This Week in Classical Music: December 4, 2023.Ernst Toch and more.Erns Toch, the Jewish-Austrian composer, was born on December 7th of 1887 in Leopoldstadt, a poor, mostly Jewish area in Vienna.Toch was one of a group of Austrian and German composers whose lives were upended by the rise of Nazism (Arnold Schoenberg, Franz Schreker, Karl Weigl, Egon Wellesz, Hans Gál, Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Berthold Goldschmidt, all Jewish, mostly forgotten except of course for Schoenberg, all talented if to a different degree, had their lives broken in 1933).One thing we find interesting is the ease with which they moved from Austria to Germany.These were two very different empires, one, declining, ruled by the peace-seeking Emperor Franz Joseph from Vienna, another – very much on the ascent, economically, politically and militarily, ruled by the arrogant and insecure Keiser Wilhelm II.But musicians thought nothing of moving from one country to another, from Vienna to Berlin and back, conducting in Hamburg or Leipzig one year and then returning to Austria, teaching at Berlin’s Hochschule für Musik and then at Universität für Musik in Vienna.And they didn’t need permission to work as long as positions were available.Musically, the pre-WWI Austria and Germany were one space, even more so than they are now.
Toch was at his most productive in the 1920s, when he wrote the Concerto for Cello and Chamber Orchestra, Bunte Suite, two short operas, many chamber pieces and piano music.Here’s Bunte Suite, whose sophisticated humor reminds us of the music of another Austrian composer, Ernst Krenek.The Suite is performed by the Karajan Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker, Cornelius Meister conducting.You can read about Toch’s life after Hitler assumed power in last year’s post.
Jean Sibelius was also born this week, on December 8th of 1865.We have to admit that we’re not big fans of the Finnish composer, but his one-movement Symphony no. 7, is a masterpiece.Even though it’s his shortest, about 23 minutes long depending on performance, it took Sibelius 10 years (from 1914 to 1924) to complete.During that time, he managed to complete two more symphonies, nos. 5 and 6.Here’s the Seventh, performed by the Berlin Philharmonic under the direction of Herbert von Karajan.
While Sibelius may not be one of our favorites, Olivier Messiaen, born on December 10th of 1908, clearly is.We’ve written about him on several occasions and will get back to the great French master soon.Also this week: Henryk Górecki, a Polish composer whose minimalist symphonies became very popular with audiences worldwide, born on December 6th of 1933, and César Franck, the composer of one of the best violin sonatas, on December 10th of 1822.
Ernst Toch and more, 2023
This Week in Classical Music: December 4, 2023. Ernst Toch and more. Erns Toch, the Jewish-Austrian composer, was born on December 7th of 1887 in Leopoldstadt, a poor, mostly
Jewish area in Vienna. Toch was one of a group of Austrian and German composers whose lives were upended by the rise of Nazism (Arnold Schoenberg, Franz Schreker, Karl Weigl, Egon Wellesz, Hans Gál, Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Berthold Goldschmidt, all Jewish, mostly forgotten except of course for Schoenberg, all talented if to a different degree, had their lives broken in 1933). One thing we find interesting is the ease with which they moved from Austria to Germany. These were two very different empires, one, declining, ruled by the peace-seeking Emperor Franz Joseph from Vienna, another – very much on the ascent, economically, politically and militarily, ruled by the arrogant and insecure Keiser Wilhelm II. But musicians thought nothing of moving from one country to another, from Vienna to Berlin and back, conducting in Hamburg or Leipzig one year and then returning to Austria, teaching at Berlin’s Hochschule für Musik and then at Universität für Musik in Vienna. And they didn’t need permission to work as long as positions were available. Musically, the pre-WWI Austria and Germany were one space, even more so than they are now.
Toch was at his most productive in the 1920s, when he wrote the Concerto for Cello and Chamber Orchestra, Bunte Suite, two short operas, many chamber pieces and piano music. Here’s Bunte Suite, whose sophisticated humor reminds us of the music of another Austrian composer, Ernst Krenek. The Suite is performed by the Karajan Academy of the Berliner Philharmoniker, Cornelius Meister conducting. You can read about Toch’s life after Hitler assumed power in last year’s post.
Jean Sibelius was also born this week, on December 8th of 1865. We have to admit that we’re not big fans of the Finnish composer, but his one-movement Symphony no. 7, is a masterpiece. Even though it’s his shortest, about 23 minutes long depending on performance, it took Sibelius 10 years (from 1914 to 1924) to complete. During that time, he managed to complete two more symphonies, nos. 5 and 6. Here’s the Seventh, performed by the Berlin Philharmonic under the direction of Herbert von Karajan.
While Sibelius may not be one of our favorites, Olivier Messiaen, born on December 10th of 1908, clearly is. We’ve written about him on several occasions and will get back to the great French master soon. Also this week: Henryk Górecki, a Polish composer whose minimalist symphonies became very popular with audiences worldwide, born on December 6th of 1933, and César Franck, the composer of one of the best violin sonatas, on December 10th of 1822.