Max Bruch

In the 82 years of his life, Max Bruch enjoyed fame and success throughout Europe and America, based mainly on the reputation of his concertos for violin and cello, and his secular oratorios * Aged fourteen when his first symphony received its premiere * Works are influenced by Mendelssohn and Schumann * Vehemently refused to accept the principles of the 'Neudeutsche' composition school and supported the values of tradition and folk music * Found an important source of his work in folk song on which many of his melodies are based * Avoided darkness and over-serious composition in favour of clear form, melodious tunes and beauty of sound * His career as conductor and teacher forged special links with Koblenz, Sondershausen, Bonn, Liverpool, Breslau and finally Berlin

Works by Max Bruch include:
Violin Concerto No.2 in D minor op.44 (1878)
Das Lied von der Glocke (The Song of the Bell) op.45 (1879) for solo voices, chorus, orchestra and organ
Scherz, List und Rache op.1 (1858), comic opera

"In our times, where … beauty is sought in the unheard-of and genius in the abandonment of form – in such a time we have to doubly welcome a disciple of true art who does not hunt for overwhelming subject matters but embarks on the path towards nature and simplicity." — Ludwig Bischoff