January 21, 2019.Mozart and more.Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born this week, on January 27th of 1756.We write about him regularly – it couldn’t be otherwise as Mozart is the seminal figure in the history of Western music.So this time, to celebrate Mozart we’ll play a celebratory music composed by Mozart himself.The story of this piece starts with the Haffners, a prominent Salzburg family whom Mozart knew well.Sigmund Haffner the Elder was the mayor of Salzburg; Sigmund Haffner the Younger was Mozart’s friend.In 1776 Haffner Jr. commissioned Mozart to write music for the wedding of his sister, Marie Elisabeth.Mozart came up with a Serenade in D Major (K. 250), which we know as Haffner Serenade.Six years later the occasion was the ennoblement of Sigmund Haffner himself.Again, Mozart was asked for a musical accompaniment, and even though Mozart was very busy at the time, he composed yet another serenade, except that he didn’t stop there but developed the serenade into a symphony, which we know as Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385, Haffner.Here it is, performed by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under the direction of Iona Brown.
Several talented musicians were also born this week.Wilhelm Furtwängler, one of the most important conductors of the 20th century, was born on January 25th of 1886 in Schöneberg, a district of Berlin.Furtwängler is such an immense and complicated figure that we would need more than one entry to even begin to describe him.So for now, here’s a brief sketch of the first half of his life.Even though he was born in Berlin, Furtwängler spent his childhood in Munich, were his father, a prominent archeologist, received a professorship.When it became obvious that Wilhelm is an extremely gifted child, his parents took him out of public school and hired tutors to educate him privately.
He learned to play the piano at an early age; he started composing at the age of seven.(Most of his life he thought of himself as a composer first and conductor second – he started conducting in order to perform his own works.The public and the critics disagreed).From the beginning of his conducting career it was Beethoven who interested him the most.Starting at 1905, he guest-conducted in Breslau, Zurich, the Munich Hofoper and the Strasbourg Opera.In 1911, at the age of just 25, he was appointed the director of the Lübeck Opera, where he worked for four years.Then, from 1915 to 1920, he directed the Mannheim Opera.In 1920, Furtwängler succeeded Richard Strauss as the director of the Berlin Staatskapelle, the orchestra of the Berlin State Opera.He also conducted the Frankfurt Museum concerts following the departure of Willem Mengelberg.When Arthur Nikisch died in 1922, it was only natural that Furtwängler succeed him at the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Belin Philharmonic.These were some of the most coveted conducting positions in the world, but the most creative (and controversial) phase of his career was only beginning.Here’s a recording of The Siegfried Idyll, music that Wagner wrote as a birthday present for his wife Cosima in 1869 and later incorporated into his opera Siegfried.Furtwängler leads RAI National Symphony Orchestra (Italians playing Wagner!), the recording quality is not terribly good even though it was made in 1952, but the performance is alive, it breathes, moves forward, despite (or is it because of?) Wagner’s endless repeats.
Also, two great British performers, whose careers were tragically short, were born this week.Jacqueline du Pré whose recording of Elgar’s concerto is a classic, was born on January 26th of 1945.She stopped playing in 1971, at the age of26, and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis two years later.She died on October 19th of 1987.John Ogden, a pianist, was born on January 27th of 1937.Ogden shared the First prize with Vladimir Ashkenazi at the 1962 Tchaikovsky competition.He had a mental breakdown in 1973, spent the following 10 years in a hospital and after that performed only sporadically.Ogden died on August 1st of 1989.
Mozart and more, 2019
January 21, 2019. Mozart and more.Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born this week, on January 27th of 1756. We write about him regularly – it couldn’t be otherwise as Mozart is
the seminal figure in the history of Western music. So this time, to celebrate Mozart we’ll play a celebratory music composed by Mozart himself. The story of this piece starts with the Haffners, a prominent Salzburg family whom Mozart knew well. Sigmund Haffner the Elder was the mayor of Salzburg; Sigmund Haffner the Younger was Mozart’s friend. In 1776 Haffner Jr. commissioned Mozart to write music for the wedding of his sister, Marie Elisabeth. Mozart came up with a Serenade in D Major (K. 250), which we know as Haffner Serenade. Six years later the occasion was the ennoblement of Sigmund Haffner himself. Again, Mozart was asked for a musical accompaniment, and even though Mozart was very busy at the time, he composed yet another serenade, except that he didn’t stop there but developed the serenade into a symphony, which we know as Symphony No. 35 in D major, K. 385, Haffner. Here it is, performed by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under the direction of Iona Brown.
Several talented musicians were also born this week. Wilhelm Furtwängler, one of the most important conductors of the 20th century, was born on January 25th of 1886 in Schöneberg, a district of Berlin. Furtwängler is such an immense and complicated figure that we would need more than one entry to even begin to describe him. So for now, here’s a brief sketch of the first half of his life. Even though he was born in Berlin, Furtwängler spent his childhood in Munich, were his father, a prominent archeologist, received a professorship. When it became obvious that Wilhelm is an extremely gifted child, his parents took him out of public school and hired tutors to educate him privately.
He learned to play the piano at an early age; he started composing at the age of seven. (Most of his life he thought of himself as a composer first and conductor second – he started conducting in order to perform his own works. The public and the critics disagreed). From the beginning of his conducting career it was Beethoven who interested him the most. Starting at 1905, he guest-conducted in Breslau, Zurich, the Munich Hofoper and the Strasbourg Opera. In 1911, at the age of just 25, he was appointed the director of the Lübeck Opera, where he worked for four years. Then, from 1915 to 1920, he directed the Mannheim Opera. In 1920, Furtwängler succeeded Richard Strauss as the director of the Berlin Staatskapelle, the orchestra of the Berlin State Opera. He also conducted the Frankfurt Museum concerts following the departure of Willem Mengelberg. When Arthur Nikisch died in 1922, it was only natural that Furtwängler succeed him at the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra and the Belin Philharmonic. These were some of the most coveted conducting positions in the world, but the most creative (and controversial) phase of his career was only beginning. Here’s a recording of The Siegfried Idyll, music that Wagner wrote as a birthday present for his wife Cosima in 1869 and later incorporated into his opera Siegfried. Furtwängler leads RAI National Symphony Orchestra (Italians playing Wagner!), the recording quality is not terribly good even though it was made in 1952, but the performance is alive, it breathes, moves forward, despite (or is it because of?) Wagner’s endless repeats.
Also, two great British performers, whose careers were tragically short, were born this week. Jacqueline du Pré whose recording of Elgar’s concerto is a classic, was born on January 26th of 1945. She stopped playing in 1971, at the age of26, and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis two years later. She died on October 19th of 1987. John Ogden, a pianist, was born on January 27th of 1937. Ogden shared the First prize with Vladimir Ashkenazi at the 1962 Tchaikovsky competition. He had a mental breakdown in 1973, spent the following 10 years in a hospital and after that performed only sporadically. Ogden died on August 1st of 1989.