Presents
Paul Juon
Soundbites below
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Series 1 Opus 9 |
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Series 2 Op.43 |
Silhouettes for 2 Violins & Piano, Opp.9 and 43 Complete
Paul Juon's Silhouettes for 2 Violins and Piano were never available together. Each set was divided into 2 parts or books and sold separately to increase the publisher's profits. Now, for the first time we offer each set complete and at a very competitive price. The Silhouettes are character pieces, a once popular format for recitals and concerts which Robert Schumann had pioneered. The first set, the Op.9. date from 1899 at which time he was still living and working in Russia. Each of the six pieces has a different and contrasting mood, several with Russian flavor. The second set, Op.43 came a decade later in 1909 by which time he was living and teaching in Berlin. The music tonally is more advanced and shows the influence of developments then taking place.
During his lifetime, Paul Juon (1872-1940) was widely regarded as an important composer and his works were given frequent performance throughout Europe. He has been called the link between Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky. In his early music, one can hear the influence of his Russian homeland and schooling. Of course, Juon recognized that though he had been born in Russia and schooled there, he was a still foreigner living among Russians. His second period is more cosmopolitan and is in tune with the contemporary Central European trends of the early 20th century. Ultimately, it is hard to characterize his music as Russian or German, Romantic, Modern or Folkloric, because one can find all of these elements in his music. Paul Juon was the son of Swiss parents who emigrated to Moscow where he was born. Educated at the Moscow German High School, he entered the Moscow Conservatory where he studied violin with Jan Hrimaly and composition with Anton Arensky and Sergei Taneyev. After graduating, he went to Berlin for further composition instruction from Woldemar Bargiel. Juon served as a professor of composition at the prestigious Berlin Hochschule für Musik between 1906 and 1934.
It is fair to say that the Silhouettes are among the very finest works for 2 violins and piano. Certainly deserving of concert performance but also for home music making by amateurs. Unavailable for nearly a century, we are very pleased to reintroduce these fine works.
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(A) Silhouettes Series 1 Op.9 |
$24.95 |
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(B) Silhouettes Series 2 Op.43 |
$24.95 |
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(C) Silhouettes Series 1 & 2 |
$44.95 |
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