Hindemith: Mathis Der Maler / Symphonic Metamorphosis

Featuring

Franz-Paul Decker
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Paul Hindemith

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Composer Biography

Paul Hindemith, born in Frankfurt in 1895, began his musical studies privately before being admitted to the Hoch Conservatory with a free place at age thirteen.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Hindemith strove to revolutionize concert-going with his concept of functional Gebrauchsmusik (utility music) and actively promoted new music, especially at the Donaueschingen Festival.

Composition History

Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber was originally intended for a ballet but became a concert work after he withdrew from the project due to Salvador Dalí's involvement.

Performer Biography

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, formed in 1946, is the country's leading arts organization and has performed with distinguished musicians from Stravinsky to Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.

Performer Biography

Franz-Paul Decker, the chief conductor appointed in 1990, studied composition and conducting at the Cologne Hochschule für Musik and made his conducting debut at age twenty-two.

Composer Biography

After being deemed 'persona non grata' by the Nazis, Hindemith left Germany, establishing the Konservatuar in Ankara, Turkey, and later becoming a professor at Yale University in the United States.

Historical Context

The National Socialist Party condemned Hindemith's music, leading to conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler's resignation from his positions in defense of artistic freedom.