The composer Emil von Reznicek, Austrian of Czech background, had a long career that was finally cut short by fascism (his wife was Jewish). He was quite popular in his time and is probably worth another look, for he kept up with the times: his style changed substantially as he got older. This intriguing release from the CPO label gives a little sampling of his work. Reznicek started out writing music in a Wagnerian vein (he wrote quite a few operas, including one about a zeppelin and another, Donna Diana, that is ...
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The composer Emil von Reznicek, Austrian of Czech background, had a long career that was finally cut short by fascism (his wife was Jewish). He was quite popular in his time and is probably worth another look, for he kept up with the times: his style changed substantially as he got older. This intriguing release from the CPO label gives a little sampling of his work. Reznicek started out writing music in a Wagnerian vein (he wrote quite a few operas, including one about a zeppelin and another, Donna Diana, that is occasionally performed), and the Symphonische Suite No. 1 (1882) suggests what might have happened if Wagner had tried his hand at writing instrumental music in smaller forms. The Traumspiel-Suite is a set of incidental music for August Strindberg's expressionist drama A Dream Play ; the young Berg might have written more psychologically penetrating music, but one can easily imagine Reznicek's pieces being performed with the play. Later in his life Reznicek flirted with atonality, jazz,...
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