Bruno Walter
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Bruno Walter | |
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Beverly Hills, California, U.S. | |
Occupation(s) | Composer, conductor, pianist |
Years active | 1889–1962 |
Bruno Walter (born Bruno Schlesinger, September 15, 1876 – February 17, 1962) was a
Biography
Early life
Born near
Conducting
In 1896, he was appointed Kapellmeister of the Stadttheater (municipal opera) in
In 1897, Walter became Chief Conductor at the municipal opera in Pressburg (now
In 1901, Walter accepted Mahler's invitation to be his assistant at the Court Opera in
Munich
Although Walter became an Austrian citizen in 1911, he left Vienna in 1913 to become the Royal Bavarian Music Director and General Music Director of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. While there, argue Erik Ryding and Rebecca Pechefsky, "Walter's contribution to the history of Wagner performance [was] more significant than many realize. The Bayreuth Festival was suspended after 1914 and resumed only in 1924. During those nine years, Munich was the centre of authentic Wagner performance; its Prinzregenttheather was closely patterned after the Festspielhaus in Bayreuth, and its National Theatre had seen the world premieres of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, and Tristan und Isolde. Walter was the city's music director for most of this period, and he presided over most of the Wagnerian repertoire."[10]
In January 1914, Walter conducted his first concert in Moscow. During the First World War he remained actively involved in conducting, giving premieres to Erich Wolfgang Korngold's Violanta and Der Ring des Polykrates as well as Hans Pfitzner's Palestrina. In 1920, he conducted the premiere of Walter Braunfels' Die Vögel.[citation needed]
In Munich, Walter was a good friend of Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli (later Pope Pius XII).[11] Walter's close friendship with Thomas Mann seems to have begun in Munich by 1914.[12]
United States
Walter ended his Munich appointment in 1922 (being succeeded by Hans Knappertsbusch) and left for New York in 1923, working with the New York Symphony Orchestra in Carnegie Hall; he later conducted in Detroit, Minnesota and Boston.[13]
Berlin, Leipzig, Vienna
Back in Europe, Walter made his debuts with both the
Walter served as Principal Conductor of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra from 1929 until March 1933, when his tenure was cut short by the new Nazi government, as detailed below.
In speeches in the late 1920s, Nazi leader Adolf Hitler had complained bitterly about the presence of Jewish conductors at the Berlin opera, and mentioned Walter a number of times, adding to Walter's name the words "alias Schlesinger."[14] When the Nazis took power, they undertook a systematic process of barring Jews from artistic life.[15]
As reported by biographers Erik Ryding and Rebecca Pechefsky, when Hitler became Chancellor in January 1933, Walter was conducting in New York, but the next month sailed back to Leipzig planning to conduct his previously scheduled concerts with the Gewandhaus Orchestra in March. However, Leipzig's Chief of Police informed management that he would cancel the concerts if Walter was to conduct them. Management resisted and Walter led rehearsals, but on the day that the first concert was to take place, the police, "in the name of the Saxon ministry of the interior," forbade the dress rehearsal and the concerts; Walter left Leipzig.[16] Walter was then scheduled to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic on March 20, but its management was warned by Joseph Goebbels that "unpleasant demonstrations" might occur at the concert, and the Propaganda Ministry clarified this by saying that there would be violence in the hall. Hearing of this, Walter chose to withdraw, saying to management, "Then I have no further business here."[16] The concert in the end was conducted by Richard Strauss.[17] Walter later wrote, "The composer of Ein Heldenleben ["A Hero's Life"] actually declared himself ready to conduct in place of a forcibly removed colleague."[18] A concert that Walter was scheduled to lead in Frankfurt was also cancelled.[19] Walter left Germany and was not to conduct there again until after the war.[19]
External audio | |
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You may listen to Bruno Walter conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in Johannes Brahms' Symphony No. 3 in F major Opus 90 in 1936 here on archive.org |
Austria became his main center of activity for the next several years. He and his family moved to Vienna, where he regularly conducted the
Walter's daughter Marguerite "Gretel" (born 1906) was murdered on August 21, 1939, by her husband Robert Neppach, who then killed himself; his motive was jealousy over her growing relationship with the Italian bass singer Ezio Pinza.[22] Walter's wife Elsa, née Korneck (born in 1871) fell into a permanent depression and died in 1945, and Walter blamed himself for the tragedy, as his daughter had met Pinza only because Walter had made special efforts to hire him to sing the role of Don Giovanni.[citation needed]
Return to the United States
On November 1, 1939, he set sail for the United States, which became his permanent home. He settled in Beverly Hills, California, where his many expatriate neighbors included Thomas Mann.[citation needed]
While Walter had many influences within music, in his Of Music and Making (1957) he notes a profound influence from the philosopher Rudolf Steiner. He notes, "In old age I have had the good fortune to be initiated into the world of anthroposophy and during the past few years to make a profound study of the teachings of Rudolf Steiner. Here we see alive and in operation that deliverance of which Friedrich Hölderlin speaks; its blessing has flowed over me, and so this book is the confession of belief in anthroposophy. There is no part of my inward life that has not had new light shed upon it, or been stimulated, by the lofty teachings of Rudolf Steiner ... I am profoundly grateful for having been so boundlessly enriched ... It is glorious to become a learner again at my time of life. I have a sense of the rejuvenation of my whole being which gives strength and renewal to my musicianship, even to my music-making."[23]
External audio | |
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You may listen to Bruno Walter conducting the New York Philharmonic in: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G minor Richard Strauss' tone poem Don Juan in E major, Op. 20 with commentary in 1953 here on archive.org |
During his years in the United States, Walter worked with many famous American orchestras. In December 1942, he was offered the music directorship of the
Death
Bruno Walter died of a
Work
Recordings
External audio | |
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You may listen to Bruno Walter performing Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in 1937 here on archive.org |
Walter's work is documented on hundreds of recordings made between 1900 (when he was 24) and 1961. Most listeners became familiar with him through the stereo recordings made in his last few years, when his health was declining. Some critics have suggested that these recordings do not fully convey what Walter's art must have sounded like in its prime. The late recordings are said to have a geniality that contrasts with the energetic, intense and mercurial performances of earlier decades. Furthermore, Walter's late recordings focus mostly on older compositions, whereas in his youth he often conducted what was then considered newer music.[citation needed]
Walter worked closely with Mahler as an assistant and protégé. Mahler did not live to perform his Das Lied von der Erde or Symphony No. 9, but his widow, Alma Mahler, asked Walter to premiere both. Walter led the first performance of Das Lied in 1911 in Munich and of the Ninth in 1912 in Vienna with the Vienna Philharmonic. Decades later, Walter and the Vienna Philharmonic (with Mahler's brother-in-law Arnold Rosé still a concertmaster) made the first recordings of Das Lied von der Erde in 1936 and of the Ninth Symphony in 1938. Both were recorded live in concert, the latter only two months before the Nazi Anschluss drove Walter (and Rosé) into exile.[citation needed]
These recordings are of special interest for the performance practices of the orchestra and also for intensity of expression. Walter was to re-record both works successfully in later decades. His famous Decca Das Lied von der Erde with Kathleen Ferrier, Julius Patzak and the Vienna Philharmonic was made in May 1952, and he recorded it again in stereo, with the New York Philharmonic, in 1960. He conducted the New York Philharmonic in the 1957 stereo recording of the Second Symphony. He recorded the Ninth in stereo in 1961. These recordings, as well as his other American recordings, were released initially by Columbia Records and later on CD by Sony.[citation needed]
Since Mahler himself never conducted the Ninth Symphony and Das Lied von der Erde, Walter's performances cannot be taken as documentations of Mahler's interpretations. However, in the light of Walter's personal connection with the composer and his having given the original performances, they have another kind of primary authenticity. In his other (greatly esteemed) recordings of Mahler—various songs and the First, Second, Fourth, and Fifth Symphonies—there is the great added interest that he had heard Mahler's own performances of most of them.[citation needed]
Walter made many highly acclaimed recordings of other great Germanic composers, such as
Compositions
Walter composed actively until at least 1910. As detailed in the biography by Erik Ryding and Rebecca Pechefsky,[27] his compositions include:
- Symphony No. 1 in D minor (composed circa 1907; premiered in Vienna, 1909; recorded by CPO #777 163–2, 2007)
- Symphony No. 2 in E (composed circa 1910)
- Symphonic Fantasia (composed 1904; premiered by Richard Strauss in 1904)
- String Quartet in D major (1903; premiered in Vienna by the Rose Quartet)
- Piano Quintet (premiered in 1905 in Vienna by the Rose Quartet)
- Piano Trio (premiered in 1906 in Vienna by Walter and members of the Rose Quartet)
- Sonata for Violin and Piano in A (circa 1908; premiered by Walter and Rose in Vienna in February 1909; recorded VAI vaia #1155, 1997)
- Incidental music for "King Oedipus" (1910. The production was an adaptation of the Sophocles play by Hugo von Hofmannsthal. It was directed by Max Reinhardt, and premiered in September 1910 in Munich, followed by performances in Berlin, Cologne, and Vienna.
- Numerous songs
- Choral Works
Written works
- Gustav Mahler's III. Symphonie. In: Der Merker 1 (1909), 9–11
- Mahlers Weg: ein Erinnerungsblatt. In: Der Merker 3 (1912), 166–171
- Über Ethel Smyth: ein Brief von Bruno Walter. In: Der Merker 3 (1912), 897–898
- Kunst und Öffentlichkeit. In: Süddeutsche Monatshefte (Oktober 1916), 95–110
- Beethovens Missa solemnis. In: Münchner Neueste Nachrichten (30. Oct. 1920), Beethoven suppl., 3–5
- Von den moralischen Kräften der Musik. Vienna 1935
- Gustav Mahler. Wien 1936
- Bruckner and Mahler. In: Chord and Discord 2/2 (1940), 3–12
- Thema und Variationen – Erinnerungen und Gedanken. Stockholm 1947
- Von der Musik und vom Musizieren. Frankfurt 1957
- Mein Weg zur Anthroposophie. In: Das Goetheanum 52 (1961), 418–21
- Briefe 1894–1962. Hg. L.W. Lindt, Frankfurt a.M. 1969
Notable recordings
- 1935: , et al. (EMI Great Recordings of the Century, Naxos Historical)
- 1938: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. (Dutton, EMI Great Artists of the Century, Naxos Historical)
- 1941: Ludwig van Beethoven, Fidelio, with the Metropolitan Opera, feat. soloists Kirsten Flagstad, Alexander Kipnis, Herbert Janssen, et al. (Naxos Historical)
- 1952: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, feat. soloists Kathleen Ferrier and Julius Patzak. (Decca Legends, Naxos Historical)
- 1956: The Birth of a Performance: Walter's rehearsals and finished performance of Mozart's "Linz" Symphony, with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra. A then-rare instance of rehearsals of a performance being issued on a commercial recording. (Sony Masterworks)
- 1958–1961: Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 4, Symphony No. 6 and Symphony No. 9, with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra. (Sony Bruno Walter Edition)
- 1960: Johannes Brahms, Symphony No. 2 and Symphony No. 3, with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra. (Sony Bruno Walter Edition)
Source: Grove Music Online
References
- ^ Holden (2005), p. 146
- ^ Walter & Galston (1946), p. 39
- ^ Andreas Kluge, liner notes for Bruno Walter's recording of Mahler's Symphonies No. 1 & No.2 and Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen for Sony Classical, 1994.
- ^ Walter & Galston (1946), p. 89
- ^ a b Ryding & Pechefsky (2001), pp. 21–22
- ^ Ryding & Pechefsky (2001), pp. 28–30: the authors consider it "almost certain" that the denomination he chose was Roman Catholicism, in that Walter is buried in a Catholic cemetery in Italy
- ^ Ryding & Pechefsky (2001), p. 90
- ^ Ryding, Erik and Rebecca Pechefsky, "Gustav Mahler and Bruno Walter: A Musical Friendship," Andante CD 4973, p. 31
- ^ Fischer (2011), p. 611
- ^ Erik Ryding and Rebecca Pechefsky, "Bruno Walter – Energy and Grace," notes to EMI's Great Conductors of the 20th Century Bruno Walter release, EMI 5 75133, p. 10
- ^ Dalin (2005), p. 50
- ^ Ryding & Pechefsky (2001), p. 125
- ^ "Bruno Walter (1876–1962)". Mahler Foundation. January 6, 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
- ^ Ross (2007), p. 343
- ^ Friedländer (1997), pp. 9–14
- ^ a b Ryding & Pechefsky (2001), pp. 220–221
- ^ Ryding & Pechefsky (2001), pp. 221–222
- ^ Ryding & Pechefsky (2001), p. 224, quoting Walter's 1946 autobiography Theme and Variations.
- ^ a b Ryding & Pechefsky (2001), p. 224
- ^ Ryding & Pechefsky (2001), p. 248
- ^ Johan Giskes, "Anthology of the Royal Concertgebouw 1935–1950," p. 7, Radio Nederlands CD 97017
- ^ Ryding & Pechefsky (2001), p. 267
- ^ Hemleben (2000), p. 198
- ^ Ryding & Pechefsky (2001), p. 283
- ^ Ryding & Pechefsky (2001), p. 339
- ^ "Bruno Walter". IMDb. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
- ^ Ryding & Pechefsky (2001)
Bibliography
- Dalin, David G. (2005). The Myth of Hitler's Pope: Pope Pius XII And His Secret War Against Nazi Germany. Washington, DC: Regency Publishing. ISBN 978-0-89526-034-5.
- Fischer, Jens Malte (2011). Gustav Mahler. Translated by Stewart Spencer. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-13444-5.
- Friedländer, Saul (1997). Nazi Germany and the Jews, Volume 1: The Years of Persecution, 1933–39. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-7538-0142-0.
- Hemleben, Johannes (2000). Rudolf Steiner: an Illustrated Biography. Sophia Books. ISBN 978-1-85584-093-5.
- Holden, Raymond (2005). The Virtuoso Conductors: the Central European Tradition from Wagner to Karajan. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-09326-1.
- ISBN 978-0-374-24939-7.
- Ryding, Erik; Pechefsky, Rebecca (2001). Bruno Walter: a World Elsewhere. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-08713-0.
- Walter, Bruno (1961). Of Music and Music-Making. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. OCLC 394450.
- Walter, Bruno; Galston, James A. (1946). Theme and Variations: an Autobiography. New York: A.A. Knopf. OCLC 564814.
External links
- The Bruno Walter Papers in the Music Division of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
- Website at Sony Classical
- Bruno Walters Heritage at Vienna Music University
- Bruno Walter at AllMusic
- Bruno Walter in the German National Library catalogue
- Page with an mp3 file: Bruno Walter conducts Gustav Mahler (1. Symphony, Trio of 2d Movement)
- Bruno Walter biography at Sony Classical
- Conducting the London Philharmonic
- Newspaper clippings about Bruno Walter in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW