{{Short description|Swiss conductor and composer}} '''Fritz Brun''' (18 August 1878 – 29 November 1959) was a Swiss pianist, conductor and composer of classical music.
==Life== Brun was born in Lucerne. He was a student of Franz Wüllner at the conservatory at Cologne,<ref name="JSTOR">{{cite journal |title=Fritz Brun: a Swiss Symphonist |journal=Tempo |series=New Series |issue=195 |date=January 1996 |pages=14–18 |last1=Palmer|first1=Peter|doi=10.1017/S0040298200004721 |jstor=946456|s2cid=143958389 }}</ref> and studied piano and theory there until 1902. The following year he became a piano teacher at the music school in Bern.<ref name="JSTOR"/> From 1909 until 1941, he led the symphony concerts of the ''Bernischen Musikgesellschaft'', and was conductor of the choral society and lieder group there.<ref name="JSTOR"/> From 1926 to 1940, additionally, he was the vice-president of the Swiss music society ''Tonkünstlerverein''. In June 1941 Brun retired, except for occasional returns to conducting. He dedicated his first violin sonata to violinist Adele Bloesch-Stöcker.
In 1912 Brun married Hanna Rosenmund; they had three children. Brun died in Grosshöchstetten.<ref name="BC Fritz Brun Booklet"/> <!-- Verifies the entire line-->
==Compositions== Fritz Brun composed many works, his most popular being the 10 symphonies composed between 1901 and 1953, the symphonies have been considered as significant works in his country's musical life.<ref name= "JPaxton1980">{{cite book |title = Calender of Creative Man |last1=L. Paxton |first1=John |page=412 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SlZdDwAAQBAJ&dq=fritz+brun&pg=PA412 |date=1980|publisher=Macmillan Education UK |isbn=9781349025770 }}</ref> From 2003 to 2015, these symphonies were collectively performed by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and Bratislava Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the Swiss conductor [https://www.naxos.com/person/_Adriano_32351/32351.htm Adriano] and released in May 2019 by Brilliant Classics.<ref name="Brilliant Classics">{{cite web|url=https://www.brilliantclassics.com/articles/f/fritz-brun-complete-orchestral-works/|title=Fritz Brun: Complete Orchestral Works}}</ref> The set consists of individual recordings by the Guild Music Label.
Beside the symphonies, Brun also composed 4 string quartets, a piano concerto, a cello concerto, many more including vocal works.
Brun's work has been considered and compared to the style of Brahms.<ref name= "PReed1993">{{cite book |title = American Record Guide - Volume 56, Issues 4-6 |last1=Hugh Reed |first1=Peter |page=228 |date=1993}}</ref><ref name= "JBithell2019">{{cite book |title=Germany: A Companion to German Studies |last1=Bithell |first1=Jethro |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lEyfDwAAQBAJ&dq=fritz+brun+brahmsian&pg=PT499 |date=2019|publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-000-00841-8 }}</ref> This might be because Brun specialized in and admired the work of Brahms, especially as a conductor.<ref name="NZM1969">Neue Zeitschrift für Musik - 1969 - Volume 78, Part 1 - Page 148 (translated: "In a perfect performance he offered Brahms' song of fate, whose works Fritz Brun always interprets with complete devotion.")</ref><ref name= "LRoth2016">{{cite book |title=Ernst Kurth as Theorist and Analyst - Page 18 |last1=A. Roth|first1=Lee |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G1IrEAAAQBAJ&dq=fritz+brun+brahms&pg=PA18 |date=2016|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |isbn=978-1-5128-0626-7 }}</ref>
===Symphonies=== *No. 1 in B minor (1901) (premiered 1 June 1908 conducted by the composer)<ref name="lace"/><ref name="fbch">See Brun Website Worklist (http://www.fritzbrun.ch/e/werkverzeichnis.html )</ref> *No. 2 in B{{music|flat}} (1911) (premiered 14 February 1911 conducted by Volkmar Andreae)<ref name="lace"/><ref name="fbch"/> *No. 3 in D minor (1919) (premiered 3 March 1920, conducted by the composer)<ref name="lace">{{cite web|year=2004|title=Review of Sterling Recording of Brun Symphony 3|url=http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/feb04/Brun.htm|last=Lace|first=Ian|publisher=MusicWeb International|access-date=2009-01-02}}</ref><ref name="fbch"/> *No. 4 in E (1925) (premiered 2 February 1926 conducted by Volkmar Andreae)<ref name="fbch"/>) *No. 5 in E{{music|flat}} (1929) (Chaconne/Gehetzt, phantastisch/Langsam (slow)/Rasch und wütend) (premiered 14 January 1930 conducted by Volkmar Andreae)<ref name="fbch"/><ref name="syms510">Guild biography page, subpage with description of symphonies 5 and 10.</ref> *No. 6 in C (1932–1933) (premiered 29 October 1933 conducted by Hermann Scherchen)<ref name="lace"/><ref name="fbch"/> *No. 7 in D (1937) (premiered 10 November 1937 conducted by Hermann Scherchen)<ref name="lace"/><ref name="fbch"/> *No. 8 in A (1938–1942?)<ref name="lace"/> (premiered 11 November 1942 conducted by Hermann Scherchen)<ref name="fbch"/>) *No. 9 in F (symphony/suite; five movements) (1949–50)<ref name="lace"/><ref>Guild biography page, Subpage describing symphony 9/Aus dem Buch Hiob recording</ref> (premiered 12 December 1960, conducted by Volkmar Andreae)<ref name="fbch"/> *No. 10 in B{{music|flat}} (1953, premiered 7 November 1955 conducted by Luc Balmer)<ref name="fbch"/><ref name="syms510" /> *Symphonic Prologue in E{{music|flat}} for Orchestra (3 December 1944)<ref name="BC Fritz Brun Booklet"/>
===Concertos=== *Piano concerto in A major (1946) *Cello Concerto in D minor (1947)<ref name="lace"/><ref name="fbch"/>
===String Quartets=== *No.1 in E{{music|flat}} major (1898)<ref name="fbch"/> *No.2 in G major (1921)<ref name="fbch"/> *No.3 in F major (1943)<ref name="fbch"/> *No.4 in D major (1949)<ref name="fbch"/>
===Sonatas=== *Piano and violin sonata in D minor (1906) *Piano and violin sonata in D major (1951) *Piano and cello sonata in F minor (1952)
===Other works=== *Piano Quintet in B{{music|flat}} major (1902) *Variations for piano and strings (premiered 13 October 1944)<ref name= "BC Fritz Brun Booklet">{{cite web|url=https://www.brilliantclassics.com/media/1621962/brilliant-classics-fritz-brun-booklet-download.pdf|title=Fritz Brun - Brilliant Classics}}</ref> *Overture to a Julibee Celebration in C major (May 1950)<ref name="BC Fritz Brun Booklet"/> *Orchestra Rhapsody (1958)<ref name="BC Fritz Brun Booklet"/> *3 Lieder (Based on work by Othmar Schoeck) *5 Lieder *"Aus dem Buch Hiob" (Translated: "From the book of Job") (1906)<ref name="BC Fritz Brun Booklet"/> *Divertimento for piano and strings (1954)<ref name="BC Fritz Brun Booklet"/>
==Selected discography== * Fritz Brun. Complete Orchestral Works Brilliant Classics 957845; 11Cds 2003–2015, 1946 (CD11) originally released as individual recordings by the Guild Music label
==Sources== *{{cite web|title=Guild Music Biography of Fritz Brun|url=http://www.guildmusic.com/shop/wbc.php?sid=785137016f9&tpl=produktdetail.html&pid=10353&rid=562&tpl=artistdetails.html|access-date=June 21, 2012|year=2012}} *{{cite web|url=http://www.fritzbrun.ch/|title=Fritz Brun Website|access-date=June 21, 2012}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{cite web|url=http://www.musinfo.ch/index.php?content=maske_personen&pers_id=240&setLanguage=en|title=Musinfo – The Database of Swiss Music: Brun|last=Näf|first=Lukas|access-date=June 21, 2012}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Brun, Fritz}} Category:1878 births Category:1959 deaths Category:19th-century male musicians Category:19th-century musicians Category:20th-century Swiss classical composers Category:20th-century Swiss conductors (music) Category:20th-century Swiss male musicians Category:Romantic composers Category:String quartet composers Category:Swiss male classical composers Category:Swiss male conductors (music) Category:Musicians from Lucerne