Musicatlas
Music
Goldschmidt was influenced by the purposeful polyphony of Busoni; his music often manifests a surprising affinity with that of Shostakovich which should be traced to their common heritage in Mahler.
Selected work list
Stage works
- Der gewaltige Hahnrei, opera after Crommelynck (1929-30)
- Chronica, ballet (1938)
- Beatrice Cenci, opera after Shelley (1949-50)
Orchestral Music
- Passacaglia, op.4 (1925)
- Overture ‘The Comedy of Errors’, op.6 (1925-28)
- Suite, op.5 (c.1926)
- Partita, op.9 (1927)
- Vorspiel zu einem Revolutionsdrama (1929, lost)
- Promenadenmusik (1931, lost)
- Marche Militaire, op.20 (1932)
- Ciaconna Sinfonica, op.31 (1934-36)
- Symphony (1937, destroyed)
- Harp Concerto (1937, destroyed)
- Greek Suite (1940-41)
- Sinfonietta (1945-46, only 2 movts. survive)
- Concertino for harp and chamber orchestra (1949)
- Violin Concerto (1952 rev. 1955)
- Cello Concerto (1953)
- Clarinet Concerto (1953-54)
- Intrada (1985-6)
- Rondeau ‘rue de Rocher’ for violin and orchestra (1995)
Chamber Music
- Piano Quintet (1923, lost)
- String Quartet No.1, op.8 (1925-26)
- Cello Sonata (1933-4, lost)
- String Quartet No.2, op.26 (1936)
- Clarinet Quartet (1982-83)
- Piano Trio (1985)
- String Quartet No.3 (1989)
- String Trio ‘Retrospectrum’ (1991)
- Fantasy for oboe,cello and harp (1991)
- String Quartet No.4 (1992)
- Dialogue with Cordelia for clarinet and cello (1993)
Instrumental Music
- Piano Sonata, op.10 (1926)
- Capriccio for piano, op.11 (1927-28)
- Variations on a Palestine Shepherd’s Song, op.32 (1934)
- Capriccio for solo violin (1991-92)
Vocal Music
- Requiem (1924, lost)
- Letzte Kapitel, op.15 for speaker, chorus, percussion and piano (1931)
- 2 Psalms for voice and strings, op.34 (1935)
- Mediterranean Songs for voice and orchestra (1957-58)
- Belsatzar for chorus (1985)
- les petits adieux for baritone and orchestra 91994)
- Deux Nocturnes for soprano and orchestra (1995-96)
Life
Goldschmidt studied philosophy at Hamburg University and was encouraged by Busoni to become a composer. He entered the Berlin Hochschule in 1922 and became a member of Franz Schreker’s composition class (along with Krenek, Haba, Petyrek and Horenstein). He also studied conducting and played freelance in the Berlin Philharmonic; in 1923 coached the choir for the Berlin premiere of Schönberg’s “Gurrelieder”. Conducted in Dessau and with the Berlin Staatsoper; in 1925 was awarded the Mendelssohn State Prize for his orchestral Passacaglia, premiered by Erich Kleiber. From 1926 he was under contract to Universal Edition and was regarded as a leading light of the younger generation of composers; he also conducted widely, as far afield as Leningrad in 1931. German career climaxed in the premiere of his opera “Der gewaltige Hahnrei” in Mannheim in 1932; after the Nazi seizure of power his livelihood disappeared. In 1935 a music-loving Gestapo officer strongly advised him to leave Germany at once; he emigrated to England and settled in Belsize Park, Hampstead. Worked for the BBC, becoming Music Director of its German Serive 1944-47. During the war 22 members of Goldschmidt’s family perished in Auschwitz and Belsen. British citizenship 1947, conducted at Glyndebourne, Edinburgh festival and all the BBC orchestras into the 1960s. His opera ‘Beatrice Cenci’ was a prize-winner in the 1951 Festival of Britain opera competition, but no production followed and by the late 1950s, owing to lack of interest in his music in Britain and in Germany, he gave up composition for 24 years. 1958–64, collaborated with Deryck Cooke on the complete performing version of Mahler’s Tenth Symphony. He conducted the world premiere of this ‘Cooke Version’ with the LSO in 1964. In 1982 broke his compositional silence to write a Clarinet Quartet for Gervase de Peyer, and thereafter resumed composing — mainly chamber music. A revival of interest in his work led to performances in the USA and Germany (he was guest of the 1986 Berliner Festwochen), recordings, new productions of his operas and the recovery of lost manuscripts.
Sources — links
- http://orelfoundation.org/index.php/composers/article/berthold_goldschmidt/
- http://www.boosey.co.uk/pages/cr/composer/composer_main.asp?composerid=2697 His publisher, has in adddition to a biography, essay, works list and discography, a special page on the 2003 centenary of his birth