Karl Weigl

[minacciosa]

There are recordings of Weigl's violin concerto and the two piano concerti in the works for next year.

Any more details - all of them in one album? I guess the VC will be played by Philippe Graffin?

David Freuhwirth. Recording set for March 2013. I've been told Crystal Records. Somehow that doesn't ring; Crystal has had a very different focus in the past, but one never knows.

[britishcomposer]

I suppose you mean David Frühwirth. 'Früh' means 'early' while 'Freu' means something like 'happy'.  

I have heard him with a Gal Sonata and Concertino but his playing lacked in polish and brilliance. Perhaps he had a bad day.
I see he has recorded the Wellesz VC for Capriccio. Haven't heard that, though. So perhaps the label is Capriccio?
Frühwirth has also recorded to albums for AVIE Records.

[Alan Howe]

"Fruehwirth" would be an alternative spelling of "Frühwirth". And this webpage...
http://www.davidviolin.com/2012/wordpress/?page_id=973
...suggests that Crystal Classics (not Records!) could be the label.

[Alan Howe]

This link (scroll down to page 16) certainly has David Frühwirth playing Weigl's Violin Concerto in Rostock in March 2013...
http://www.volkstheater-rostock.de/user_files/test_1336147411_1230.pdf

[Alan Howe]

The VC, by the way, is a gorgeous piece - perhaps somewhat proleptic of Korngold's own VC. If Frühwirth is to record it, it'll be well worth buying. The 1966 performance played by Sidney Harth referred to here...
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2006/jan06/Weigl_symphony6_BISCD1167.htm
...reveals an absolutely stunning composition.

[minacciosa]

The first batch of performances of music by Karl Weigl are now available in the Austrian Composers folder in the Downloads section. The sources are in most cases (at least) 2nd generation cassettes given to me by the family; others are out of print LPs. Having heard all the commercial releases, I personally believe that musically speaking Weigl has fared much better through many of these older performances, which strike me as coming closer to delivering the spirit of the music in a manner that makes it truly come alive. The performances are not always technically without blemish, but that's not the point. Technically the music is exceeding difficult, but Weigl's idiom (despite its superficially familiarity) is also quite difficult to interpret. There are no problems with the composer's craft; his work seems to absorb all mechanics involved with its creation into an organic whole. He writes many tempo changes that are directly related to structural concerns, and they must be carefully balanced and related to one another lest pacing goes awry. It is in this way most of the commercial recordings seem lacking to me. If there is something you don't "get", it most likely is for that reason. (The best of the available commercial recordings by far were done by the Artis Quartet recordings. The recent Piano Trio recording is also very good.)

Though his style can easily be traced to its roots (Mahler, Bruckner, Schubert, Beethoven), Weigl's music has such individuality that it can be easily recognized within a few notes or measures. You will find a melodic contour and harmonic progressions in all his mature work that clearly bear the composer's name, yet he is blessed with such imagination that he never seems to repeat himself. His rhythms remain resolutely classical, while he developed an interestingly oblique way of addressing harmonic movement (based upon sustained employment of four part counterpoint) that makes his music firmly of the 20th century despite his basically 19th century aesthetic. Weigl is serious in intent, invariably wrestling with the big questions while simultaneously (unlike so many Austrian composers) showing an interesting lack of effusive Viennese-style sentimentality, even in a work as warm as his fantasy "Old Vienna". I believe this reflects his strong, determined character, since there's no other way to explain how he was able to overcome the worst kind of upheaval, live through continuous hardships after emigration, yet while occupied with numerous activities associated with survival, still continue to compose at the height of his powers. He remained an extremely virile composer until the very end.

So, here is Karl Weigl, and there is much more to come. I think him to be a major voice. Let me know what you think.