Monday, April 28, 2014
Riccardo Zandonai - His Music and His Life
Zandonai, like other opera composers of his generation, made to his business to build up a succession and emulation, for example Giacomo Puccini.
Zadonai was very much influenced by the German Richard Strauss.
Being important was "Francesca da Rimini" (1914) as well as sprightly symphonic musical poetries, chroal works and movie themes.
Riccardo Zandonai passed away in Pesaro on June 5, 1944.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Karl Loewe - His Music and His Life
The German Karl Loewe was born in Loebejuen near Halle on November 30, 1796 as 12th child of a simple school teacher.
Loewe was able to study because of King Jerome's generous scholarship. In Stettin, Loewe became musical director. In this position, he was at work for 46 (!) years.
Loewe composed chamber music and five operas. "The Three Wishes" premiered in Berlin in 1834. Loewe's oratorios are popular until today - "Jerusalem's Destruction" (1829), "Hiob" (1848) or "Lazarus' Wake" (1863).
Among 150 compositions, Karl Loewe's ballads rmained as incredible and convincing performances, i.e. "Die Glocken von Speyer" (The Bells from Speyer), "Mr. Oluf" or "The Fall into a Ruin Mill".
Loewe passed away in Kiel on April 20, 1869.
Albert Lortzing - His Music and His Life
The German Albert Lortzing was born in Berlin on October 23, 1801. His father was a leather goods tader and amateurish actor. Lortzing didn't receive any sufficient musical education. "Learning by doing" at theatres in Breslau and Aachen / Germany or the French Strasbourg made Lortzing's incredible education.
In 1824, his first (untitled!) opera premiered in Cologne. His oratorio "The Ascension of Christ" was heard in Muenster/Germany in 1828. Nine years later, Lortzing's successful opera "Zar und Zimmermann" ("Czar and Carpenter") followed. It became also his most famous composition.
"Der Wildschuetz" ("The Deerhunter") from 1842, un fortunately never became such popular as the romantic opera "Undine" from 1845.
Albert Lortzing passed away also in Berlin on January 21, 1851. His tragically end in poverty, loneliness and illness is really an inglorious part of Berlin's music history.
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