Hermann Zilcher 1881-1948

[eschiss1]

Hrm. Hermann-Zilcher.de has audio samples of various works, a discography, and mentions the B minor concerto but while linking to the YouTube video, gives no commercial appearance etc. that they know of, etc. (I see that the late 5th symphony, one of his very last works I think, is among the works they have brief samples of- neat...)

[eschiss1]

Listened to the A major violin concerto- trying to put a name to who this piece sometimes reminds me of - maybe Szymanowski's first concerto or something (roughly) similar in general feeling, in the slower portions; at least, there is a very attractive (marginally early-20th-century, though yes, written in 1940) delicacy there. A whole lot to like, appreciate and find involving about this music (same conductor as for that extract of the 5th symphony at their website, I see- someone to watch?...)  Thank you.

[jerfilm]

Too bad they don't at least make the private recordings available in their entirety......

[Justin]

Would anyone happen to have the text for the "Marienlieder," Op, 52? None of them have any titles which makes it difficult to track down.

[ewk]

Had never heard of him – he seems to be a local grand at Würzburg where he was an important figure for the establishment of the Music university and the Mozart festival.

There are some works on YouTube (including 6 of the Marienlieder, @Justin) – I am quite impressed by the duo for violin and Cello of which there is a very fine performance on YouTube.

A Würzburg street is dedicated to him and will be renamed (something that is happening a lot in Germany these times) – he seems to be one of those late romantic German composers whose delightful music is in concurrence with his Nazi sympathism. The allegation is amongst other that he betrayed a family friend to the Gestapo which put the latter into 18 months of "Schutzhaft" ("preventive detention") which often led to KZ internation and thereby death – is his case, fortunately, not.
Those who understand German can read about it here: https://www.sueddeutsche.de/bayern/liste-der-vorwuerfe-hat-es-in-sich-verrat-an-die-gestapo-1.5255020

[Rainolf]

At the actual Würzburg Mozart Festival, at which its 100th aniversary was celebrated, Music by Zilcher was presented by Lydia Teuscher, soprano, and Amadeus Wiesensee, piano. The concert included works by Zilcher's idol Mozart as well as songs by Carl Orff and Norbert Glanzberg, who were both Zilcher's pupils. The premiere of a work by contemporary composer Wilfried Hiller, a pupil of Orff, completed the programme.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4obZom5k0Q&t=3068s

At Youtube you can hear Zilcher playing Mozart's last piano concerto in a recording from 1943, the conductor is Heinz Reinhard Zilcher, Hermann Zilcher's son.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfPJ14bXa9k&t=25s

Thank you for the news, ewk! A little correction must be made: The last paragraph of the article says that the decision about a renaming of the Zilcher-Street has still to be made, and that this will take place in autumn. (But reading between the lines I have the impression that it seems clear that Zilcher will be erased from the city map of Würzburg.)

[Rainolf]

@ Justin, here are the first lines of the Marienlieder:

1. O Maria, meine Liebe
2. Maria ging hinaus zu Zachariä Haus
3. Ach wie so schön, wie hübsch und fein
4. Inmitten der Nacht, die Hirten erwacht
5. Ein Kindlein in der Wiegen
6. Maria die hatte ihr Kind verlorn
7. Als Jesus von seiner Mutter ging
8. Maria hört ein Hämmerlein klingen
9. Maria unter dem Kreuze stund
10. Laßt uns erfreuen herzlich sehr
11. Höchste Herrscherin der Welt

[Justin]

Wonderful, Rainolf! I should be able to find the entire poems online using the first lines.

Thank you very much. These are lovely songs.

[Rainolf]

Here is a live performance of Ernst Reicher's silent film Das Buch Esther (The Book of Esther) with music by Hermann Zilcher.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQmBBXyAo7Y

Zilcher composed the music for Reicher's biblical epic in 1920 and conducted the first performances himself. The film was forbidden by the Nazi regime, because Reicher was of Jewish descent, but a copy found the way into the US, where it was reworked and performed under the new title "Persecution".

One single copy of Persecution did survive. The score of Zilcher's music went lost, but a piano score could be found in the Bavarian State Archive. Conductor Wolfgang Zilcher, Hermann Zilcher's grandson, re-orchestrated it and adapted it to the only surviving American version of the film. So Das Buch Esther was performed with the original music in 2024 by the Thüringen-Philharmonie Gotha-Eisenach and the MonteverdiChor Würzburg conducted by Matthias Beckert.

[Alan Howe]

Thank you very much for this: it's a remarkable document of a moving film and musical score.

[TB]

Anyone interested in Zilcher's music may find it informative that the "Tonkünstlerverband Bayern" (Musician's Association of Bavaria) has published a monograph about him, in 1999. There is an accompanying CD with several works, namely:
- Hölderlin-Zyklus for voice and orchestra op.28 (1913)
- Deutsche Volksliederspiele for piano and string quartet op.32 (1915) - two excerpts
- As you like it, incidental music for orchestra op.33 (1914) - four movements
- Symphony No. 5 op.112 (1947) "Und dennoch" ("And yet") in two movements

The CD isn't mentioned on the Verband's website (if I have looked correctly), but the book is (I myself only have the CD):
https://www.dtkvbayern.de/monographien/band-38-hermann-zilcher/

[Rainolf]

The channel of the MonteverdiChor Würzburg contains video documents of some more Zilcher performances:

Klage for violin and orchestra op. 22

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afav82rPGc4

Konzertstück for violoncello and orchestra op. 21

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQsIWm-OM-M
 
Nazar Totovytskyi, violin
Jiyeon Kim, violoncello
Thüringen-Philharmonie Gotha-Eisenach
Matthias Beckert, conductor

[Alan Howe]

The Konzertstück, though brief, is a powerful statement. Thanks for the link.

[Holger]

Many thanks for the links, Rainolf! As you know, I bought the score (or rather the piano reduction) of Zilcher's Konzertstück many years ago in a music store in Eisenach and tried it out myself a bit. However, so far it seemed it was never recorded. Great to have the chance to listen to a performance now!