Gottfried von Einem(1918-1996)

[Dundonnell]

I suppose that von Einem is probably the most well-known of modern Austrian composers, certainly of those who remained in Austria after 1939 and whose work dates primarily from after 1945.

There is a very informative website devoted to von Einem and his work-

http://www.einem.org/en/main.htm

A pupil of Boris Blacher in Berlin von Einem's work does not demonstrate the same amount of development in idiom as does that of Blacher. He is best known perhaps as a composer of a number of operas which enjoyed some success in Germany and Austria, the most notable of which is Danton's Tod.

I know von Einem's orchestral music better than the operas. I certainly have the Vienna Symphony, the Piano Concerto No.1, the Violin Concerto and some shorter orchestral pieces on disc, have downloaded the Philadelphia Symphony and the Concerto for Orchestra.

I hope that Holger can make available his recordings of the Munich Symphony and the Symphony No.4    

There is an Organ Concerto and an Ariette for Piano and Orchestra(Piano Concerto No.2) and a number of choral works, of which the Cantata "An Die Nachgeborenen" is available for download from this site.

The trouble I find with von Einem's music however is that, accessible though it is, in a lyrical, neo-romantic sort of sense, I don't find much of it essentially very memorable. von Einem is proficient, accomplished but the material itself ultimately is not sufficiently interesting to stick in the mind. (I found the same thing when I investigated the music of the German symphonist Karl Holler, 1907-87: another neo-romantic whose music should appeal to me but is not distinctive enough to make a lasting impression).

Anyone else know much von Einem?

[saxtromba]

Check out The Bruckner Dialogues, which is a quite striking salute to a composer quite different yet somehow closely linked.

[Dundonnell]

Indeed

An interesting piece

[eschiss1]

His capriccio for orchestra opus 2 will be performed by the Wiener Symphoniker cond. by Fabio Luisi on 12 (also 13) March 2013, by the way.

[Hovite]

Check out The Bruckner Dialogues, which is a quite striking salute to a composer quite different yet somehow closely linked.

But the only memorable parts of that work are chunks from Bruckner's Symphony No. 9.

[Greg K]

The trouble I find with von Einem's music however is that, accessible though it is, in a lyrical, neo-romantic sort of sense, I don't find much of it essentially very memorable. von Einem is proficient, accomplished but the material itself ultimately is not sufficiently interesting to stick in the mind.

For what it's worth I find von Einem's 3rd & 4rth Symphonies very memorable, interesting, and sticky.