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September 6th, 2008
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Of music and men

A tribute to two Central European composers

By Frank Kuznik
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
October 10th, 2007 issue

COURTESY PHOTO
Korngold
COURTESY PHOTO
Walter
Bruno Walter Musiktage

When: Oct. 10–22
Where: Suk Hall, Kostel Sv. Vavrince, Wallenstein Palace, Terezín
Tickets: 100–600 Kč, available at the venues or by reservation at info@
brunowaltermusiktage.com
For a full schedule, check www.brunowaltermusiktage.com (Czech and German only)

Two musical giants of the 20th century are being honored this month in Bruno Walter Musiktage, a series of concerts and lectures at some of Prague’s sweetest chamber music venues. The lectures, alas, are not in English. But if your Czech or German is good, you will learn a lot about Bruno Walter and Erich Wolfgang Korngold. And there’s no language barrier to enjoying what should be some fine performances.
Walter, born in Berlin in 1876, is considered one of the 20th century’s greatest conductors. A protégé of Gustav Mahler, he was conducting opera performances by the age of 17 and later gave the world-premiere performances of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony and Das Lied von der Erde. Driven from Austria by the Anschluss, Walter resettled in the United States, where he enjoyed a prestigious career working at the Metropolitan Opera and with orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic. He died in California in 1962.
Korngold was also driven to the States by the Anschluss, but prior to that time he had a remarkable career. Born in what is now Brno in 1897, he was composing and performing original work by the age of 6 in Vienna, where he was compared to another famous child prodigy — Mozart. Mahler pronounced the boy a “genius,” and Walter premiered two one-act operas by Korngold in Munich in 1916. Even before the Nazi invasion, Korngold was courted by Hollywood, where he worked on and off for 12 years and was credited with creating the modern film score. He also died in California, in 1957.
As this year marks anniversaries of the deaths of both men, it’s an appropriate time to consider their friendship, which is the subject of one of the lectures. But, generally, according to local organizer Klára Šedivá, the series is meant to honor Walter’s memory and his legacy in Europe.
“The main purpose of the festival is to remind the audience of Bruno Walter, an important musician and humanist, and also to return to the days when he composed his music,” Sedivá says. “We want to point out that those days are still alive, still around us, and it helps us find our cultural identity and our European cultural heritage.”
This will be the first year in Prague for Bruno Walter Musiktage, which was founded in 2004 and has played in Bratislava, Vienna, Hamburg and Luxembourg. The moving force behind the festival is conductor Jack Martin Händler, best known for his work with the Budapest Dall’Arco chamber orchestra. He will be leading the Bruno Walter Symphony Orchestra, an offshoot of Solistes Européens, Luxembourg, in a “Concert for Peace” at the Rudolfinum’s Suk Hall Oct. 22. Neither Walter nor Korngold is on that bill, which features Wagner, Mozart and Tchaikovsky.
Walter’s Sonata in A major for violin and piano will be performed at the opening concert, in Suk Hall Oct. 10. And his Piano Quintet in F minor will get an airing at the Church of St. Lawrence (Kostel Sv. Vavrince) in Malá Strana Oct. 11.
The previous evening at St. Lawrence offers a full night of Korngold compositions, including some film music and his Piano Trio, op. 1, written when he was just 12 years old. On Oct. 20 at St. Lawrence, there’s a full evening’s recital of songs by Korngold, Walter and Mahler.
And the series wraps in a big way. On Oct. 19, the Bruno Walter Chamber Orchestra plays Elgar, Mozart, Haydn and Shostakovich at the fabulous Knights’ Hall in Wallenstein Palace. The following day in Terezín, the Schengen European Academy of Music plays music by composers who were imprisoned there and Brahms’s String Sextet in G major.
“We hope the audiences will find the lectures interesting and will enjoy the concerts,” Šedivá says. “And we hope the concerts will have a positive impact on them.”
Of that there doesn’t seem much doubt. One of the benefits of living in Prague is the opportunities it offers to enjoy the rich musical heritage of this part of the world. Don’t let this one get away.

Frank Kuznik can be reached at fkuznik@praguepost.com


Other articles in Night & Day (10/10/2007):

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