Berthold Goldschmidt
Berthold Goldschmidt ( born January 18, 1903 in Hamburg, † 17 October 1996 in London ) was a German composer. After promising start of his career in Germany he was forced as a Jew in 1935 by the Nazis to emigrate to England, but there is not perceived as a composer.
Life
Berthold Goldschmidt grew up as the son of a merchant family in Hamburg and was from 1922 studied composition with Franz Schreker in Berlin. Here he won the Mendelssohn Prize in 1925 with his Passacaglia for Orchestra, Opus 4, which was premiered by Erich Kleiber. Already during his studies he became his assistant and was, not only in this function, involved in the premiere of the opera Wozzeck by Alban Berg on December 14, 1925. Add to Wozzeck performances, he also played the celesta - an instrument whose part he took in some other important works of the so-called Second Viennese School, for example, in the Gurrelieder of Arnold Schoenberg or Webern 's Passacaglia the premiere of op.1. Works of Goldschmidt were listed in Chemnitz, Oldenburg, Vienna and Geneva, to his first opera, The mighty cuckold 1932 in Mannheim.
Goldschmidt, " one of the great hopes of the German music before 1933 " (Hans Ferdinand Redlich ) was able to flee to England in 1935 and had to start as many new emigrants. The emigrant Martin Esslin wrote in 1949 for him the libretto for the opera Beatrice Cenci by Shelley. The opera was first performed in 1988, however. Until the eighties, he was forgotten as a composer. Between 1958 and 1982, only one composition was written. During this time he also worked as a conductor and was committed to the music of Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 10 in a 1964 performance version he created from the fragments together with Deryck Cooke, played to date again.
With its rediscovery emerged nearly 20 works that have been and again premiered internationally in Berlin. His opera The huge cuckold was after more than 60 years performed in Berlin in 1994 and is now as numerous other works on recordings available.
1993 Goldschmidt was awarded the German Critics Prize.
Works
Selection of over 70 works that have been lost in part:
Piano
Opera
Songs
- C.1942: The Elapsed ( Cabaret song ) for voice and piano
- 1957/58: Mediterranean songs