Wednesday, 28 April 2010

Franz Schmidt's Notre Dame in Dresden

What makes a composer "suppressed"? Franz Schmidt wasn't suppressed by the Nazis, whom he actively supported, even when they marched into his native Austria. But his music isn't heard much, apart from Das Buch mit Sieben Siegeln (The Book of the Seven Seals), which was a big success at the Proms ten years ago, conducted by Franz Welser-Möst Here's a link to Shirley Apthorp's review of Franz Schmidt's Notre Dame in the Financial Times.
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1 comment:

  1. Sceptic with a C14 February 2012 at 19:26

    Franz Schmidt did not "actively support" the Nazis, although he was notoriously politically naive, and failed to understand the true nature of the post-Anschluss regime in Austria. (He also died too soon - early 1939 - to witness its worst outrages, including the murder of his own first wife as part of its "euthanasia" programme.) Schmidt had many Jewish friends and colleagues. At least two of these, Oskar Adler and Hans Keller, have spoken warmly in his defence.

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