This Week in Classical Music: January 6, 2020.Happy New Year!We just missed a remarkable date in the history of piano playing: three great pianists were born on January 5th: Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli in 1920, Alfred Brendel in 1931 and Maurizio Pollini in 1942.Also, several interesting composers were born this week, among them one of our favorites, the Frenchman Francis Poulenc (on January 7th of 1899).But we want to celebrate the 190th birthday of Hans von Bülow, one of the most influential conductors of the 19th century, who was born on January 8th of 1830.Bülow was not just a conductor, he was among the finest pianists of the 19th century and one of Franz Liszt’s favorite students; he was also a composer.Born in Dresden, as a boy he studied piano with Friedrich Wieck, father of Clara Wieck and teacher of Robert Schumann, Clara’s future husband.Bülow started his conducting career in 1850, being influenced by Richard Wagner.One year later he became a student of Liszt and several years later married Liszt’z daughter Cosima; in 1860 they had a daughter. In 1864 Bülow became the Hofkapellmeister (music director) of the Munich Hofoper, and in that capacity conducted the premieres of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde (in 1865) and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (in 1868).Bülow was very close to Richard Wagner; in 1862 he and Cosima stayed at the composer’s summer house.A relationship developed between Cosima and Wagner, and in 1863 they became lovers; Wagner at the time was still married to his first wife, while Cosima had another daughter from Bülow earlier that year.In 1865, while still married to Bülow, Cosima gave birth to Wagner’s daughter.The affair – an open secret in Munich – continued for a while, as Bülow refused to consent to a divorce.Two years later, in 1867, Cosima delivered another baby and then a third one with Wagner; only then did Bülow agree to let her go.Wagner and Cosima were married in Lucerne in August of 1870; Bülow, who continued to conduct Wagner’s music, never again spoke a word to the composer.Richard Wagner and Cosima stayed together for the rest of his life (Wagner died in Venice on February 13th of 1883 – she lived till 1930); on her first birthday after their marriage, on the morning of December 25th of 1870, Wagner arranged a group of musicians on the stairs of their house to play a music he called "Symphonic Birthday Greeting”; it’s known to us as the Siegfried Idyll.
Bülow, who resigned from Munich in 1869, went on a very successful piano concert tour of the United States.While in Boston, he premiered Tchaikovsky’s First Piano concerto.Altogether, he played 139 concerts in 37 cities.Upon returning to Germany, Bülow became the Hofkapellmeister in Hanover (1878-1880), then in Meiningen, where he created one of Germany’s finest orchestras, and eventually, in 1887 through 1892, he became the principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic.Bülow died in Cairo on February 12th of 1894.
Hans von Bülow, 2020
This Week in Classical Music: January 6, 2020. Happy New Year! We just missed a remarkable date in the history of piano playing: three great pianists were born on January 5th: Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli in 1920, Alfred Brendel in 1931 and Maurizio Pollini in 1942. Also, several interesting composers were born this week, among them one of our favorites, the Frenchman Francis Poulenc (on January 7th of 1899). But we want to celebrate the 190th birthday
of Hans von Bülow, one of the most influential conductors of the 19th century, who was born on January 8th of 1830. Bülow was not just a conductor, he was among the finest pianists of the 19th century and one of Franz Liszt’s favorite students; he was also a composer. Born in Dresden, as a boy he studied piano with Friedrich Wieck, father of Clara Wieck and teacher of Robert Schumann, Clara’s future husband. Bülow started his conducting career in 1850, being influenced by Richard Wagner. One year later he became a student of Liszt and several years later married Liszt’z daughter Cosima; in 1860 they had a daughter. In 1864 Bülow became the Hofkapellmeister (music director) of the Munich Hofoper, and in that capacity conducted the premieres of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde (in 1865) and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (in 1868). Bülow was very close to Richard Wagner; in 1862 he and Cosima stayed at the composer’s summer house. A relationship developed between Cosima and Wagner, and in 1863 they became lovers; Wagner at the time was still married to his first wife, while Cosima had another daughter from Bülow earlier that year. In 1865, while still married to Bülow, Cosima gave birth to Wagner’s daughter. The affair – an open secret in Munich – continued for a while, as Bülow refused to consent to a divorce. Two years later, in 1867, Cosima delivered another baby and then a third one with Wagner; only then did Bülow agree to let her go. Wagner and Cosima were married in Lucerne in August of 1870; Bülow, who continued to conduct Wagner’s music, never again spoke a word to the composer. Richard Wagner and Cosima stayed together for the rest of his life (Wagner died in Venice on February 13th of 1883 – she lived till 1930); on her first birthday after their marriage, on the morning of December 25th of 1870, Wagner arranged a group of musicians on the stairs of their house to play a music he called "Symphonic Birthday Greeting”; it’s known to us as the Siegfried Idyll.
Bülow, who resigned from Munich in 1869, went on a very successful piano concert tour of the United States. While in Boston, he premiered Tchaikovsky’s First Piano concerto. Altogether, he played 139 concerts in 37 cities. Upon returning to Germany, Bülow became the Hofkapellmeister in Hanover (1878-1880), then in Meiningen, where he created one of Germany’s finest orchestras, and eventually, in 1887 through 1892, he became the principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic. Bülow died in Cairo on February 12th of 1894.