Wolfgang Birtel

The music of small forms was to become the focus of the French composer Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924). In 1874, after many years spent in the 'provinces', the teacher of Camille Saint-Saëns took the posit...

The music of small forms was to become the focus of the French composer Gabriel Fauré (1845–1924). In 1874, after many years spent in the 'provinces', the teacher of Camille Saint-Saëns took the posit...

Welcher Musiker kennt das Problem nicht: statt Haydn, Mozart oder Beethoven ist etwas 'Leichtes' gefragt. Zur Geburtstagsfeier oder zur Kaffeetafel im Freien, zum Festbankett oder zur Weihnachtsfeier...

Elgar wrote his musical 'billet doux' in 1888 and dedicated it to his fiancée Caroline Alice Roberts. It was premiered in 1889 and helped to establish Elgar's reputation as a composer. To this day the...

Ferdinand Küchler is regarded as one of the great violin teachers of the 20th century, not least because of his violin method. His Concertino in G major Op. 11 still is a popular entry-level piece of...

Ferdinand Küchler is regarded as one of the great violin teachers of the 20th century, not least because of his violin method. His Concertino in G major Op. 11 still is a popular entry-level piece of...

Harald Genzmer (1909-2007) did a lot for young up-and-coming musicians, and there certainly is many a string instrument player who remembers school orchestra times in which the 'Sinfonietta' was progr...

Harald Genzmer has done a lot for the work with young musicians, and many a string player can recall school orchestra days when Sinfonietta was on the programme quite often. But the probably best-know...

The genre of the violoncello concerto was born in 17th-century Italy. Thanks to the Venetian composer Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), there exists today not only a wealth of magnificent violin concertos...

The genre of the violoncello concerto was born in 17th-century Italy. Thanks to the Venetian composer Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741), there exists today not only a wealth of magnificent violin concertos...

'Alt Wiener Tanzweisen' [Old Viennesse dance tunes] are pretty miniatures, vibrant and catchy (the second one with a slightly elegiac colouring), but all have melodic charm and musical elegance. And w...

Maurice Ravel's melancholy popular 'Pavane for a Dead Princess' composed in 1899 was originally written for piano before he arranged it for orchestra in 1910. Though dedicated to a real princess, the...

A 'Last Night of the Proms' without this march - unthinkable! 'Pomp and Circumstance Military March No. 1' with its middle section, the hymn-like 'Land of Hope and Glory' by Edward Elgar (1857-1934),...

The 19th century was not only the era of great forms, monumental symphonies and melodious sonatas, no, the Romantic composers proved to be versatile and highly imaginative in the field of little music...

A wedding without a famous wedding march - unimaginable! Wagner's 'Bridal Chorus' from 'Lohengrin' and Mendelssohn's 'Wedding March' from the incidental music of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' vie for th...

The music scene took notice of Erik Satie (1866-1925) all of a sudden: The world premiere of his ballet 'Parade' on 18 May 1917 caused quite a scandal. The production which involved Sergey Diaghilev w...

Après un rêve, written by Gabriel Fauré for solo voice and piano, is a charming performance piece for concerts and festive occasions and one of the most famous and most popular melodies by the French...

Après un rêve, written by Gabriel Fauré for solo voice and piano, is a charming performance piece for concerts and festive occasions and one of the most famous and most popular melodies by the French...

Leopold Mozart, father of the unequalled genius Wolfgang Amadeus, also composed music, but is understandably eclipsed by his son. His trumpet concerto has even been handed down twice, i.e. also as par...

Ottorino Respighi (1879–1936) wrote his three-movement "Sonata in Re minore per violino e pianoforte" (P 15) - according to the title page of the piano part - in November 1897, i.e. 20 years before hi...

Maurice Ravel's melancholy popular 'Pavane for a Dead Princess' composed in 1899 was originally written for piano before he arranged it for orchestra in 1910. Though dedicated to a real princess, the...

A 'Last Night of the Proms' without this march - unthinkable! 'Pomp and Circumstance Military March No. 1' with its middle section, the hymn-like 'Land of Hope and Glory' by Edward Elgar (1857-1934),...

The music of small forms and of chamber-music instrumentations was to become the focus of the French composer Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924). In 1874, after many years spent in the 'provinces', the teacher...