Rudolf Wagner-Régeny
Encyclopedia
Rudolf Wagner-Régeny was a composer
, conductor
, and pianist
. Born in Transylvania
, Kingdom of Hungary
, since 1920 Romania
, he became a German
citizen in 1930, and then East Germany after 1945.
From 1919–1920 he studied at the Leipzig Conservatory and then at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik from 1920–1923. He served as chorusmaster
at the Berlin Volksoper from 1923–1925. In 1927 joined Laban's dance company where he conducted productions for three years. In 1947 he became the director of the Rostock Hochschule für Musik where he stayed until he was appointed professor of composition at the East Berlin Academy of Arts in 1950. He left the academy in 1968 when he became ill and died a year later.
As a composer, Wagner-Régeny wrote numerous symphonic works and chamber works. He composed 12 operas of which Die Bürger von Calais (1936), Johanna Balk (1938), Das Bergwerk zu Falun (1958) (cf. "The Mines of Falun") and Prometheus
(1959) are considered his best work. His 1958 ballet
Tristan is also greatly admired.
Instrumental music:
Vocal music:
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
, and pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
. Born in Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, Kingdom of Hungary
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary comprised present-day Hungary, Slovakia and Croatia , Transylvania , Carpatho Ruthenia , Vojvodina , Burgenland , and other smaller territories surrounding present-day Hungary's borders...
, since 1920 Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, he became a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
citizen in 1930, and then East Germany after 1945.
From 1919–1920 he studied at the Leipzig Conservatory and then at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik from 1920–1923. He served as chorusmaster
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
at the Berlin Volksoper from 1923–1925. In 1927 joined Laban's dance company where he conducted productions for three years. In 1947 he became the director of the Rostock Hochschule für Musik where he stayed until he was appointed professor of composition at the East Berlin Academy of Arts in 1950. He left the academy in 1968 when he became ill and died a year later.
As a composer, Wagner-Régeny wrote numerous symphonic works and chamber works. He composed 12 operas of which Die Bürger von Calais (1936), Johanna Balk (1938), Das Bergwerk zu Falun (1958) (cf. "The Mines of Falun") and Prometheus
Prometheus (opera)
Prometheus is an operatic 'Szenisches Oratorium' in five scenes by Rudolf Wagner-Régeny, with a German libretto by the composer after Aeschylus.-Performance history:...
(1959) are considered his best work. His 1958 ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
Tristan is also greatly admired.
Works
Stage works:- Moschopuls (première, GeraGeraGera, the third-largest city in the German state of Thuringia , lies in east Thuringia on the river Weiße Elster, approximately 60 kilometres to the south of the city of Leipzig and 80 kilometres to the east of Erfurt...
, 1928) - Der nackte König (Gera, 1928)
- Sganarelle or Der Schein trügt (EssenEssen- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
, 1929) - La sainte courtisane (Gera, 1930)
- Der Günstling (DresdenDresdenDresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, 1935) - Die Bürger von Calais (BerlinBerlinBerlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, 1939) - Johanna Balk (ViennaViennaVienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, 1941) - PrometheusPrometheus (opera)Prometheus is an operatic 'Szenisches Oratorium' in five scenes by Rudolf Wagner-Régeny, with a German libretto by the composer after Aeschylus.-Performance history:...
(KasselKasselKassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
, 1959) - Das Bergwerk zu Falun (SalzburgSalzburg-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...
, 1961) - Persische Episoden (RostockRostockRostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
, 1963)
Instrumental music:
- Orchestral music with piano, 1935
- String quartet, 1948
- Two dances for Palucca, 1950
- Three orchestral pieces: Mythological Figures, 1951
- Three orchestral sets, 1952
- Seven fugues, 1953
- Introduction and ode for symphonic orchestra, 1967
Vocal music:
- 10 Lieder on texts by Brecht, 1950
- Cantata “Genesis”, 1956
- Jüdische Chronik, 1961
- Hermann HesseHermann HesseHermann Hesse was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature...
songs "Gesänge des Abschieds", 1968/69 - Three FontaneTheodor FontaneTheodor Fontane was a German novelist and poet, regarded by many as the most important 19th-century German-language realist writer.-Youth:Fontane was born in Neuruppin into a Huguenot family. At the age of sixteen he was apprenticed to an apothecary, his father's profession. He became an...
-Lieder, 1969
Sources
- David Drew. The New Grove Dictionary of OperaNew Grove Dictionary of OperaThe New Grove Dictionary of Opera is an encyclopedia of opera, considered to be one of the best general reference sources on the subject. It is the largest work on opera in English, and in its printed form, amounts to 5,448 pages in four volumes....
, edited by Stanley Sadie (1992), ISBN 0-333-73432-7 and ISBN 1-56159-228-5 - The American Symphony Orchestra will perform the US Premiere of Mythological Figures (1951) in 2009 http://www.americansymphony.org