Moritz Ernst. Gabriel Feltz & Dortmund Philharmonic Orchestra - Viktor Ullmann Piano Concerto - Japan CD

Description:

This is a collection of works by Viktor Ullmann, who was born in the Czech Republic, studied under Schoenberg at the University of Vienna, learned the compositional techniques of twelve-tone and atonal music, and had a remarkable career as a conductor and composer in the early 20th century Czech Republic. Track 10, "Variations and Double Fugue," is based on a theme by Schoenberg and features a variety of variations. The "Piano Concerto," composed in 1939, has a Prokofiev-like neoclassical atmosphere and an intense expression that also pays homage to Beethoven, whom he respected. However, after the Nazi invasion of Prague in 1940, Ullmann, who was of Jewish descent, was banned from performing his works because they were considered "degenerate music." Ullmann himself was sent to a concentration camp in Terezin in 1942 and eventually died in Auschwitz in 1944, and his late works were scattered. However, the works he wrote while in the Terezin camp have barely survived, and are increasingly being performed in conjunction with the "revival of decadent music" that began in the 1990s. Piano Sonata No. 7 was written in Terezin, and its powerful music is filled with a strong spirit that does not yield to fate.