Ferdinand Andergassen (1892-1964), a prolific and very obscure Austrian composer

[LateRomantic75]

Apologies in advance if this composer would happen to fall outside UC's remit, but with no recordings of it available, will we ever know?

Well look what you come across while browsing the Web! After skimming Andergassen's German Wikipedia article, my interest was immediately piqued:

http://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Andergassen

Regarding Andergassen's compositional style, I was able to gather (from Google Translate) that his earlier works were influenced by Wagner, but he later incorporated elements of Impressionism and expressionism into his music. He was hugely prolific, having composed two operas, two operettas, four symphonies, two piano concertos, more than a dozen sacred choral works with orchestra, six string quartets, six piano sonatas, and further vocal and chamber works.

There are also these articles (both in German) regarding Andergassen:

http://www.klassika.info/Komponisten/Andergassen_Ferdinand/lebenslauf_1.html
http://www.feldkirch.at/rathaus/bibliothek/komponisten/ferdinand-andergassen (with an extensive worklist linked to at the bottom of the page)

If anyone could provide any more information about this highly intriguing composer, I would be most grateful!

[Mark Thomas]

I can't say that the Wikipedia article bodes well for Andergassen being much of a "romantic".

[LateRomantic75]

Feel free to lock this thread if you wish! My curiosity has gotten the best of me.....

[LateRomantic75]

Well, that worklist does display key signatures for quite a few of Andergassen's works, if that helps at all.....

[eschiss1]

There seems to be a 2000 recording of songs and piano works by Andergassen on the "Austro Mechana" label; also an LP (Preiser, 1970s?) was released of his (I think his? might be a compilation...) string quartet in D minor Op.126, oboe sonata Op.106 and other works that Worldcat says is at several libraries. (Worldcat also turns up a few other things, mostly a Preiser LP from 1991 (might be a reissue of the above? ... should check...) and some scores.) Hope that helps some...

(Well, hrmph, now I'm curious too. I like string quartets in D minor. (whether by Schubert, P Scharwenka, Wolf... Mozart... Reger, Dvorak; and, presumably this one...))

[Alan Howe]

The slow movement of the PC Op.48 sounds late-Romantic to me:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUTIxtNmac8

[LateRomantic75]

Great find, Alan! Now I have evidence to support my claim!

[britishcomposer]

Kindly uploaded by Atsushi and still in the archive, Symphony No 4:

http://www.unsungcomposers.com/forum/index.php/topic,1345.msg30486.html#msg30486

[Mark Thomas]

Fair do's. The Piano Concerto movement is very palatable indeed. Well done LR75! 

[LateRomantic75]

Thank you, Mark! And kudos to britishcomposer for alerting me to the existence of a recording of his Symphony no. 4! And I thought Andergassen was a hopeless case