Maier-Röntgen’s Piano Quartet

Amanda Maier-Röntgen (1853−1894), the first woman in Sweden to graduate as a music director, has been rediscovered and had a renaissance in recent years, and several of her works have been recorded on albums. Konserthuset Play also has several recordings, including of the Violin Concerto and this Piano Quartet. 

The Piano Quartet in E-minor from 1891 was composed after a trip to Norway. Otherwise, Amanda Maier-Röntgen lived much of her adult life in Amsterdam after marrying pianist and composer Julius Röntgen in 1880. It is unclear how many pieces she composed, but her uniquely designed piano quartet from 1891 is one of her best-known pieces today, and it shows that she was a late-Romantic composer of international prestige. 

Zdeněk Fibich (1850–1900) was a Czech composer. It is possible that the reason he is not as well-known as his countrymen Smetana and Dvorák may be because at a time when National Romanticism was in fashion, Fibich composed in his own bold Central European style. His oeuvre is comprehensive and includes three symphonies and at least seven operas, in addition to chamber music, like this expansive and colourful quintet from 1893 for strings, winds and piano. This rarely heard music truly deserves attention, which is happening now thanks to this ensemble composed of members of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra.