Paul Kletzki (born Paweł Klecki; 21 March 1900 – 5 March 1973) was a Polish conductor and composer.

Biography

Born in Łódź, Kletzki joined the Łódź Philharmonic at the age of fifteen as a violinist. After serving in the First World War, he studied philosophy at the University of Warsaw before moving to Berlin in 1921 to continue his studies. During the 1920s his compositions were championed by

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...

; and Wilhelm Furtwängler, who permitted Kletzki to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic in 1925. Because he was Jewish, he left Nazi Germany in 1933 and moved to Milan, Italy, where he taught composition. Due to the

anti-semitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...

of the Italian Fascist regime he moved to the Soviet Union in 1936. During the Holocaust a number of Kletzki's family were murdered by the Nazis including his parents and his sister. In 1946, he participated in the reopening of

La Scala La Scala (, , ; abbreviation in Italian of the official name ) is a famous opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated on 3 August 1778 and was originally known as the ' (New Royal-Ducal Theatre alla Scala). The premiere performan ...

in Milan. In 1949, he became a Swiss citizen. In the post-war years Kletzki was a renowned conductor, especially of

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. In 1954 he was appointed chief conductor of the

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. In 1955, he conducted the first recordings of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Between 1958 and 1961 he was principal conductor of the

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. From 1967 until 1970 he was the General Music Director of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. He died on 5 March 1973 at 72 years of age after collapsing during a rehearsal at the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

Work

Most of Paul Kletzki's compositions were thought to be destroyed during World War II. However, during excavations in Milan in 1965, a chest was found containing the scores he had left in the basement of the Hotel Metropole in 1941. Kletzki, fearing his scores had turned to dust, did not open the chest. Upon his death in 1973 his wife, Yvonne, opened the chest finding his scores well-preserved. Kletzki's most notable work is his Third Symphony, completed in October 1939, with the subtitle 'In memoriam'. It is an elegiac work interpreted as a moving monument to the victims of Nazism. Other works include three string quartets,, lists 3 string quartets, Op. 1 in A minor, Op. 13 in C minor, Op. 23 in D minor, copyright 1923, 1925, 1931. a Sinfonietta for strings, a Fantasy for piano, and a sonata for violin and piano. From 1942 onwards Kletzki wrote no more compositions; he argued that Nazism had destroyed his spirit and his will to compose.

Compositions

References

External links

*
Kletzki biography
at NAXOS.com
Discography
*Wojciech Wendland
"The Three Musketeers from Łódź: Tansman, Tuwim and Kletzki"
pp. 16–19, in:
9th International Festival and Competition of Musical Personalities – Tansman 2012
' (in Polish and English), Tansman Philharmonic, Łódź {{DEFAULTSORT:Kletzki, Paul 1900 births 1973 deaths 20th-century classical composers 20th-century conductors (music) 20th-century male musicians Jewish classical composers Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to Italy Lausanne Conservatory faculty Male conductors (music) Polish classical composers Polish conductors (music) Polish emigrants to Switzerland Polish expatriates in Germany Polish expatriates in Italy Polish expatriates in Russia 20th-century Polish Jews Polish male classical composers Pupils of Heinrich Schenker Texas classical music Musicians from Łódź