Quartet no. 6 was performed to great acclaim by the Rosé Quartet (the quartet, one of the best in Austria, was founded by Arnold Rosé, the longtime concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Mahler’s brother-in-law). During WWI Toch served in the Austrian army in South Tyrol. The war affected him profoundly, and his post-war style changed from the late-Romantic to much edgier, sometimes atonal. Also at that time Toch moved from Austria to Mannheim, Germany. Here’s Toch’s Quartet no.9, from 1920, performed by the Verdi Quartet. And to compare, the lyrical Violin Sonata from the end of his early Romantic period; it’s performed by the violinist Annette von Hehn and the pianist Katya Apekisheva.
The 1920 were very productive for Toch: he composed two short operas, a Concerto for Cello, and several orchestral pieces. His works were regularly performed at the prestigious Donaueschingen Festival. All this ended in 1933 with Hitler coming to power. Toch, who was Jewish, moved to Paris, and from there to London. (An interesting aside concerning Toch’s stature in Germany at that time: he was in Florence in April and May of 1933 at the very first Maggio Musicale Festival, representing Germany along with Richard Strauss. From Florence he went to Paris, rather than returning to Germany). For a Jew, refugee life in Europe wasn’t easy, and in 1935 Toch moved to the US: he received a position at the New School for Social Research, or, as it was then known, the “University in Exile,” as many emigrees from Europe found jobs there. To support himself, he started writing music scores for movies, following the path of many exiled composers (Erich Wolfgang Korngold was the most successful of them), and eventually moved to California. All along he was trying to establish himself as a serious classical composer in the US – a position he rightfully held back in Europe. That didn’t work out, as the American public wasn’t very interested in his more modern compositions (though his film music was quite successful). After the war, Toch attempted to reestablish himself in Europe but that also didn’t work out: while “too radical” for the conservative late-1940s – early 1950s America, Toch wasn’t radical enough for the post-war Europe, where the likes of Stockhausen, Boulez and other composers of the Darmstadt school were gaining prominence. Eventually Toch reverted to teaching and composing symphonies, mostly in the late-Romantic style.
Here, from 1932, is Toch’s Piano Concerto, with Todd Crow at the piano and the NDR-Hamburg Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Leon Botstein.