ON THIS DAY

Hindermith's "Der Schwanendreher" Premiered in 1935

November 14, 2023

2 MIN READ

The title "Der Schwanendreher" can be translated from German as "The Swan Turner" or "The Swan Piper"

"Der Schwanendreher" is a concerto for viola and small orchestra composed by Paul Hindemith. It premiered on the 14th of November 1935, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, with the composer himself as the soloist. The concerto is known for its engaging blend of neoclassical and folk elements, and it has since become a well-regarded work in the viola repertoire.

Paul Hindermith

Paul Hindemith (1895–1963) was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist, and conductor. He was a key figure in 20th-century classical music and made significant contributions to various aspects of the musical world. Hindemith was a professor at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin and later at Yale University in the United States. He wrote extensively on music theory and education, and his theoretical works, such as "The Craft of Musical Composition," are still studied today.

In addition to being a composer, Hindemith was a skilled performer on several instruments, including the violin, viola, piano, clarinet, and trumpet. He was the violist of the renowned Amar String Quartet.

Some of his other notable works include his symphonic work "Mathis der Maler" (1933) which is based on the life of the German Renaissance painter Matthias Grünewald, and "Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber" (1943), where he transformed themes by the Romantic composer Carl Maria von Weber into a contemporary orchestral piece.