Active Violinist
The music of East Germany is particularly fascinating because of the rich history full of notable and significant composers and performers. The divide that occurred after World War II did not foster wide-spread acclaim or acceptance of musicians living and working behind the wall even though plenty of music was written and performed. You can learn more about the region and political climate of East Germany in my most recent blog post.
Read MoreThis month, the spotlight is on composer Ottmar Gerstner. He is difficult to learn much about BUT I’m excited to share a rough recording of myself playing a movement of his violin trio. He was a Nazi sympathizer during his lifetime which put him in a precarious political position after the war and he chose to move to Soviet German (later the GDR) which better aligned with his ideals and politics.
Read MoreInstallment number 5 in my exploration of East German composers features Fidelio Finke who sadly seems to have slipped into oblivion and has very much been forgotten, even though he wrote plenty for strings and the violin. Read on to find out a little bit about him and his music.
Read MorePart 3 of my exploration of violin music from East Germany focuses on Johannes Paul Thilman from Dresden. While Thilman was very popular and celebrated during his lifetime his music has mostly been (sadly) forgotten - a shame because he wrote some wonderful violin music. I am so excited to introduce one of my new musical friends to you!
Read MoreI hinted about this in my Resolutions post for 2020, but here is the first of probably many posts on my latest musical project. I have been deep in the stacks of music from the GDR turning up violin repertoire and chamber music that has fallen through the musical cracks of the universe, at least as far as I can tell. Read all about what I am up to and follow along to hear more about the characters I am acquainting myself with these days.
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