wbur.org
support wbur today!
Listen to this story
James Conlon on Rediscovered Opera
photo

The rise of the Nazis in 1930s Germany meant the fall of a world of music. Behind Adolf Hitler, the Nazis suppressed a generation of composers — most Jewish, some simply anti-Fascist — and the works they had produced over many years.

A world of music, between Mahler and Schoenberg, was blacked out, and its creators lost to the gas chamber or exile.

Now, James Conlon, music director at the Los Angeles Opera, is bringing that music back for American audiences.

This hour, On Point: reclaiming a lost world, with the LA Opera’s James Conlon.


Below is a playlist of the music heard during this hour. All of the works were composed in the early 20th century and were suppressed by the Nazis. They are currently being revived across the United States by James Conlon.

Erwin Schulhoff’s Symphony No. 2, “Allegro Ma Non Troppo”

Alexander Zemlinsky’s “Die Seejungfrau” (The Mermaid), “Sehr gedehnt, mit schmertzvollem Ausdruck”

Alexander Zemlinsky’s “Eine Florentinische Tragodie” (A Florentine Tragedy), Opera opening: Feurig sturmend

Viktor Ullmann’s Symphony No. 2, Third Movement

Alexander Zemlinsky’s “Der Zwerg” (The Dwarf), “Warum den flieht mein Freund?”

Franz Schreker’s Romantic Suite, Andante

Erwin Schulhoff’s Symphony No. 5, Allegro Con Brio

Karl Amadeus Hartmann’s Concerto Funebre, First Movement

Walter Braunfels’ Die Vogel (The Birds), Act I Prelude

Alexander Zemlinsky’s Chorwerke (Choral Works), “Horch! Vom Hugel, welch ein wieder Klang”

Guest:

James Conlon, Conductor and Music Director of the Los Angeles Opera.

 

You can join the conversation. Tell us what you think — here on this page, on Twitter, or on Facebook.

 

Tags: , ,

 
 
Leave a comment

We welcome comments from all of our listeners. We ask that you stay on topic, be civil, and be brief.

While we encourage a robust, open debate on the topic at hand, these comment threads are moderated by On Point and WBUR, and we may delete comments that we judge to be off-topic, unduly repetitive, or that descend into personal, ad hominem attacks. 

You are solely responsible for the content of your comments. On Point and WBUR cannot verify the accuracy of comments posted here.

On Point Today
Eric Bogosian’s Tough Role
Thursday, September 2, 2010 Eric Bogosian and Alicia Silverstone in a Manhattan Theatre Club production of "Time Stands Still,” 2010. (AP/Boneau/Bryan-Brown, Joan Marcus)

We talk with actor, writer, and performer Eric Bogosian about sex, death, celebrity, talk radio, and his new novel, “Perforated Heart.”

 
Speaking Invented Languages
Thursday, September 2, 2010 People in Star Trek costume as a Klingon, center, and Mr. Spock in Germany. (AP)

Klingon poets, Esperanto rock stars, and other bards of invented tongues. We explore, with linguist Arika Okrent.

Comments [11]

Recent Shows
Pat Conroy’s “South of Broad”
Wednesday, September 1, 2010 Pat Conroy after the publication of "The Prince of Tides." (AP)

Master storyteller Pat Conroy’s novel “South of Broad” is his first in more than 14 years. It’s set in his beloved Charleston, SC. And everything is on the table again: love, lust, race, religion.

Comments [8]
 
Eve Ensler on Global Girlhood
Wednesday, September 1, 2010 Eve Ensler with girls from eastern Congo (AP).

“Vagina Monologues” playwright Eve Ensler is now looking at the lives of teenage girls, from American suburbia to the Congo.

Comments [61]
On Point Blog
Wash Post: Elizabeth Warren Drops Harvard Class, Fuels More Speculation

The Washington Post reports today that Harvard professor Elizabeth Warren — a leading candiate to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — has suddenly dropped out of teaching this fall, prompting more speculation that she may take a permanent job in the Obama administration.

More »
 
VP Biden in Iraq, Changing Command

Following Pres. Obama’s Oval Office address last night, Vice President Biden spoke in Iraq today, on the occasion of Iraqi troops taking command. Here’s the text.

More »
 
Climate Skeptic Lomborg’s New Tune?

The U.K.’s Guardian reports that the world’s most prominent climate skeptic, Bjorn Lomborg, has taken a “U-turn” of sorts in his views. Lomborg spoke recently with On Point. Are his latest comments indeed a “huge boost” to flagging environmental efforts?

More » | Comments [5]