Ignatz Waghalter

[eschiss1]

saw a mention in a violin concerto wishlist thread of Ignatz Waghalter (who has a somewhat late-Classical-sounding name somehow.. but his dates are 1881-1949).  His string quartet op.3 in D is uploaded (score and parts, US and Canada only) to IMSLP, has been recorded along with his violin sonata and other works (in 2006 on the DWG Music label- link is to a Musicweb review), though I know offhand of no recordings of orchestral works. The score of the 5-movement, half-hour quartet (1901, first published 1913) did look interesting.

(Most of the recordings Worldcat lists seem to be 78s and otherwise early; in many, brief opera selections of music by others, he participates as a conductor and not a composer - depending on how one searches, of course.)

The Free Library of Philadelphia Fleischer Collection has score and parts for both his rhapsody in A-flat op9 (ca.1906?) and his concerto op15 for violin and orchestra, to connect this again with the thread that inspired it

[Alan Howe]

There is a Wikipedia article here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waghalter

[eschiss1]

Ye gads that's a tendentious Wikipedia article. (The ideal is here're the facts, make up your own mind. Or it was years ago when i was a more active editor. Who knows what's changed...)

[Morris Herzog]

The Wikipedia article on Waghalter now includes an external link (http://www.knuckle.tv/clients/the-waghalter-project/) that takes one to a promotional video involving artists who recorded, with the Royal Philharmonic, the composer's violin concerto and some other violin music. Judging from the music included in this video, it may well be the case that Waghalter is an important "lost" composer. The wiki article reports that Naxos will be bringing out the music this coming spring.

[Alan Howe]

Thanks very much for this information. The link reveals a most exciting discovery - I can't wait for the recording to be released. The Wiki article says:

In March 2011 Waghalter's Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra and Concerto for Violin and Orchestra were recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London, with conductor Alexander Walker and soloist Irmina Trynkos. Public release of the CD by Naxos Records is expected in the spring of 2012.

[Lionel Harrsion]

The link reveals a most exciting discovery - I can't wait for the recording to be released.

Neither can I -- it sounds wonderful. 

[Mark Thomas]

Oh yes indeed, something to look forward to by the sound of it. Am I alone in being reminded of Korngold?

[Alan Howe]

Nope - I had that thought too. Then I remembered Weismann's VC1 as well...

[Mark Thomas]

Yes, exactly right.

[Lionel Harrsion]

Maybe a bit less harmonically adventurous than Korngold, but the overall 'sound-world', definitely!

[Morris Herzog]

Interesting comparison to Korngold. But this violin concerto was composed in 1910, at least a quarter-century before Korngold's great work. I wonder if Korngold knew Waghalter? (In those days, everyone knew everybody.) In the Waghalter video, did you notice how many remarkable themes were to be heard in a relatively short clip? The violin and piano sonata, judging from the clip, strikes me as an important work.

[M. Henriksen]

I would recommend this website to learn more about Waghalter:

http://www.waghalter.com/index.html

According to the list of compositions, Waghalter composed a Symphony in B minor for large Orchestra, an Overture for large Orchestra and two Orchestral Suites in addition to the already mentioned Violin Concerto and Rhapsody.


Morten