Volkmar Andreae (5 July 1879 – 18 June 1962) was a Swiss conductor and composer.
Life and career
Andreae was born in Bern. He received piano instruction as a child and his first lessons in composition with
Karl Munzinger. From 1897 to 1900, he studied at the
Cologne Conservatory and was a student of
Fritz Brun
Fritz Brun (18 August 1878 – 29 November 1959) was a Swiss pianist, conductor and composer of classical music.
Life
Brun was born in Lucerne. He was a student of Franz Wüllner at the conservatory at Cologne, and studied piano and theory t ...
,
Franz Wüllner,
Isidor Seiss
Isidor Wilhelm Seiss (23 December 184025 September 1905) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, piano pedagogue and philanthropist. His surname also appears as Seiß, and his first name also appears as Isidore.
Biography
Isidor Wilhelm Seiss ...
and
Friedrich Wilhelm Franke. In 1900 he was a soloist tutor at the
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
Hofoper. In 1902 he took over the leadership of the Mixed Choir of Zurich (), where he remained until 1949, also leading the from 1902 to 1914 and the from 1904 to 1914.
From 1906 to 1949, he led the
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich; and from 1914 to 1939, the Conservatory of Zurich. (He was offered the opportunity of succeeding
Gustav Mahler
Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...
as conductor of the
New York Philharmonic Orchestra in 1911, but he declined.) Later he worked as freelance composer in
Vienna
en, Viennese
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and worked internationally as a conductor (especially with the works of
Anton Bruckner
Josef Anton Bruckner (; 4 September 182411 October 1896) was an Austrian composer, organist, and music theorist best known for his symphonies, masses, Te Deum and motets. The first are considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-Germ ...
). He composed opera, symphony and chamber music, piano, violin, and oboe concertos, piano music, as well as choir music and songs. He died in
Zurich.
He is mentioned in Chapter XXI of
Thomas Mann
Paul Thomas Mann ( , ; ; 6 June 1875 – 12 August 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novella ...
's novel ''
Doctor Faustus'', where he is cited as conducting the ''Thirteen Brentano Lieder'' by the fictional composer Adrian Leverkühn. This fictional concert is said to have taken place in 1922 in the
Tonhalle in Zurich.
[Doctor Faustus by Thomas Mann. Knopf: 1997. Translation by John E. Woods, ]
His grandson is the conductor , who recorded various of his grandfather's works for the Guild label.
Works (selection)
Operas
*''Ratcliff'', opera (1914)
*''Abenteuer des Casanova'', opera (1924)
Orchestra
* Symphony in B flat major (unpublished, WoO)
* Symphony No. 1 in F major (1900; recorded)
* Symphony No. 2 in C major, Op. 31 (1920; recorded)
* Sinfonische Fantasie, Op. 7
* Kleine Suite, Op. 27 (recorded)
* Notturno und Scherzo, Op. 30 (1919; recorded)
* Music for Orchestra, Op. 35 (1921; recorded)
* ''Li-Tai-Pe'', Eight Chinese songs for tenor and orchestra, Op. 37 (recorded)
* ''La cité sur la montagne'', festival music (1942)
Concertante works
* Piano Concerto in D (1898; recorded)
* Konzertstück in B minor for piano and orchestra (1900; recorded)
* Rhapsody for violin and orchestra, Op. 32 (1920; recorded)
* Violin concerto, Op. 40 (1935; recorded)
* Concertino for Oboe and Orchestra, Op. 42 (recorded)
Choral works
*''Vater unser'' for mezzo-soprano, women's choir and organ
*''Das Göttliche'' for tenor, choir and orchestra (1900)
*''Charons Nachen'' for soloists, choir, and orchestra (1901)
*''Schutzgeister'', cantata (1904)
*''Li-Tai-Pe'', Eight Chinese songs for tenor and orchestra (1931; recorded) – inspired by the 8th-century poet Li Tai-peh (Li Taibai, aka
Li Bai)
Chamber music
* Piano Trio No. 1 in F minor, Op. 1 (recorded)
* Violin Sonata in D major, Op. 4
* String Quartet No. 1 in B-flat major, Op. 9 (recorded)
* Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat major, Op. 14 (recorded)
* Six piano pieces for two hands, Op. 20
* String Trio in D minor, Op. 29
* Notturno and Scherzo, Op. 30
* String Quartet No. 2, Op. 33 (recorded)
* Quartet for Flute, Violin, Viola and Violoncello, Op. 43 (recorded)
References
External links
Volkmar Andreae sound-bites from chamber music works and short bio
1879 births
1962 deaths
Swiss composers
Swiss male composers
Swiss conductors (music)
Male conductors (music)
People from Bern
Zurich University of the Arts faculty
{{Switzerland-conductor-stub