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During the past weekend, the Deutsche Oper in Berlin celebrated its 100th birthday. Manuel Brug, the well-known music critic of Die Welt, a major German daily newspaper, opened his review of the celebration with a warm tribute to Ignatz Waghalter and the new Naxos CD of his music. He wrote on October 22:

"Let us begin with Ignatz Waghalter (1881-1949). This composer of full-blooded but not uninteresting romantic music seems to have fallen out of historical time. His anniversary has not been celebrated, and he must count among the most unjustly forgotten composers of the interwar period. But Naxos has just released a CD of his various compositions for violin that will have connoisseurs licking their lips with delight.

"For what they will hear is truly breathtaking music. Moreover, it was the Polish Jew Waghalter -- Pay Attention, Centenary Celebrators -- who conducted the very first performance of Fidelio, upon the opening of the Deutschen Opernhaus Berlin (which we now know as the Deutsche Oper) on November 7, 1912. Not only that: For 11 years this now totally forgotten musician -- who composed four operas and who secured a place for Puccini's music in Germany -- was the music director of an opera house that was established by wealthy citizens of Charlottenburg-Berlin as a corporation. This was certainly not in conformity with the saber-rattling nationalism of the Wilhelmine epoch."

This is a just tribute to a man who was, quite clearly, an extraordinary musician and, as it may turn out, a great composer. It appears that the Waghalter CD is really having an impact. And, frankly, it is hard to resist the emotional pull of Waghalter's music.

I am eagerly awaiting the November 14 concert at Cadogan Hall. I hope that readers of this site will do everything to get the word around.

Karlowicz, who died so tragically at a young age, was a wonderful composer. But although Waghalter was born only five years later than Karlowicz, he clearly represents a later musical generation. I am still trying to assimilate the new Waghalter recording intellectually and emotionally. His music reflects an extraordinary range of musical influences that are ultimately blended together in a highly original manner. The violin concerto has a sort of kaleidoscopic character: Waghalter has the amazing ability to translate fleeting impressions of the world as he experienced it into significant melodic ideas. This is the mark of a great composer. As for the CD itself, Irmina Trynkos is clearly a major talent. An astonishing array of emotions find expression in her playing. And Alex Walker must be congratulated for his interpretation of the work. It must be incredibly difficult to accomplish this without being able to reference any other performance of the work. The Cadogan Hall concert promises to be a major event.

Ignatz Waghalter, whose major works for violin have just been released by Naxos [http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.572809], was a pupil of Friedrich Gernsheim. In Waghalter's fascinating memoir (Aus dem Ghetto in der Freiheit), a wonderful portrait of Gernsheim as a musician and teacher is to be found. Arriving in Berlin as a penniless 16 year old, the Warsaw-born youth managed to come to the attention of Joseph Joachim and Gernsheim. Waghalter showed Gernsheim his youthful compositions. The elderly composer tossed them aside and told Waghalter that in Berlin he would learn the art and science of composition. In the years that followed Gernsheim would work over Waghalter's compositions with uncompromising rigor. Waghalter writes that he knew he was worthy of the title "composer" when Gernsheim returned his compositions uncorrected. In 1902 Waghalter's Sonata for Violin and Piano -- which is included in the Naxos release -- was awarded the prestigious Mendelssohn price. I believe the work is dedicated to Gernsheim. Though it appears to me that Waghalter possessed a greater melodic gift than Gernsheim, the influence of his teacher is unmistakeable.

It is really wonderful that the very great work of such long-forgotten musicians is being revived.

I downloaded the new Naxos release of Ignatz Waghalter's violin music yesterday after it became available. I have now listened to the recording several times, with steadily mounting enthusiasm. Even taking into account all that happened after 1933 to disrupt the continuity of music, I am still amazed that a composer of Waghalter's evident genius was so completely forgotten. The violin concerto is an amazing work. I really do not know what to compare it to. It is overflowing with profound and brilliantly developed thematic material. The second movement is at once heart breaking and inspiring. The third movement is a joy to listen to. I could go on and on about the other pieces -- the Rhapsody, the Sonata for Violin and Piano and the two short pieces. They are all wonderfully conceived and so poignantly beautiful. I do hope that others will listen to the music and post their comments.

Below are excerpts from a blog by violinist Irmina trynkos, who is the soloist in the new Waghalter CD.

"A major contributing factor to the conservative tastes of audiences is the lack of exposure for a wider range of music composed shortly before the Second World War. Part of this was caused by the turmoil of the war itself, and the strong change in aesthetics thereafter. As a result, a very large number of musical personalities were forgotten in the chaos of this era, without any regard to the actual quality of their music and the success of their careers.

"Today, we do hear a good amount of modern music, composed by living artists, which definitely deserves its place in concerts worldwide. I am, however, convinced that audiences deserve the opportunity to make up their minds about composers whose music has been unjustly suppressed due to uncontrollable historical events. Among these is one I immediately fell in love with - Ignatz Waghalter. The emotional authenticity and force of his lyricism are the unique expression of an extraordinary musical culture. This intense melodic imagination gave me the instant impetus to establish the Waghalter Project, the purpose of which is to popularise the composer's music once again."

The entire text can be accessed at: http://www.gramophone.co.uk/blog/gramophone-guest-blog/rediscovering-ignatz-waghalter

The Naxos CD of Ignatz Waghalter's violin music is, acording to Amazon, scheduled for release on October 2. Excerpts of the music can be heard both on Amazon and Itunes. To the extent that it is possible to form an impression, based on these excerpts, this is very important music. The question posed by Michael Haas needs to be answered: how was it possible that work of this caliber wenr missing for a century?  Well, I suppose that 1933-45 had a great deal to do with it.  BTW, the violinist is fabulous.

Naxos has just posted the notes that apparently accompany the Waghalter CD. They are written by Michael Haas, who played a major role in Decca's "Degenerate Music" project back in the 1990s. The notes are very interesting, and the passages that describe the music cannot help but arouse great interest. One doesn't have the impression that Waghalter was a minor composer. And he seems to have been a very progressive artist. He attempted to found an orchestra of Afro-American musicians after arriving in the United States! At the end of the notes, Haas writes: "This recording brings to light one of the most unjustly forgotten musicians of pre-1933 Europe, inviting the question: how was it possible that this music went missing for a century?"

The URL to the Naxos notes is:

http://www.naxos.com/mainsite/blurbs_reviews.asp?item_code=8.572809&catNum=572809&filetype=About%20this%20Recording&language=English#

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.

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.