INTERPRETS  1850 - 1918



 

Some the most important interprets of the works of Norbert Burgmüller are already  in others
sections (teachers and musicians colleagues) briefly mentioned as such. The following selection presents another number of artists, which delivered historically important performances or were
particularly fond of the Burgmüller works.


 


 

Albert Dietrich (1829-1908)

 Albert Dietrich, native from Meissen, was pupil of the Leipziger of conservatoire and then in Düssel-
dorf the only considerable composition pupil of Robert Schumann, whose mental collapse he from
next proximity experienced. He belonged to the closest circle around Clara Schumann, Joseph Joachim and Johannes Brahms. This fine and original composer, who long time only by his contribution to the so-called FAE-Sonata remainedin the memory, becomes in the last years as a master of own profile rediscovered, how reprints of his works and recordings prove. Before Dietrich found his life position as Hofkapellmeister in Oldenburg began, was he for some years municipal director of music in Bonn. Here he directed 1860 from the manuscript the Piano concerto of Norbert Burgmüller and lent to the effort around the edition of the orchestral works with this considered performance.
 


 

Albert Dietrich:

Piano Piece op.6 No.1  

Song op.10 No. 5  
 
 



 

Sofie Menter (1846-1918)


This, when one of the proverbial favourite pupils of Liszt well-known, pianist Sofie Menter,
was a most acclaimed pianist within the era before d'Albert and Busoni, who by strength
as by sensitivity fascinated. HerHungarian Gypsy Airs (orchestrated by Tschaikowsky and
recently falsely attributed to Liszt)  prove her as a serious to be taken composer. For her
Leipzig debut in 1867 she did not select any other work than the Piano Concerto of Burgmüller.
Unfortunately it cannot be proven so far, whether Sofie Menter the work later still at other places
played.

Sofie Menter:

Etude A falt op.9  


 

 
 

Ernst Perabo (1845-1920)


The pianist, paedagogue and composer Ernst Perabo, originating from Wiesbaden, became in New York educated, however 1858 came himself again to Germany, over into Hamburg and particularly into Leipzig as a pupil of composition and piano. 1866 he established in Boston and became one of that
prominent concert pianists and piano teachers before the First World War. His most well-known pupil
was Amy Beach. Among his nearly exclusively to the piano dedicated works, fall, beside interesting Concertparaphrases on motives from Fidelio, a number of well writen transcriptions are to be mentioned. Among these is a treatment of the Andante from Burgmüller's 2nd Symphony for solo piano, published abround 1870 in Boston (s. links). As a pianist Perabo performed this arrangement , like the duo for clarinet and piano. Particularly he engaged himself however for the Piano Concerto op.1which he did not only play in 1865 in Leipzig, but between 1866 and 1881 in Boston repeatedly.
He announced these performances in each case with short biographical informations on Burgmüller,
which he let aapear in the local press. Perabo was the owner of the Burgmueller' handwriting of his Allegretto o.op. in the alternative version, which Perabo received as a gift from Kistner in 1865.
 
 

 

Ernst Perabo:

Romance  
 


 


 

Otto Reibold (1861-1945)

 

Reibold was born in Mannheim and enjoyed his training at Stuttgart conservatory. In the consequence he was as violonist member of the Stuttgart Hofkapelle and the Bilse' Conzertorchestra in Berlin. Some years followed as solo violonist and conductor in the Aachen Orchestra. 1889 became Reibold concert master of the Düsseldorf Municipal Orchestra, 1899 its second conductor under the directors Buths and Panzner. In a time of nearly complete oblivion of the works of Burgmüller, he arranged in 1905 an intending concert with the 4th String Quartet, the Entr'Actes and the 1st Symphony. He brought the
later work again in 1913 in front of the Düsseldorf public.
 

 


 

Carl Reinecke (1824-1910)


The importance of Carl Reinecke as composer, conductor, pianist, paedagogue and music writer becomes today, after long years of depreciating, increasingly recognized. As a central personality
ot the 2nd half of 19th Century, Reinecke not only 35 years stood for the Leipzig Geandhaus orchestra
forwards, a multiplicity of excellent musicians formed out (Grieg, Janacek, Sullivan, Albeniz, Weingartner and others) under  his teaching.But he was also an important composer of the tendency of his own promoters Mendelssohn and Schumann. Among his unprinted compositions finds itself a rhapsody for piano in b, which seems to take reference to Burgmüller. As Gewandhausconductor led Reinecke one of the first performances the 2nd Symphony of Burgmüller. He further offered in the middle of the 1860 years twice the Piano Concerto and also the ouverture. Still he reminded in 1891 on the Scherzo from the 1st Symphony. For the performance of the piano concert with Sofie Menter, he is said to have reworked  the orchestral setting. Unfortunately is missing of this instrumentation until today any trace.
 

Carl Reinecke:

Rhapsody b minor wo. op. (1844)  
 


 

 

Wilhelm Schauseil (1834-1892)


The native of Düsseldorf enjoyed himself in the Rhine country a good reputation as a pianist  and founder of the Düsseldorfer Bachverein, while he as a composer only with some few choir songs to
penetrate was able. Schauseil played the piano concerto of Burgmüller in 1860 in Bonn under Albert
Dietrich, as well as likewise 1860 and again 1864 in Duesseldorf under Julius Tausch. He took moves
portion of the publication of the Burgmueller deduction with Kistner and was by Friedrich Burgmüller
select to make a piano excerpt of the opera fragment Dionys. Whether it in addition came and why
the work (like also the other larger choral works) not published by Kistner and was finally lost, might
today hardly more to be determined . The daughter of Schauseil, Wally, was a well-known, from Brahms and Bruch equally estimated concert singer.

 


 

 

Julius Tausch (1827-1895)


From the Schumann Biographie - probably to injustice - when his opponent admits, came Julius
Tausch after its training with Friedrich Scneider and at the Leipzig Conservatory, 1846 to Düesseldorf.
The turned pianist gained there rapidly a foothold, became a conductor of the artist song board and 1853 Schumanns deputy, before he replaced him 1855 as municipal director of music (until 1889).
In this office not always undisputedly, Tausch was a conductor of several Niederheinische Musikfeste.
To 1856 he already brought fragments from Burgmüler's Dionys to the performance, directed 1860 the
Piano concerto and organized in 1864 a monster concert with the premiere of the supplemented 2nd
Symphony, the overture, the piano concert and the Dionys. The overture sets he 1868 again and 1880
on the programs and directed 1874 the piano concert from the piano. For the first edition with Kistner,
he supplemented the duo for clarinet and piano after an incomplete manuscript. The Hope, in his
recently discovered deduction explanation about the whereabouts of missing works from Burgmüller
to find, unfortunately did not fulfill itself.



 


 

Carl Zerrahn (1826-1909)

 
The conductor Carl Zerrahn, originating from Mecklenburg, came 1848 as Flautist of the Germania orchestra into the USA, 1856 became for thirty years a conductor of the Bostoner Händel and Haydn Societyand led besides the Harvard Symphony Concerts. He attained large popularity as a director of the music celebrations in Worcester. Except Julius Tausch has in 19th Century no other conductor more frequently Burgmüller specified, as Carl Zerrahn. He organized performances of the piano concerto several times with the pianist Perabo and provided also for the premieres of the overture and the 2nd Symphony, which he led to considerable successes.