The prestigious commission for Humperdinck's Tempest music was intended to inaugurate the Neues Schauspielhaus (New Theatre) in Nollendorf Square, Berlin.
Composition History
Humperdinck's early composition, Erinnerung (Remembrance), was written in 1871 for the poetry album of his prematurely deceased sister Ernestine and is recorded here for the first time.
Composer Biography
Engelbert Humperdinck, born in 1854, is known for his late-Romantic fairy-tale opera Hänsel und Gretel, which premiered in Weimar in 1893 under Richard Strauss.
Recording & Production
This album includes a world premiere recording of Humperdinck's Piano Quintet in G Major, composed in 1875, with Hinrich Alpers on piano.
Composer's Artistic Vision
For his incidental music to Shakespeare's The Tempest, Humperdinck sought authenticity by taking up residence on the isle of Usedom to experience the sea firsthand, rather than relying on traditional imagery.
Cultural Impact
Humperdinck's illustrative compositional style for theatre scores, such as The Tempest, is considered an early example of a genre that would later evolve into film music.
