Klaus Döring's Classical Music/Klaus Döring's Klassische Musik

By Georg Predota , Interlude On exceedingly rare occasions, people with real talent and poise are drafted into political service. Such was the case with the pianist and composer   Ignacy Jan Paderewski , who became the prime minister and foreign minister of Poland in 1919. He represented his native country at the Paris Peace Conference but quickly took on the role of Polish Ambassador to the League of Nations. Ignacy Jan Paderewski Apparently, he was a skilled orator, and “every speech was a masterpiece of clear thinking and brilliant verbal form.” Musicianship and politics aside, Paderewski was a great humanitarian and philanthropist who established funds for various political and artistic organizations. After his 1895/96 American Tour, he established a fund “for the encouragement of American composers. He placed a sum of 2,000 dollars into the hands of three trustees, of which the interest was to be devoted to triennial prizes for composers of American birth irrespective of age o...

Arthur Nikisch: Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody No.1, 1920 Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra STARTING TIMES: Silent Film 1913: 0:00 VERSION 1: Side 1 0:55 , Side 2 5:13 Side 3 9:10 Side 4 12:29 VERSION 2: Side 1 15:08 Side 2 19:27 Side 3 23:24 Side 4 26:42 INTRODUCTION to Nikisch's recordings and his art of conducting see below! Arthur Nikisch was the most famous conductor of his times. Unfortunately there exist only few recordings with him and all are from the acoustic era. Hence, for us Nikisch stands in the shadow of his great successor Wilhelm Furtwängler. But Nikisch was the only conductor Furtwängler really admired. He wrote: "Nikisch vermochte es eben, ein Orchester singen zu machen. Dies... ist etwas höchst Seltenes." ("Nikisch was able to let an orchestra sing. This... is something very rare.") Nikisch himself admired Richard Wagner, not only as composer, but also as conductor. He played at least two times as violinist under his baton. From Wagne...

Arthur Nikisch was born in Lebeng Szent Miklos/Hungary on October 12, 1855 and became a violine student of Joseph Hellmesberger (1828-1893) at the Viennese Conservatory. For his compositions, Nikisch received several outstanding rewards. He was a real sound magnician without philosophical or rather aesthetical resources. Through an incredible tone color and sonority, Nikisch reached a unique musical experience. Together with his wife Amelie, his compositions such as "My Aunt, Your Aunt" (1911) or "Daniel in the Lion's Hollow" (1914) remained popular until today. Nikisch's son Mitja (1899-1936) became a very blessed pianist. Nikisch passed away in Leipzig/Germany on January 23, 1922.