1882-1964
Marx has fared better than his fellow Graz composer Siegmund Hausegger. Many of the genres Marx explored are represented on record.
The composer is of the generation of late Romantics. It is not my favorite style of mine, for its long-breathed, free-flowing mellifluousness doesn't always hit home.
Two problems exist in Marx becoming prolific among listeners. He shares a last name with a famous communist leader, no fault of his own, of course. Second, he may have been a Nazi sympathizer, although I admit that aspect has been softened through further research.
I am no musicologist, so take everything on this blog with a grain of salt and a whiff of stupidity. Yet, Marx seems to have a double-whammy against him.
The important part, for me at least, is the music. CPO, ASV, and Naxos have done the composer well. I hope his past can be flushed out, so that either more may join in on his brand of music making or he can take a political backseat to his contributions in music.
Recordings and reviews currently on hand (Click below to visit):
2006: String Quartets
2008: Autumn Festival & Spring Music
2009: Orchestral Songs & Choral Music
2010: Piano Quartets
2018: Nature Trilogy
2019: Piano Concertos
2019: Autumn Symphony