Berthold Goldschmidt

Berthold Goldschmidt was a leading composer among those whose music was banned by the Nazis in the 1930s * Studied with Schreker in Berlin * Passacaglia (1925) awarded Mendelssohn Prize and performed by Staatskapelle under Erich Kleiber * Opera Der gewaltige Hahnrei highly successful in Mannheim and scheduled in Berlin * As Jewish composer, forced to flee Nazi Germany in 1935 and emigrated to London * Worked for BBC and as a conductor, while composing works including Ciaccona Sinfonica, concertos for violin, cello and clarinet and opera Beatrice Cenci * Suffered neglect by the establishment and after Mediterranean Songs of 1958 abandoned composition * Resumed composing in 1982, with final work Deux nocturnes written at age 93 * In his last decade, with the rediscovery of 'Entartete Musik' composers, enjoyed an Indian summer of concert performances, opera productions and recordings * Music combines lyricism, contrapuntal skill and a sharp wit * Champions include Simon Rattle, Charles Dutoit, Yakov Kreizberg, Chantal Juillet, Mandelring Quartet, and the record companies Largo and Decca

Works by Berthold Goldschmidt include:
Partita (1927) for orchestra
Der gewaltige Hahnrei (1929-30) Musical tragicomedy in three acts
String Quartet No.2 (1936)
Beatrice Cenci (1949-50) Opera in three acts

"There is always a framework to my compositions, their concept is carefully planned... Before a writers sets about writing a novel, he must know precisely what the main contents and theme of the story will be. In this way, I always have an architecture in mind which, when you listen, can be heard coming through the music..." — Berthold Goldschmidt