Alban Berg - His Music and Life

Born on February 9, 1885 in Vienna, the Austrian Alban Berg passed away on December 24, 1935 - also in Vienna.

Berg became a civil servant, but gave up this unique career while becoming a student of Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951, Los Angeles).

He was a down to earth person and thought himself to be part of the restored classical composers. His first compositions had been in rapture over disarming sounds and tones. The highlight became the "Four Clarinet Pieces" from 1913.

"Wozzeck", Berg's only opera reflected his experiences as a soldier during World War I. His supposed last opera "Lulu", composed in a 12-sound-technique, remained unfinished up to its premiere 1937 in Zurich/Switzerland.

Franz von Suppe - His Music and Life

Franz von Suppe, born on April 18, 1819, was one of the founders of Viennese operetta, attaining a position in Austria comparable to that of Jacques Offenbach in France. 

Suppe wrote over 200 compositions for the stage, including 30 operettas, farces, and incidental music. Nearly all these works have slipped into oblivion, but some of their sparkling overtures have survived and remain popular as light music, especially "Morning, Noon and Night in Vienna" (1844), "Poet and Peasant" (1846), and "Light Cavalry" (1866). In the United States, Suppe's music is probably best known for its frequent appearance on the soundtracks of old Hollywood movies and cartoons. Suppe was born in Split, Dalmatia, of Italian and Belgian descent. His real name was Francesco Ezechiele Ermenegildo Suppe-Demelli. He spent most of his life in Vienna and was Kapellmeister of the prestigious Theatre an der Wien from 1845 to 1862. Suppe was also a noted vocalist and sang bass roles in some of his early operettas.

His passed away on May 21, 1895 in Vienna.

Daniel Francois Esprit Auber - His Music and Life

Daniel-François-Esprit Auber, born January 29, 1782 in Caen/France and passed away May 12, 1871, was a leading composer of French opera from the 1820s onwards, collaborating from then for some thirty years with the librettist Augustin- Eugène Scribe. He is particularly known for his contributions to the genre of opéra- comique, although one of his most famous works is Masaniello or La muette de Portici (The Dumb Girl of Portici), of which the first title is preferred in English. This work, staged in Paris in 1828, began the era of French grand opera. Auber wrote a considerable quantity of music, vocal and instrumental, sacred and secular. He was respected by Rossini and Wagner, and much honoured by the state in his life-time.

Operas

Auber's most popular operas are Fra Diavolo, Le cheval de bronze (The Bronze Horse), Les diamants de la couronne (The Crown Diamonds), and the seminal grand opera Masaniello or La muette de Portici (The Dumb Girl of Portici). It's funny, that only Auber's 13th opera "Le Macon" became a great success. I love all his compositions.

The Best of Beethoven - exlusively for you HERE...

Igor Strawinski, Konzert fuer Klavier und Blaeser 1 Satz Lento Allegro

Richard Strauss - His Music and Life

“I may not be a first-rate composer, but I am a first-class second-rate composer.” Richard Strauss, composer

Born on June 11, 1864 in Munich, the German Richard Strauss passed away in Garmisch on September 8, 1949. His mother came from the Munich brewery family Pschorr.

His father, Franz Strauss, had been the "First Royal Bugle Player" of the Royal Musician Academy Munich. Also Richard Strauss had nothing to do with the Viennese Johann Strauss dynasty.

His first compostions left (or better "bequeathed") great classical music treasures: "String Quintet a-major" (1881), "Symphony a-major" (1884), and many more. Strauss' "Great Symphony in f-minor" (1882-1884) has been performed for the first time in New York. His "Burlesque for piano and orchestra" (1885) showed great influences of Johannes Brahms (1833-1897).

In 1888, Strauss composed his first sound poetry "Don Juan", which became the first lasting report of a new classical composition direction. The following pieces "Marbeth" (1890) and "Death and Transfiguration" (1891) overtaxed many musicians' possibilities.

Also "Zarathustra speaks" (1896) suffered from the attempt something to express more by music but remaining unsuccessful.

Strauss started to accept his own naive-uninhibited phantasm and much more beautiful compositions attained his goal. The opera "Salome" (lyrics by Oscar Wilde) was a hazardous business, but the title role's perverted hysteria griped Strauss. The premiere in Dresden/German in 1905 became a great success.

Richard Strauss - Also Sprach Zarathustra / 2001 Space Odyssey opening t...

Oscar Straus - His Music and Life

Born on March 6, 1870 in Vienna, The Austrian Oscar Straus passed away in Ischl on January 11, 1954.

Straus studied in Vienna, later with Max Bruch, the composer of the most performed violin concertos from 1868 uo to now. Straus' Opus 1 has been the overture "The dream - a life!"

Straus is known as a chamber music careerist and theater bandmaster as well as conductor in the former CSSR, Teplitz, mainz and Berlin/Germany. In 1900, Straus became Musical Director of E.V. Wolzogen's cabaret "Ueberbrettl". During that time Straus found out his talent for the so-called "light music". As an operetta composer he walked off with such great successes as "A waltz dream" (1920), "Teresina" (1925) or "Her first waltz" (1950).

The category "Viennese Waltzes" got many highlights because of him, who, by the way has not nothing to do with the Johann Strauss dynasty,

In 1940, Oscar STraus migrated to the USA and composed many movie themes, i.e. Max Ophuels "Der Reigen" (The Rondale/La Ronda).

Oscar Straus - Der Reigen (La Ronde), Waltz

Otto Nicolai - His Music and Life

Born on June 9, 1810 in Königsberg, Germany/Poland, Otto Nicolai passed away in Berlin on May 11, 1849.

At the age of 16, he left his parental house because he thought he mind find his personal fulfilment and luck by travelling to foreign countries.

A generous sponsor facilitated a music study with Karl-Friedrich Zeller (1758-1832) in Berlin. In 1833, Otto Nicolai became organist at the German Legation of Rome. He started composing operas following the typical Italian style. "Il Templaro" (1840) became his greatest success.

The premiere of "The Merry Wifes from Windsor" ("Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor" - 1849) impressed all classical music lovers with wonderful melodies and grateful opera parts. Nicolai could enjoy an over-whelming  appreciation only for two months (!), because he passed away surprisingly.

During the 1930s a rebirth of his music works has been without success. What a pity!

Modest Mussorgski - His Music and Life

The Russian Modest Mussorgski was born on March 21, 1839 in Karewo/Pskow. He passed away in Saint Petersburg on March 28, 1881.

His ancestors have been Russian princes and their relatives. He was appointed to start an officer's cadet career. In 1856, Mussorgski joined a guard regiment. He became acquainted with Alexander Dargomischski, Cesar Cui and Mily Balakirew.

Modest, meanwhile an alcoholic, didn't know how to convert his incredible music talent into a successful classical music composer career. A genius finder talent let him rush centuries in advance in subscribing incredible composer talents. He developed a unique expressionism and impressionism of unknown Russian music reality.

"Pictures at an Exhibition" and "A Night on a Bald Mountain" as well as "The Dances of the Deaths" belonged to Russian classical music jewels.

Modest Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition, The G...

'The Hills are Alive' - The Sound of Music

The sound of music - Edelweiss

Karl Milloecker - His Music and Life

Austrian Karl Millöcker was born on April 29, 1842 in Vienna and died in Baden near Vienna on December 31, 1899.

Instead of taking over is father's goldsmith workshop, the discontented Millöcker decided to start a career as flautist.

Already at the age of 16 he became a member of the well known Vienna State Opera Orchestra. One of his patrons has been the great Franz von Suppe (1819-1895 - "Poet and Peasant").

In 1878, Millöcker walked off with "The Enchanted Castle". "Countess Dubarry" (actually from 1879) received worldwide appreciation after a new arrangement by Theo Mackeben in 1931.

Millöcker's masterpiece "The Begging Student" (1882) is known up to these days. Melody abundance and "clean composition master craftsman's intelligence" remained as equal and evenly matched to Johann Strauss.

The following operettas showed a slacken composition readiness and became sadden flops.