In 1911, Rudi Stephan spent an exorbitant sum to perform three of his works, but after a moderate success, he withdrew them for revision.
Composer Biography
Rudi Stephan was killed by a Russian sniper on September 29, 1915, only two weeks after arriving at the Eastern Front during World War I.
Composer Biography
Rudi Stephan, born into a wealthy family in Worms, Germany, was able to pursue his musical education without financial constraints.
Composition History
Rudi Stephan's entire unpublished musical estate was destroyed in 1945 during an air raid on Worms, leaving only a few published works and some later rediscoveries.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Rudi Stephan consciously avoided traditional or fashionable titles for his works, preferring simple titles like 'Music' followed by the instrumentation, such as 'for seven stringed instruments'.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Rudi Stephan believed music should make an impression on its own, without poetic titles or exaggerated expectations.
Instruments
Agata Szymczewska, the violinist on this recording, plays a violin made by Antonio Stradivari around 1680, on loan from Deutsche Stiftung Musikleben.
