Wolfgang Birtel

Fritz Kreisler's (1875-1962) collection Klassische Manuskripte written by the violin virtuoso around the turn of the century who pretended they were transcriptions of movements by old masters such as...

On 11 August 2011 it is fifty years since the death of the composer Johanna Senfter from Oppenheim who actually was a trained violinist for she had studied with renowned violinists at the Hoch Conserv...

Johanna Senfter (1879-1961) was a pupil of Max Reger.Beginning with an expressive violin theme in a densely packed, 'Brahms-like' piano setting, the classical four-movement work centres around two cap...

The Vienna-born Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962) felt at home in the coffee houses of his home town where he not only met the cultural elite of his time but also absorbed the entertainment and folk music of...

Josef Suk (1824-1935) was a bit in the shadow of the two famous Czech composers Antonín Dvorák and Bedrích Smetana. This affected Suk especially because Dvorák was also his father-in-law, a fact that...

Edward Elgar wrote great symphonic works for solo instruments with orchestral accompaniment, but also chamber music works and occasional works, especially for the violin: for example 'Salut d'amour' o...

Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908), undoubtedly, is one of the most important and most successful violin virtuosos of the second half of the 19th century and has become immortal through his virtuoso and hi...

Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908), undoubtedly, is one of the most important and most successful violin virtuosos of the second half of the 19th century and has become immortal through his virtuoso and hi...

Pablo de Sarasate (1844-1908), undoubtedly, is one of the most important and most successful violin virtuosos of the second half of the 19th century and has become immortal through his virtuoso and hi...

La Follia - The Folly - is one of the most famous variation themes in music history. Composed by the father of modern 18th and 19th century violin technique, it is presented in this edition, based on...

La Follia - The Folly - is one of the most famous variation themes in music history. Composed by the father of modern 18th and 19th century violin technique, it is presented in this edition, based on...

Stanley Weiner (1925-1951) is mainly remembered as a performer: a solo violinist. His musical career was predetermined for his father served as assistant principal violinist to the Baltimore Symphony...

No, it is not only Mozart when hearing the Ave verum: Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921), too, set this text to music several times - for example, for organ (without pedal) and two identical voices. The...

No, it is not only Mozart when hearing the Ave verum: Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921), too, set this text to music several times - for example, for organ (without pedal) and two identical voices. The...

'Nobody knows the music of the whole world better than Monsieur Saint-Saëns', Claude Debussy praised his fellow composer, and there are only few who left such a comprehensive oeuvre covering all genre...

The reputation of the Bohemian composer Zdenek Fibich (1850-1900) has always been somewhat overshadowed by that of Bedrich Smetana and Antonín Dvorák. This is a pity, for Fibich, though he died young,...