Paul Kletzki
Paweł Klecki
Paul Kletzki in 1965.
Born21 March 1900
Łódź, Congress Poland
Died5 March 1973(1973-03-05) (aged 72)
Liverpool, United Kingdom
OccupationConductor

Paul Kletzki (born Paweł Klecki; 21 March 1900 – 5 March 1973) was a Polish conductor and composer.[1][2]

Biography

Born in Łódź, Kletzki joined the Łódź Philharmonic at the age of fifteen as a violinist.[1][2] After serving in the First World War, he studied philosophy at the University of Warsaw before moving to Berlin in 1921 to continue his studies. During the 1920s his compositions were championed by Arturo Toscanini; and Wilhelm Furtwängler, who permitted Kletzki to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic in 1925. Because he was Jewish, he left Nazi Germany in 1933 and moved to Milan, Italy, where he taught composition.[1] Due to the antisemitism of the Italian Fascist regime he moved to the Soviet Union in 1936.

During the Holocaust a number of Kletzki's family were murdered by the Nazis including his parents and his sister. In 1946, he participated in the reopening of La Scala in Milan.[1]

In 1949, he became a Swiss citizen.[1]

In the post-war years Kletzki was a renowned conductor, especially of Gustav Mahler. In 1954 he was appointed chief conductor of the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1955, he conducted the first recordings of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.[1] Between 1958 and 1961 he was principal conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. From 1967 until 1970 he was the General Music Director of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.[1]

He died on 5 March 1973 at 72 years of age after collapsing during a rehearsal at the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.[1]

Work

Most of Paul Kletzki's compositions were thought to be destroyed during World War II.[1] However, during excavations in Milan in 1965, a chest was found containing the scores he had left in the basement of the Hotel Metropole in 1941. Kletzki, fearing his scores had turned to dust, did not open the chest. Upon his death in 1973 his wife, Yvonne, opened the chest finding his scores well-preserved.[3]

Kletzki's most notable work is his Third Symphony, completed in October 1939, with the subtitle 'In memoriam'. It is an elegiac work interpreted as a moving monument to the victims of Nazism.[4] Other works include three string quartets,[5] a Sinfonietta for strings, a Fantasy for piano, and a sonata for violin and piano. From 1942 onwards Kletzki wrote no more compositions; he argued that Nazism had destroyed his spirit and his will to compose.

Compositions

GenreOpusDateTitleScoringNotes
Orchestral1921Overture to A Florentine Tragedy by Oscar WildeOrchestraWon first prize in a composition competition sponsored by the Warsaw Philharmonic,[6] lost.
Chamber11923String Quartet in A minorString quartet
Vocal2Four SongsVoice and piano
Vocal3Three Night SongsVoice and piano
Piano41923Three PreludesPiano
Orchestral71923SinfoniettaString orchestra
Piano91924Fantasie in C minorPiano
Chamber121925Violin Sonata in D majorViolin and piano
Chamber131925String Quartet No. 2 in C minorString quartet
Orchestral141926Vorspiel zu einer TragödieOrchestra
Chamber161924Trio in D majorPiano, Violin and cello
Orchestral171927Symphony No. 1Orchestra
Orchestral181928Symphony No. 2Baritone and orchestra4th movement setting of a poem by Karl Stamm Sung in German; English translation "Sleep, Sleep, O World"[7]
Concertante191928Violin Concerto in GViolin and orchestra
Orchestral201929OrchestervariationenOrchestra
Chamber211930Introduction and RondoViolin and piano
Concertante221930Piano Concerto in D minorPiano and orchestraPublished in 2 piano 4-hand version, orchestrated by John Norine Jr.
Chamber231931String Quartet No. 3 in D minorString quartet
Orchestral241931CapriccioLarge orchestra
Orchestral251932KonzertmusikSolo winds, strings and timpani
Violin261933Sonata for Violin SoloSolo violin
Chamber281932Octet
Orchestral301938Lyric SuiteOrchestra
Orchestral311939Symphony No. 3 ("In memoriam")Orchestra
Chamber32TrioFlute, violin and viola
Orchestral331940Variations sur un thème de Émile Jaques-DalcrozeString orchestra
Concertante341940Flute ConcertinoFlute and orchestra
Piano1940/41Three Unpublished Piano PiecesPiano
Chamber1943String Quartet No. 4[8]String quartetRediscovered, premiered by Merel String Quartet[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Paul Kletzki, 72, conductor, dead". The New York Times. 7 March 1973.
  2. 1 2 Wendland, Wojciech (2012). "Paul Kletzki (Paweł Klecki) – all alone in the great big world". 9th International Festival and Competition of Musical Personalities – Tansman 2012 (in Polish and English). Łódź: Tansman Philharmonic. pp. 39–41. ISBN 978-83-905532-8-3.
  3. ↑ Jackson, Timothy L. "Paul Kletzki, Violin Concerto, Op. 19". American Symphony Orchestra. Archived from the original on 27 June 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  4. ↑ "Paul Kletzki - Symphony No. 3 in memoriam". BIS. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  5. ↑ "Nachlassverzeichniss Paul Klecki" (PDF). Retrieved September 1, 2012., lists 3 string quartets, Op. 1 in A minor, Op. 13 in C minor, Op. 23 in D minor, copyright 1923, 1925, 1931.
  6. ↑ Jackson, Timothy. "Paul Kletzki, Piano Concerto, Three Preludes, Three Piano Pieces, Fantasie". Naxos.
  7. ↑ Greenbank, Stephen. "MusicWeb International Review". MusicWeb International. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  8. ↑ "Paul Kletzki (Paweł Klecki)". Musiques-Regenerees. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  9. ↑ "Merel Quartet – Concerts". Merel Quartet. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.