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On 15th May 2010, Gottfried von Einem's opera "Der Besuch der Alten Dame" premiered in Görling / Niederschlesien (Germany) at Musiktheater Oberlausitz. Further performances on 22nd, 28th and 30th of May and 11th of June.
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In November 2010, G.v.Einem's piano concerto will be performed in the Musikverein in Vienna: Soloist Konstantin Lifschitz will be accompanied by the RSO conducted by Cornelius Meister.
- In November 2009, ORFEO released a new CD with works by Gottfried von Einem. The Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (RSO) performs under the baton of its future chief conductor, Cornelius Meister. The soloist in the piano concerto is Konstantin Lifschitz. This CD is co-produced by the Austrian Radio (ORF), ORFEO and the G.v. Einem Foundation. The recording has attracted significant attention; it is also the first CD documentation of the RSO performing with its new chief conductor (see review).
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Von Einem Piano Concerto
CD review on klassik.com
by Dr. Jürgen Schaarwächter
10 March 2010
The Austrian composer Gottfried von Einem (1918-1996) experienced a renaissance in the last twenty to twenty-five years, not least thanks to the efforts of the Austrian Radio ORF and the Munich label Orfeo. After the Second World War, Einem became an icon of contemporary Austrian music: His operas Danton's Death and The Trial were premiered at the Salzburg Festival and The Old Lady's Visit was first performed by the Vienna State Opera.
This CD presents Gottfried von Einem equally as composer for the orchestra and for the stage. The opening suite from the opera Danton's Death (1947) conveys Einem's sensitivity for the stage and whets the appetite for the complete recording (conducted by Lothar Zagrosek, also on the Orfeo label). The interpretation sparkles with energy, rhythmic precision and instrumental sophistication. Sounds are finely shaded and, where necessary, robustly handled. Einem's music, even if occasionally 'twelve-tonish', is accessible and modern in the best sense - similar to that of his contemporary Rolf Liebermann.
Two shorter orchestral pieces - Wandlungen op. 21 (1956) and Nachtstück op. 29 (1960) must also be considered 'early works': Einem's oeuvre extends to op.111, written in the year of his death. Wandlungen is a relaxed, humorous miniature, almost seven minutes long and inspired by 'Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen' from The Magic Flute (it is one of twelve pieces composed in homage during the Mozart Year for the Donaueschinger Musiktage). Nachtstück is an evocative nature piece that could just has well have found its place as the slow movement of a symphony. Both works tend to be backward-looking in their musical gestures while at the same time demonstrating Einem's compositorial mastery and profound integrity: There is nothing contrived or affected about this music - what he wrote, came straight from his soul.
In January 1957, Einem's ballet Medusa was premiered by the Vienna State Opera. The selection of orchestral pieces as presented here is stylistically oriented after the excerpts from Danton's Death. The opening movement and the Prestissimo on track 12 demonstrate the subtlety of orchestral shading and gradation.
The centerpiece and highlight of the CD is the (first) Piano Concerto: This was premiered in 1956 by Boris Blacher's wife Gerty Herzog and is also available from Orfeo in a live recording conducted by Herbert von Karajan. The music is filled with charm and wit, power and energy - anyone who ever heard Gerty Herzog can sense how much it was composed 'for her fingers'. Konstantin Lifschitz' interpretation of the piano part is perhaps a little more masculine, and together with him, the Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna reaches absolute top form. The orchestra's public profile has only intermittently been supported by CD recordings. This is highly regrettable, since both its repertoire and its interpretatorial qualities leave nothing to be desired. In September 2010, Cornelius Meister, at present musical director of the Philharmonic Orchestra Heidelberg, will succeed Bertrand de Billy who has put the RSO splendidly back on the map. Meister proves himself a master of his craft and we hope that he will not get lost in the banalities of standard repertoire.
An extremely informative booklet and a flawless recording technique round off the merits of this CD, which will hopefully form the beginning of a veritable Einem series.
English translation: Gudrun Winkler
- The Austrian Federal Ministry for Education and Arts in co-operation with the G.v. Einem Foundation released a DVD for school educational purposes in the Fall of 2009. An english version of this DVD has recently been completed.
- The "Neue Oper Wien" will be performing G.v.Einem's Opera "Danton's Death" in October 2010 in the Museumsquartier in Vienna. The performance dates are October 3, 5, 7, 9 and 10.
This production is financially supported by the G.v. Einem Foundation. www.neueoperwien.at
- During the last board meeting in December 2009, the creation of an advisory board was decided. Messrs. HK Gruber, Dr. Fritz Hörmann and Prof. Erwin Ortner graciously accepted the nomination to the advisory board.
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