Max Erdmannsdörfer
Encyclopedia
Max Erdmannsdörfer (sometimes seen as Max von Erdmannsdörfer) was a German
conductor, pianist and composer.
He was born in Nuremberg
. He studied at the Leipzig Conservatory
, becoming concertmaster at Sondershausen
. In 1874 he married the pianist and composer Pauline Fichtner, a student of Franz Liszt
. She later used the professional name Pauline Erdmannsdörfer-Fichtner.
Erdmannsdörfer corresponded with Liszt, and he premiered Liszt’s symphonic poem Hamlet at Sondershausen on 2 July 1876. He also once owned at least parts of the score of Liszt's lost Piano Concerto No. 3
, which was finally pieced together only in 1989 from separate manuscript pages that had been dispersed as far afield as Weimar, Nuremberg and Leningrad.
Max Erdmannsdörfer also had an association with Joachim Raff
. He and Pauline were the co-dedicatees of the two-piano version of Raff's Piano Quintet, Op. 107, and they premiered it at Sondershausen on 22 September 1877. In 1870, Pauline had been the dedicatee of Raff’s Piano Suite in G minor. Erdmannsdörfer completed Raff's unfinished Symphony No. 11, Op. 214, after its composer's death, and had it published.
He premiered Sir Alexander Mackenzie’s overture Cervantes at Sondershausen in 1877.
In 1882 he became the principal conductor of the Russian Musical Society concerts in Moscow
, and professor at the Moscow Conservatory
. He and his wife remained there until 1889.
He had a significant association with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
. While Tchaikovsky wrote that Erdmannsdörfer was "inclined to indulge the public's taste of exaggerated nuances" and "offhanded in his attitude to Russian music (except my own)", he nevertheless considered him "a very skilful, experienced and expert conductor". Tchaikovsky permitted him to conduct the following premiere performances of his works, all in Moscow:
Tchaikovsky's Suite No. 3
is dedicated to Erdmannsdörfer, who gave the Moscow premiere in January 1885, a few days after the world premiere in Saint Petersburg
under Hans von Bülow
. One source says Erdmannsdörfer conducted the premiere of Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings
, Op. 48, but other sources say it was Eduard Nápravník
(Saint Petersburg, 30 October 1881). It is possible Erdmannsdörfer conducted the Moscow premiere.
Tchaikovsky so highly valued Erdmannsdörfer's arrangement of his Chant sans paroles, Op. 2, No. 3, from Souvenir de Hapsal
that he himself conducted it in 1892. Erdmannsdörfer also orchestrated piano pieces by Anton Rubinstein
. His own compositions are forgotten now.
After returning to Germany in 1889, the couple settled in Bremen
and in 1896 moved to Munich
.
Erdmannsdörfer supported the introduction of the five-stringed double bass
invented by Carl Otho.
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...
conductor, pianist and composer.
He was born in Nuremberg
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
. He studied at the Leipzig Conservatory
Felix Mendelssohn College of Music and Theatre
The University of Music and Theatre "Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" Leipzig is a public university in Leipzig . Founded in 1843 by Felix Mendelssohn as the Conservatory of Music, it is the oldest university school of music in Germany....
, becoming concertmaster at Sondershausen
Sondershausen
Sondershausen is a town in Thuringia, Germany, capital of the Kyffhäuserkreis district, situated about 50 km north of Erfurt. On 1 December 2007, the former municipality Schernberg was incorporated by Sondershausen....
. In 1874 he married the pianist and composer Pauline Fichtner, a student of Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
. She later used the professional name Pauline Erdmannsdörfer-Fichtner.
Erdmannsdörfer corresponded with Liszt, and he premiered Liszt’s symphonic poem Hamlet at Sondershausen on 2 July 1876. He also once owned at least parts of the score of Liszt's lost Piano Concerto No. 3
Piano Concerto No. 3 (Liszt)
Franz Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 3 in E-flat major Op. posth. , was possibly composed in 1839. It is said that this piece was composed before the first two concertos, but the date is inconclusive as there are claims it was not finished until 1847. Like his second piano concerto, it is a...
, which was finally pieced together only in 1989 from separate manuscript pages that had been dispersed as far afield as Weimar, Nuremberg and Leningrad.
Max Erdmannsdörfer also had an association with Joachim Raff
Joachim Raff
Joseph Joachim Raff was a German-Swiss composer, teacher and pianist.-Biography:Raff was born in Lachen in Switzerland. His father, a teacher, had fled there from Württemberg in 1810 to escape forced recruitment into the military of that southwestern German state that had to fight for Napoleon in...
. He and Pauline were the co-dedicatees of the two-piano version of Raff's Piano Quintet, Op. 107, and they premiered it at Sondershausen on 22 September 1877. In 1870, Pauline had been the dedicatee of Raff’s Piano Suite in G minor. Erdmannsdörfer completed Raff's unfinished Symphony No. 11, Op. 214, after its composer's death, and had it published.
He premiered Sir Alexander Mackenzie’s overture Cervantes at Sondershausen in 1877.
In 1882 he became the principal conductor of the Russian Musical Society concerts in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, and professor at the Moscow Conservatory
Moscow Conservatory
The Moscow Conservatory is a higher musical education institution in Moscow, and the second oldest conservatory in Russia after St. Petersburg Conservatory. Along with the St...
. He and his wife remained there until 1889.
He had a significant association with Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
. While Tchaikovsky wrote that Erdmannsdörfer was "inclined to indulge the public's taste of exaggerated nuances" and "offhanded in his attitude to Russian music (except my own)", he nevertheless considered him "a very skilful, experienced and expert conductor". Tchaikovsky permitted him to conduct the following premiere performances of his works, all in Moscow:
- Symphony No. 1Symphony No. 1 (Tchaikovsky)Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote his Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Winter Daydreams , Op. 13, in 1866, just after he accepted a professorship at the Moscow Conservatory: it is the composer's earliest notable work. The composer's brother Modest claimed this work cost Tchaikovsky more labor and suffering...
(revised version, 1 December 1883) - Festival Overture on the Danish National AnthemFestival Overture on the Danish National AnthemDuring his time at the Moscow Conservatoire, around September 1866 the school's principal, Nikolay Rubinstein commissioned Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky to compose a Festival Overture on the Danish National Anthem to be played for the visit of the Tsarevich to Moscow, accompanied by his new Danish...
(1 December 1883) - Suite No. 2Orchestral Suite No. 2 (Tchaikovsky)Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed his Orchestral Suite No. 2 in C major, Op. 53, in 1883. It was premiered on February 16, 1884 at a Russian Musical Society concert in Moscow, conducted by Max Erdmannsdörfer. The piece was well enough received to be repeated a week later...
(16 February 1884; Tchaikovsky had just attended the premiere of his opera MazeppaMazeppa (opera)Mazeppa, properly Mazepa , is an opera in 3 acts by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto was written by Victor Burenin and is based on Pushkin's poem Poltava....
the night before, and was in such a nervous state that he set out for Berlin and Paris on 16 February, without even remaining to hear the premiere of the Suite No. 2, which absence caused Erdmannsdörfer some offence.) - Concert FantasiaConcert Fantasia (Tchaikovsky)The Concert Fantasia in G, Op. 56, for piano and orchestra, was written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between June and October 1884. It was premiered in Moscow on , with Sergei Taneyev as soloist and Max Erdmannsdörfer conducting. The Concert Fantasia received many performances in the first 20 years...
(6 March 1885) - ManfredManfred SymphonyThe Manfred Symphony in B minor, Op. 58, is a programmatic symphony composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky between May and September 1885. It is based on the poem "Manfred" written by Lord Byron in 1817...
symphony (11 March 1886).
Tchaikovsky's Suite No. 3
Orchestral Suite No. 3 (Tchaikovsky)
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed his Orchestral Suite No. 3 in G, Op. 55 in 1884, writing it concurrently with his Concert Fantasia in G, Op. 56, for piano and orchestra. Its first performance was in St. Petersburg on January 24, 1885, under the direction of Hans von Bülow...
is dedicated to Erdmannsdörfer, who gave the Moscow premiere in January 1885, a few days after the world premiere in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
under Hans von Bülow
Hans von Bülow
Hans Guido Freiherr von Bülow was a German conductor, virtuoso pianist, and composer of the Romantic era. He was one of the most famous conductors of the 19th century, and his activity was critical for establishing the successes of several major composers of the time, including Richard...
. One source says Erdmannsdörfer conducted the premiere of Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings
Serenade for Strings (Tchaikovsky)
Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48, premiered in 1880. It remains one of the late Romantic era's most definitive compositions.-Form:Serenade for Strings has 4 movements:...
, Op. 48, but other sources say it was Eduard Nápravník
Eduard Nápravník
Eduard Francevič Nápravník was a Czech conductor and composer, who settled in Russia and is best known for his leading role in Russian musical life as the principal conductor of the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg for many decades...
(Saint Petersburg, 30 October 1881). It is possible Erdmannsdörfer conducted the Moscow premiere.
Tchaikovsky so highly valued Erdmannsdörfer's arrangement of his Chant sans paroles, Op. 2, No. 3, from Souvenir de Hapsal
Souvenir de Hapsal
Souvenir de Hapsal is a suite of three pieces for piano by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It was his first cycle of piano pieces and it was composed in 1867.-History:...
that he himself conducted it in 1892. Erdmannsdörfer also orchestrated piano pieces by Anton Rubinstein
Anton Rubinstein
Anton Grigorevich Rubinstein was a Russian-Jewish pianist, composer and conductor. As a pianist he was regarded as a rival of Franz Liszt, and he ranks amongst the great keyboard virtuosos...
. His own compositions are forgotten now.
After returning to Germany in 1889, the couple settled in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
and in 1896 moved to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
.
Erdmannsdörfer supported the introduction of the five-stringed double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
invented by Carl Otho.