Hugo Balzer

'''Hugo Philipp Balzer''' (17 April 1894 – 3 April 1985<ref>{{Cite web |author=Stadt Ratingen |url=https://www.google.com/search?q=Hugo+Balzer+gestorben&start=10 |title=Übersicht Sterberegister der Stadt Ratingen (1952–1987)|accessdate=5 August 2020|language=de}}</ref>) was a German conductor.

== Life == Born in Meiderich, Balzer studied at the conservatories in Duisburg and Cologne. He initially worked as a conductor in Koblenz and Essen. In 1929 he went to Freiburg im Breisgau as Generalmusikdirektor and in 1933 to Düsseldorf in the same position.<ref name=":0" /> In 1934 he was involved in the foundation and in January 1935 in the ceremonial opening of the Robert Schumann Conservatory.<ref name=":0">Yvonne Wasserloos, 2010.</ref> In 1939 he was appointed professor at this institution;<ref name=":0" /> In addition he was given the direction of the teaching institution. From 1946 Balzer was a guest conductor in opera and concerts, mainly in Romance language-speaking countries (Spain, Italy, Brazil), where he reactivated earlier contacts.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Cf. the German Wikipedia article Rosa Sabater, after which she made her concert debut as a pianist under Balzer in Barcelona in 1942.</ref> During his time in Düsseldorf he led several world premieres of operas such as Gerster's ''{{ill|Enoch Arden (opera)|de|Enoch Arden (Oper)|lt=Enoch Arden}}'' and ''Die Hexe von Passau''.<ref>after ''Riemann Musiklexikon'', 1959.</ref>

== Assessment == Balzer had to organize the Reichsmusiktage for the National Socialists. They tried to develop Düsseldorf into their music capital, which was not realized. Balzer was able to make musical life in Düsseldorf largely neutral, although he could not prevent the ''Degenerate music'' exhibition.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Städtischer Musikverein zu Düsseldorf |url=https://musikverein-duesseldorf.de/hugo-balzer-generalmusikdirektor-von-1933-bis-1945/|title=Hugo Balzer - Generalmusikdirektor von 1933 bis 1945 |date=30 April 2015 |accessdate=5 August 2020 |language=en}}</ref> As director of the Düsseldorfer Symphoniker, "Balzer pursued an opportunistic programme policy, and the orchestra was the central orchestral body at the Reichmusiktage 1938 and 1939."<ref>{{Cite web|author=Tonhalle Düsseldorf|url=https://www.tonhalle.de/orchester/orchesterbiographie/|title=Geschichte der Düsseldorfer Symphoniker|accessdate=5 August 2020|language=de|archive-date=21 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121011008/https://www.tonhalle.de/orchester/orchesterbiographie/|url-status=dead}}</ref> Helmut Kirchmeyer, one of Balzer's successors as director of the Düsseldorf Music Academy, "recognizes Balzer as a person who tries in every conceivable way to survive the political reality of a blood dictatorship as unscathed as possible, to get past his own time and to do good within the scope of his possibilities".<ref> From a review of the work of Helmut Kirchmeyer on Hugo Balzer.</ref>

== Further reading == * {{Cite encyclopedia |editor1=Wilibald Gurlitt |editor2=Carl Dahlhaus |encyclopedia=Riemann Musiklexikon. In three volumes and two supplementary volumes.|title=Balzer, Hugo |volume=1. Personenteil A–K|edition=12th completely reworked |publisher=B. Schotts-Söhne |location=Mainz |date=1959 |pages=92|orig-year=1882}} * {{Cite book |author=Helmut Kirchmeyer|title=Hugo Balzer: Eine Gedenkschrift aus Anlaß seines 25. Todestages in Verbindung mit einer Studie zur Thema Künstler im Nationalsozialismus |edition=1 |publisher=Franz Steiner Verlag |location=Stuttgart |date=2012|isbn=978-3-515-10182-0}} * {{Cite web |author=Yvonne Wasserloos (ResearchGate.net, *.pdf) |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/210225161 |title=Musikerziehung im Dienst der "Volksgemeinschaft". Hugo Balzer und das Robert-Schumann-Konservatorium im "Dritten Reich" |date=January 2010|accessdate=5 August 2020|language=de}}

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == * {{DNB portal|}} * {{Discogs artist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balzer, Hugo}} Category:1894 births Category:1985 deaths Category:People from Duisburg Category:German conductors (music)