im Moto

Korngold, Rota, Schnittke, Glass four different artistic personalities. Each of these composers was active in totally different conditions; therefore their life circumstances and consequently their artistic choices are incomparable. What may connect Korngold and Nino Rota are their early debuts as composers both were prodigies. Seeking analogies in the lives of Alfred Schnittke and Philip Glass would come to naught. There is, however, another common denominator both were hugely successful in writing film music.

Aside from his only opera Fidelio, Beethovens general link with the theater in Vienna came about largely with incidental music or songs to be inserted into the works of other composers- insertion arias. Konig Stephan was written to celebrate the politically significant opening of a new theatre in Pest, its triumphant mood honoring the ruling Austrian Emperor. Standard Bearer of female heroism Leonore Prohaska is commemorated with a Soldiers Chorus and a Romance with harp accompaniment. In Friedrich von Matthissons poem Opferlied (Sacrificial Song), a young man prays to Zeus to bestow upon him beauty and goodness in youth and old age. Two of Beethovens four settings are heard on this wide-ranging programme.

Johannes Brahms composed only a small number of original works for piano four hands, but arranged almost all of his chamber music and orchestral works for this instrumentation. He played most of them immediately after their completion with Clara Schumann and greatly appreciated her opinion.In his Hungarian Dances Brahms brilliantly transformed original Hungarian melodies and rhythms into multi-coloured orchestral works. The Blüthner grand piano from 1867 shows how Brahms made perfect use of the entire keyboard in his writing for four hands.