Walter Braunfels (1882-1954)

[Peter1953]

A few years ago I heard a radio broadcast of Braunfels's Serenade op. 20, and I was pleasantly surprised by its quiet, late Romantic and somewhat melancholic style, especially in the slow 1st and 3rd movements, which reminded me of Bruckner.
I bought the cpo CD, coupling the Serenade in E flat major for Small Orchestra (in 4 movements, written in 1910) with Phantastiche Erscheinungen (= Fantastic Appearances) of a Theme by Hector Berlioz for Full Orchestra, op. 25 (12 in all, but the 9th has been omitted on this recording, composed during 1914-17).

Braunfels (b. Frankfurt am Main, 1882) had some reputation with his operas. However, the above mentioned CD is the only one I have.
I wonder if anyone knows his music, and if so, what is your opinion? Any recommandations for other recordings?

[petershott@btinternet.com]

Braunfels? Yes, indeed. Maybe not a major figure. I suppose the world would go on rumbling on in its way quite indifferent to unsung composers had B not existed. But my world has been made slightly better by the presence of some well performed and good recordings of Braunfels on my shelves. I'd recommend another cpo recording of the quartets 1 & 2 performed by the Auryn Quartet (CPO 999 406-2), and one of the dramatic & moving Te Deum - a large-scale work for T, S, Chorus, Organ, & full orchestra recorded on Orfeo (C 679 071A). Then, above all, is the 1920 opera 'Die Vogel' derived from Aristophanes, and recorded in the Decca 'Entartete Musik' series of a few years ago. Marvellous piece! He wrote the Te Deum, post-WW1, after a conversion to Catholicism. Despite the acclaim bestowed on B with this piece, being both Jewish and Catholic, his fortunes quickly changed throughout the 1930's. He withdrew from public life and kept himself well hidden near Lake Constance. In those years his music underwent a wholesale transformation to a far more austere style in which religion was uppermost. Some years ago the mystery play 'Verkundigung' was recorded (by German EMI, I think), but I have never heard it. These final years, until his death in 1954, also saw the opera 'Szenen aus dem Leben der Heiligen Johanna', which the reference books tell us is one of B's most significant achievements. From the little I've heard of Braunfels I find him more rewarding than the long hours I've spent in the company of the somewhat dreary Pfitzner (with the exception of course of 'Palestrina'!) Some more work here for Braunfels on the part of the indefatigible and indispensable CPO to whom we owe so much!

[Alan Howe]

Yes, Pfitzner affords very little pleasure, I find. Braunfels is quite different: the oper Die Vögel (The Birds) is an exotic and enjoyable masterpiece more like Korngold. If you can track it down, it'll certainly reward you with some magnificent music.