This may be one of the most beautiful CDs of late-Romantic Lieder available...
http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Hermann-Zilcher-1881-1948-Lieder/hnum/9699621 (http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/Hermann-Zilcher-1881-1948-Lieder/hnum/9699621)
Struth, Alan, that's certainly sticking the neck out! What's the evidence? After all, you're always insisting (absolutely rightly in my belief) that all claims made within the forum should be evidence-based.
Well, just listen to the excerpts...
...and I did say 'may be'...
...and the objective was actually to stimulate discussion of Zilcher (hence the title of the thread is the composer, not just these particular Lieder).
I wasn't being rude, Alan! After all, your suggestion was....well it almost had something quite audacious about it!
I hope the stimulation works! Among the 1000 or so hopes that lurk within my breast is to one day get my hands on the Zilcher piano quintet. I've had people telling me it is astonishingly good, and cor blimey, almost up there with a rather well known pf quintet in F minor and composed in 1864.
That's some claim! And only one way to test the truth of the claim. Trouble is: given what I believe is its sole recording, the Amazon wide boys want a heck of a lot of loot for it.
Oooh, wouldn't the world really be a fun place if we ran a record company (with, of course, an unlimited budget)!
I have his Piano Concerto in b on an old cassette which as I recall, was a pleasant listen.
Jerry
Alan's eulogy to Zilcher inspired me to listen to the old Nazi's chamber music again.
His Piano Trio Op.56 is most enjoyable with its Variations on a Welsh Tune ( The Ash Grove).
I also have his Piano Quintet, Piano Concerto and Violin Concerto No.2 if anyone is interested.
You can download his 4 Songs and some works for accordeon (!) from Concertzender... just Zoek ( Search): Zilcher.
Zilcher's Piano Concerto has found its way to Youtube. A enjoyable piece, like the other music I have heard by him so far (Piano Trio and Piano Quintet):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ig0y46r5oE
Any or all of those works would be appreciated.
Jerry
If you have the time, Mike...
This topic made me listen again to Zilcher's Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano in A minor, op. 90. Most enjoyable music, with hints of Brahms (it's on the CD 'In the Shadow of Brahms Vol. 2') but it has also some impressionistic moments, so to speak. The excellent booklet notes by Matthias Wiegandt learns that Zilcher composed 114 works with opus number and quite a lot without titles or opus number. I'm wondering how his 5 symphonies sound like.
Yes, Zilcher is a hidden composer who deserves our attention.
Quote from: Peter1953 on Sunday 05 February 2012, 10:56
I'm wondering how his 5 symphonies sound like.
His 3rd doesn't sound like symphonies regulary do, because it's an original composition for two pianos.
A CD with the 5th and other works could be ordered by the Tonkünstlerverband Bayern (No. 38 in the list):
http://www.dtkvbayern.de/monographienreihe/71-verzeichnis-der-tondokumente.html (http://www.dtkvbayern.de/monographienreihe/71-verzeichnis-der-tondokumente.html)
Sorry, Alan, but the Zilcher Trio & Quintet are on a commercial CD ( Largo Records).
Try www.amazon.de to order.
However, I have found a tape ( originally from Mike Herman) which features his Violin Concerto No.2.
The same tape has a Violin Concerto by Karl Klinger ( 1907) ... any interest?
I'll keep on looking for the Piano Concerto... just another 20,000 tapes to look through....
That should read: Karl KLINGLER ... but what the "L"!
Yes and yes. Oh, and yes. In case I forgot to approve something else.
Thanks, Mike. I'd very much like to hear Zilcher's VC - and the Klingler!
The CD of Lieder sung by Konrad Jarnot on the Oehms label is just wonderful. Beautiful melodies in the great German tradition and absolutely glorious singing from baritone Jarnot go to make this one of the most enjoyable discs of Lieder I have ever heard. I've liked everything I've heard by Zilcher...
Hermann Carl Joseph Zilcher Born 18.8.1881 Frankfurt-on-Main Died 1.1.1948 Wurzburg
Son of composer Paul Zilcher 1855-1943. He studied at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt under Kwast, Julius Knorr and Bernhard Scholz, he then pursued a career as a composer and pianist. In 1908 he joined the staff of the Munich Academy of Music and later between 1920-1944 became principal of the Wurzburg Conservatory.
Orchestral
Symphony Op.1
Symphony Op.17
Symphony Op.27 Originally composed for two pianos
Symphony Op.84
Symphony Op.112
Suite in G major Op.4 - Frisch, Ballade, March, Serenade, Carneval. 1900
Lustspiel,suite for twelve instruments Op.54b
Suite Op.71
Suite Op.73a
Ramcan suite Op.76
Piano Concerto in B minor Op.20 1906
Piano Concerto Op.102
'Nacht und Morgan' for two pianos, timpani and strings Op.24 1917
Violin Concerto in B minor Op.11 1902
Violin Concerto Op.92
Concerto for two violins and orchestra in D minor Op.9 1902 pub. by Breitkopf & Hartel
Suite for two violins and orchestra Op.15 1903 pub. by Breitkopf & Hartel
Sketches from the Orient for violin and orchestra Op.18 1904
Lament for violin and orchestra Op.22 1906
Variations on a theme by W A Mozart for violin and orchestra Op.95 1942
Konzertstucke on a theme by W A Mozart for flute and orchestra in D Major Op.81 1936 pub. by Breitkopf & Hartel
Accordian Concerto Op.114
Chamber
Piano Quintet in C sharp minor Op.42 1918 pub. by Edition Silvertrust
Piano Trio in E minor Op.56 pub. by Breitkopf & Hartel
Clarinet Trio Op.90
Violin Sonata in D Op.16 pub. by Breitkopf & Hartel
Suite for two violins in G Op.15 - subsequently orchestrated pub. by Breitkopf & Hartel
Suite for string Quartet in G Op.77
Wind Quintet Op.91
Trio for clarinet, cello & piano
Symphony for two pianos Op.50
Eighteen etudes for flute Op.41
Piano
Night Sounds Op.58
Winter Scenes Op.57
Praludium in D minor for piano, left hand pub. by P J Tonger
Song
Four songs - 'Early Response', 'Too Late', 'Bright Days' Happiness Enough' Op.12
Dehmel-Zykhus for soprano, tenor and piano Op.25
Duets das Volkslied-spiel Op.32
Fifteen small songs after the Hey-Speckertschen fables Op.37
Song cycle - Aus dem Hohenlied Solomonis for alto, baritone, piano and string quartet Op.38 pub. by Breitkopk & Hartel
An mein deutschesland, prelude for choir and orchestra Op.48
Eleven Marienlieder for high voice and string quartet Op.52 pub. by Breitkopf & Hartel
Eichendorff Cycle - twelve songs Op.60
Oratorio
Rheinhart Op.2
Die Liebesmesse, 'Mann und Weib', 'Gott', Die Eelt. Op.27 1913 pub. by Breitkopf & Hartel
Ballet
Tanzphantasie Op.71
Opera
Dr Eisenbart 1922
Incidental music for plays
As you like it 1917
A Winter's Tale 1919
The Taming of the Shrew 1926
Comedy of Errors 1934
Children's plays
Fritzbutze 1902
Die Golden Harte 1933
For the work given as Op. 90 don't you mean, Giles, not 'Piano Trio', but the 'Clarinet Trio in the form of variations' in A minor?
That's the work given on a much valued Tacet disc 'In the Shadow of Brahms Vol. 2', which also contains the Wilhelm Berger Clarinet Trio Op. 94 - along with Zilcher another composer sadly locked into the unheard and near unknown category.
I'm not aware of another version of the work scored for, eg viola as an alternative to clarinet.
And I forgot to add my thanks to you for reminding us of Zilcher! Other than the Op. 90 work the only other Zilcher works I know are the Op. 42 Piano Quintet and Op. 56 Piano Trio - both deeply treasurable works.
I think I also recall about a year ago Alan expressing enthusiasm for a disc of songs by Zilcher? But I never investigated that disc.
I've been very curious about his music and haven't heard it yet (actually, there is that 2nd violin concerto (A major, Op.92) broadcast, but I need to and want to go listen to that. Will do so... :) )
As nearly as I can tell, the Piano Quintet CD is out of print. Amazon shows some used copies at USD$50 and change. The Piano Trio is still available - Classical archives has a download where you don't have to buy the Dvorak too.
His Piano Concerto in b from 1918 has beeb performed in the last 40 or 50 years as i have a cassette of that performance back home. It may have originally come from Mike Herman's collection.
there's a Musical Heritage Society recording of accordion music that includes something by Zilcher but I can't tell from the photo of the copy what it is..
Jerry
Zilcher's Violin Concerto No.2 is available for download from our Downloads Archive board here (http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,1373.msg28436.html#msg28436).
Fleisher has a fair bit of Zilcher (no parts for any of the symphonies, alas), including the Op. 20 PC. But I can't locate the Op. 102 PC at present.
US Library of Congress has something that says Zilcher, symphony no.2 in F minor, 114 p. fol. Not sure if it's score or parts. (Also his sym. 1 in A in some form...)
They also have the score of the op.20 concerto but I see no sign of op.102 offhand either.
There is also a tape of a performance of his Rokoko-Suite op.65 (1960-12-02 music division concert.) LoC also lists an LP with an accordion work of his, variations on a Franconian folksong.
hrm. didn't know his piano trio op.56 was recorded on Audite...
The Largo CD containing the Op. 56 Piano Trio and Op. 42 Piano Quintet is indeed deleted since the label no longer exists, but friends may like to know that Amazon UK are advertising both new and used copies at very reasonable prices (about half of what I paid for my copy!). Snap them up quick!
I have the recording of the Piano Quintet and the Piano Trio. The Quintet is in C sharp minor.
There was a very nice orchestral recording of the Marienlieder featuring Antonie Fahberg and the Münchener Radio-orchester conducted by Kurt Eichhorn.
There was also a recording of the piano concerto featuring Gatti Pirner with this same orchestra and conductor.
But I'm not finding a CD anywhere. I have only mp3 files.
Zilcher concerto op20, score copyright 1925 - Free Library says the movement scheme is
Ziemlich bewegt, frei im Zeitmass -- Langsam, ausdrucksvoll und frei im Zeitmass.
Hrm, besides Wikipedia there's also an interesting brief biography here (http://www.oehmsclassics.de/cd.php?formatid=301&sprache=eng) meant to accompany an Oehms Classics recording of his vocal music (a recording I wasn't aware of...)" (And of course there's the Hermann Zilcher Gesellschaft page http://hermann-zilcher.de (http://hermann-zilcher.de)).
Google (and VIAF) say her name is "Gitti Pirner" (which is what it says on the mp3 info)- not Gatti; are you sure, Amphissa?...
Yes, Gitti is correct. My typo. The movements of the PC look correct. My mp3 version is two files. The second is slow, melodic, quite beautiful. Not the fireworks we commonly get as a finale in most piano concertos.
However, the online references I find to the score indicates a playing time of @26 minutes. My mp3 recording clocks in at around 35 minutes. So, I'm not sure if the recorded performance is unusually slow, or if the score estimated playing time is unusually optimistic.
I seem to remember this concerto being discussed on the old-older UC. I know I am not the only person with this concerto, but I find no evidence of a commercial CD for either of these recordings. There is no applause or spoken introduction, so I'm assuming these are not from live performance.
still, could be from a studio recording made for radio broadcast, too.
German Wikipedia attaches 1906 to the A major symphony, and 1912/13 to the B minor concerto. (3 recordings of the piano trio op.56 are mentioned there - the Largo and Audite and also a 2008 recording on Keferstein. In the event I have not yet heard them.)
Hrm. Hermann-Zilcher.de (http://www.hermann-zilcher.de/aufnahmen.htm) has audio samples of various works, a discography, and mentions the B minor concerto but while linking to the YouTube video, gives no commercial appearance etc. that they know of, etc. (I see that the late 5th symphony, one of his very last works I think, is among the works they have brief samples of- neat...)
Listened to the A major violin concerto- trying to put a name to who this piece sometimes reminds me of - maybe Szymanowski's first concerto or something (roughly) similar in general feeling, in the slower portions; at least, there is a very attractive (marginally early-20th-century, though yes, written in 1940) delicacy there. A whole lot to like, appreciate and find involving about this music (same conductor as for that extract of the 5th symphony at their website, I see- someone to watch?...) Thank you.
Too bad they don't at least make the private recordings available in their entirety......
Would anyone happen to have the text for the "Marienlieder," Op, 52? None of them have any titles which makes it difficult to track down.
Had never heard of him – he seems to be a local grand at Würzburg where he was an important figure for the establishment of the Music university and the Mozart festival.
There are some works on YouTube (including 6 of the Marienlieder, @Justin) – I am quite impressed by the duo for violin and Cello of which there is a very fine performance on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPreY5llgvI).
A Würzburg street is dedicated to him and will be renamed (something that is happening a lot in Germany these times) – he seems to be one of those late romantic German composers whose delightful music is in concurrence with his Nazi sympathism. The allegation is amongst other that he betrayed a family friend to the Gestapo which put the latter into 18 months of "Schutzhaft" ("preventive detention") which often led to KZ internation and thereby death – is his case, fortunately, not.
Those who understand German can read about it here: https://www.sueddeutsche.de/bayern/liste-der-vorwuerfe-hat-es-in-sich-verrat-an-die-gestapo-1.5255020
At the actual Würzburg Mozart Festival, at which its 100th aniversary was celebrated, Music by Zilcher was presented by Lydia Teuscher, soprano, and Amadeus Wiesensee, piano. The concert included works by Zilcher's idol Mozart as well as songs by Carl Orff and Norbert Glanzberg, who were both Zilcher's pupils. The premiere of a work by contemporary composer Wilfried Hiller, a pupil of Orff, completed the programme.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4obZom5k0Q&t=3068s
At Youtube you can hear Zilcher playing Mozart's last piano concerto in a recording from 1943, the conductor is Heinz Reinhard Zilcher, Hermann Zilcher's son.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfPJ14bXa9k&t=25s
Thank you for the news, ewk! A little correction must be made: The last paragraph of the article says that the decision about a renaming of the Zilcher-Street has still to be made, and that this will take place in autumn. (But reading between the lines I have the impression that it seems clear that Zilcher will be erased from the city map of Würzburg.)
@ Justin, here are the first lines of the Marienlieder:
1. O Maria, meine Liebe
2. Maria ging hinaus zu Zachariä Haus
3. Ach wie so schön, wie hübsch und fein
4. Inmitten der Nacht, die Hirten erwacht
5. Ein Kindlein in der Wiegen
6. Maria die hatte ihr Kind verlorn
7. Als Jesus von seiner Mutter ging
8. Maria hört ein Hämmerlein klingen
9. Maria unter dem Kreuze stund
10. Laßt uns erfreuen herzlich sehr
11. Höchste Herrscherin der Welt
Wonderful, Rainolf! I should be able to find the entire poems online using the first lines.
Thank you very much. These are lovely songs.
Here is a live performance of Ernst Reicher's silent film Das Buch Esther (The Book of Esther) with music by Hermann Zilcher.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQmBBXyAo7Y
Zilcher composed the music for Reicher's biblical epic in 1920 and conducted the first performances himself. The film was forbidden by the Nazi regime, because Reicher was of Jewish descent, but a copy found the way into the US, where it was reworked and performed under the new title "Persecution".
One single copy of Persecution did survive. The score of Zilcher's music went lost, but a piano score could be found in the Bavarian State Archive. Conductor Wolfgang Zilcher, Hermann Zilcher's grandson, re-orchestrated it and adapted it to the only surviving American version of the film. So Das Buch Esther was performed with the original music in 2024 by the Thüringen-Philharmonie Gotha-Eisenach and the MonteverdiChor Würzburg conducted by Matthias Beckert.
Thank you very much for this: it's a remarkable document of a moving film and musical score.
Anyone interested in Zilcher's music may find it informative that the "Tonkünstlerverband Bayern" (Musician's Association of Bavaria) has published a monograph about him, in 1999. There is an accompanying CD with several works, namely:
- Hölderlin-Zyklus for voice and orchestra op.28 (1913)
- Deutsche Volksliederspiele for piano and string quartet op.32 (1915) - two excerpts
- As you like it, incidental music for orchestra op.33 (1914) - four movements
- Symphony No. 5 op.112 (1947) "Und dennoch" ("And yet") in two movements
The CD isn't mentioned on the Verband's website (if I have looked correctly), but the book is (I myself only have the CD):
https://www.dtkvbayern.de/monographien/band-38-hermann-zilcher/
The channel of the MonteverdiChor Würzburg contains video documents of some more Zilcher performances:
Klage for violin and orchestra op. 22
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afav82rPGc4
Konzertstück for violoncello and orchestra op. 21
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQsIWm-OM-M
Nazar Totovytskyi, violin
Jiyeon Kim, violoncello
Thüringen-Philharmonie Gotha-Eisenach
Matthias Beckert, conductor
The Konzertstück, though brief, is a powerful statement. Thanks for the link.
Many thanks for the links, Rainolf! As you know, I bought the score (or rather the piano reduction) of Zilcher's Konzertstück many years ago in a music store in Eisenach and tried it out myself a bit. However, so far it seemed it was never recorded. Great to have the chance to listen to a performance now!
Well, after a long gap I now have the CD on the Largo label featuring the Piano Trio in E minor Op.56 (1927) and Piano Quintet in C sharp minor Op.42 (1919).
I should have invested in this release years ago. The Piano Quintet is a masterpiece of the first order, of that I am convinced. It has a restrained beauty shot through with remarkable expressions of pain and regret, possibly associated with the period in which it was written. Composed in a recognisably traditional idiom reminiscent of and building on, say, late Brahms, this Quintet has little of the restless chromaticism of Reger, instead majoring on subtle textures and memorable melodies. In a way, its restraint reminded me of Fauré, although I can't think of any comparable work in the repertoire. It is a quite extraodinarily moving piece.
Here's an insightful commentary:
<<His Post-Brahmsian Piano Quintet in c# minor, Op.42 dates from 1918. Zilcher clearly rejected the atonalism of the 2nd Vienna School. Rather, it is Brahms who serves at the structural model and tonal point of departure. The first movement, Leidenschaftlich bewegt, opens with a dark theme in the violin which later is taken up by the lower voices whilst the piano hovers in the background. Its integration into the ensemble is particularly fine. The second movement, Langsam bewegt, ausdruscksvoll, is not only highly original. The opening slow, march-like theme begins softly and somberly—there is an unmistakable funereal quality to it, but with a slight hint of mystery as well. The middle section literally comes out of nowhere. It is a gossamer scherzo—a whirling dance in the strings against the ostinato funeral march in the piano. The tension is gradually brought to a very high pitch but there is no real resolution, just a gradual release as the music retreats back to the slow first theme. The finale, Frei in Zeitmaß, fließend, sehr bewegt, begins with a short and powerful shout from the string quartet alone. The themes are full of agitation. Given the year of composition, 1918, it is not surprising that Zilcher's thoughts were on the First World War and he uses as one of his themes, the melody from his own then well-known volkslied, The Austrian Cavalryman's Song. However, after all of the early unrest, the Quintet is brought to an end quietly with a meditative chorale.>>
https://w.editionsilvertrust.com/zilcher-pno-quintet.htm
I see. Not that they'd -written- many atonal works for others to reject in 1918 , and those they'd written had, except for Schoenberg's, mostly remained unpublished and had received perhaps a few performances :)
As to the Zilcher itself, I look forward to hearing it. I wonder from your description though if Zilcher had heard any of the contemporary chamber works by his French contemporaries, like Schmitt (eg his piano quintet of 1902-8), Bonis, Dubois and others? I doubt (maybe wrongly) if -every- German and Austrian composer was as reflexively anti-French-music, and vice versa, as the most famous ones seem to have been... (that said, Berg's snarky comments in a letter to Schoenberg at an ISCM festival on hearing eg Frank Bridge's 3rd string quartet, say- and I think also Myaskovsky's 4th piano sonata in the same festival? - are not encouraging when it comes to that larger subject, but yes, tangent, sorry.)
BTW unless this was meant to be under the Recordings forum, this thread could be merged with the other Hermann Zilcher (https://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,4118.0.html) thread that's still on the first page - unless I'm missing something. Which happens often.
Quote from: eschiss1 on Saturday 07 December 2024, 13:02this thread could be merged with the other Hermann Zilcher (https://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,4118.0.html) thread
Thanks, Eric. Done!