Death of Dresden maestro
RIPA star in the former German Democratic Republic, the conductor and composer Siegfried Kurz died in Dresden on Sunday, aged 92.
Kurz was Generalmusikdirektor at Staatsoper Dresden from 1976 to 1983, having worked for the company since 1960 and continuing to guest-conduct there for sme years after. He was also Kapellmeister at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin from 1984, a stalwart of opera in his country. Contrary to state policy, he championed Schoenberg’s Moses und Aron and other serial works.
He composed prolifically as a young man, obtaining many performances for a trumpet concerto and other works for piano, violin and orchestra.
I heard him in the 90s at the Dresden Semperoper in Weber’s Freischütz. He has recorded the best Schumann’s Konzertstück for 4 horns ever (with Peter Damm and the Staatskapelle Dresden).
Peter Damm on 4 horns? Impressive. 🙂
He was one of the prominent musicians / visual artists coming out of the Musische Gymnasium Leipzig that my dad attended alongside Gawriloff, Penzel, Broddack, Schultheiß and others
“Contrary to state policy, he championed Schoenberg’s Moses und Aron and other serial works.”
Serialism was a dry well. Sometimes state policy is quite sensible.