Volkmar Andreae

[[File:Volkmar Andreae (1879–1962) um 1909.jpg|thumb|Volkmar Andreae in 1909 ]]

{{short description|Swiss composer and conductor}} '''Volkmar Andreae''' (5 July 1879 – 18 June 1962)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://errol.oclc.org/laf/no%2093032124.html|title=LOC (citing New Grove for June 18th)|access-date=March 18, 2011}}</ref> was a Swiss conductor and composer.

== Life and career == Andreae was born in [[Bern]]. He received piano instruction as a child and his first lessons in composition with [[Karl Munzinger]]. From 1897 to 1900, he studied at the [[Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln|Cologne Conservatory]] and was a student of [[Fritz Brun]], [[Franz Wüllner]], [[Isidor Seiss]] and [[Friedrich Wilhelm Franke]]. In 1900 he was a soloist tutor at the [[Munich]] Hofoper. In 1902 he took over the leadership of the Mixed Choir of Zürich ({{lang|de|Der Gemischte Chor Zürich|italic=no}}), where he remained until 1949, also leading the {{lang|de|Stadtsängerverein Winterthur|italic=no}} from 1902 to 1914 and the {{lang|de|Männerchor Zürich|italic=no}} from 1904 to 1914.

From 1906 to 1949, he led the [[Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich]]; and from 1914 to 1939, the Conservatory of Zürich. (He was offered the opportunity of succeeding [[Gustav Mahler]] as conductor of the [[New York Philharmonic Orchestra]] in 1911, but he declined.)<ref>[http://www.musinfo.ch/index.php?content=maske_personen&pers_id=242&setLanguage=en Musinfo] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140428011447/http://www.musinfo.ch/index.php?content=maske_personen&pers_id=242&setLanguage=en |date=2014-04-28 }}. Retrieved 4 August 2014</ref> Later he worked as freelance composer in [[Vienna]] and worked internationally as a conductor (especially with the works of [[Anton Bruckner]]). He composed opera, symphony and chamber music, piano, violin, and oboe concertos, piano music, as well as choir music and songs. He died in [[Zürich]].

He is mentioned in Chapter XXI of [[Thomas Mann]]'s novel ''[[Doctor Faustus (novel)|Doctor Faustus]]'', where he is cited as conducting the ''Thirteen Brentano Lieder'' by the fictional composer Adrian Leverkühn. This fictional concert is said to have taken place in 1922 in the [[Tonhalle, Zürich|Tonhalle]] in Zürich.<ref>Doctor Faustus by Thomas Mann. Knopf: 1997. Translation by John E. Woods, {{p.|196}}</ref>

His grandson is the conductor {{interlanguage link|Marc Andreae|de}}, who recorded various of his grandfather's works for the Guild label.

== Works (selection) == ===Operas=== *''Ratcliff'', opera (1914) *''Abenteuer des Casanova'', opera (1924)

===Orchestra=== * Symphony in B flat major (unpublished, WoO) * Symphony No. 1 in F major (1900; recorded) * Symphony No. 2 in C major, Op. 31 (1920; recorded) * Sinfonische Fantasie, Op. 7 * Kleine Suite, Op. 27 (recorded) * Notturno und Scherzo, Op. 30 (1919; recorded) * Music for Orchestra, Op. 35 (1921; recorded) * ''Li-Tai-Pe'', Eight Chinese songs for tenor and orchestra, Op. 37 (recorded) * ''La cité sur la montagne'', festival music (1942)

===Concertante works=== * Piano Concerto in D (1898; recorded) * Konzertstück in B minor for piano and orchestra (1900; recorded) * Rhapsody for violin and orchestra, Op. 32 (1920; recorded) * Violin concerto, Op. 40 (1935; recorded) * Concertino for Oboe and Orchestra, Op. 42 (recorded) *''Li-Tai-Pe'', Eight Chinese songs for tenor and orchestra (1931; recorded) – inspired by the 8th-century poet Li Tai-peh (Li Taibai, aka [[Li Bai]])

===Choral works=== *''Vater unser'' for mezzo-soprano, women's choir and organ *''Das Göttliche'' for tenor, choir and orchestra (1900) *''Charons Nachen'' for soloists, choir, and orchestra (1901) *''Schutzgeister'', cantata (1904)

===Chamber music=== * Piano Trio No. 1 in F minor, Op. 1 (recorded) * Violin Sonata in D major, Op. 4 (recorded) * String Quartet No. 1 in B-flat major, Op. 9 (recorded) * Piano Trio No. 2 in E-flat major, Op. 14 (recorded) * Six piano pieces for two hands, Op. 20 (recorded) * String Trio in D minor, Op. 29 (recorded) * Notturno and Scherzo, Op. 30 (recorded) * String Quartet No. 2, Op. 33 (recorded) * Quartet for Flute, Violin, Viola and Violoncello, Op. 43 (recorded)

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.editionsilvertrust.com/music-a-to-b.htm Volkmar Andreae sound-bites from chamber music works and short bio]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Andreae, Volkmar}} [[Category:1879 births]] [[Category:1962 deaths]] [[Category:Swiss male classical composers]] [[Category:Swiss male conductors (music)]] [[Category:Musicians from Bern]] [[Category:Academic staff of the Zurich University of the Arts]] [[Category:Chief conductors of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich]]