Wolfgang Birtel

The reputation of the Bohemian composer Zdenek Fibich (1850-1900) has always been somewhat overshadowed by that of Bedrich Smetana and Antonín Dvorák. This is a pity, for Fibich, though he died young,...

Composed in 1886, the tremolo study 'Recuerdos de la Alhambra' is without doubt Tarrega's best-known piece. It evokes memories of the Moorish citadel located on a hill in the Spanish Granada.Thanks to...

The American composer and pianist Edward MacDowell (1860-1908) is rather unknown in Germany although he had his artistic roots there for he was trained as a pianist in Paris, Stuttgart, Wiesbaden and...

The American composer and pianist Edward MacDowell (1860-1908) is rather unknown in Germany although he had his artistic roots there for he was trained as a pianist in Paris, Stuttgart, Wiesbaden and...

The music of small forms was what the French composer Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) focused on. In 1874, after many years spent in the 'provinces', the teacher of Camille Saint-Saëns took the position of...

Overcoming the boundaries between 'serious' and entertaining music was what mattered to the musician Eduard Pütz (1911-2000). His compositions therefore include stylistic features of jazz and pop musi...

The melodies from George Gershwin's (1898-1937) musicals, from 'Porgy and Bess', from orchestral pieces like 'Rhapsody in Blue' or 'An American in Paris', we all know them! But the career of the young...

The melodies from George Gershwin's (1898-1937) musicals, from 'Porgy and Bess', from orchestral pieces like 'Rhapsody in Blue' or 'An American in Paris', we all know them! But the career of the young...

Franz Anton Hoffmeister sicherte sich als Musikverleger in Wien einen wichtigen Platz in der Musikgeschichte. Er war aber auch ein überaus fruchtbarer und geschätzter Komponist der Wiener Klassik. Sei...

A large number of works by the Italian musician Giovanni Battista Cirri (1724-1808) from Forlì were printed during his lifetime. The busy cello virtuoso composed of course particularly for 'his' instr...

A large number of works by the Italian musician Giovanni Battista Cirri (1724-1808) from Forlì were printed all his life. The busy cello virtuoso naturally wrote works for 'his' instrument mainly, inc...

There are composers about whom nothing or only little is known, who are only known through their works or even through one work only. Luigi Carvelli is one of them: He lived in the second half of the...

A large number of works by the Italian musician Giovanni Battista Cirri (1724-1808) from Forlì were printed during his lifetime. The busy cello virtuoso composed of course particularly for 'his' instr...

A large number of works by the Italian musician Giovanni Battista Cirri (1724-1808) from Forlì were printed during his lifetime. The busy cello virtuoso composed of course particularly for 'his' instr...

The only work still known today by Noack, 'Heinzelmännchens Wachtparade' [Parade of the Brownies] Op. 5 was called a 'character piece' by the composer himself, and this 'marche en miniature' conveys w...

The only work still known today by Noack, 'Heinzelmännchens Wachtparade' [Parade of the Brownies] Op. 5 was called a 'character piece' by the composer himself, and this 'marche en miniature' conveys w...

Originally composed for piano solo, Rubinstein's 'Melody' Op. 3/1 is the best-known work written by the Russian composer. Thanks to the simple, yet tender melody and its expressive harmony, the name o...

The reputation of the Bohemian composer Zdenek Fibich (1850-1900) has always been somewhat overshadowed by that of Bedrich Smetana and Antonín Dvorák. This is a pity, for Fibich, though he died young,...