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Born: July 6, 1879 - Bern, Switzerland
Died: June 18, 1962 - Zürich, Switzerland |
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The distinguished Swiss conductor, pedagogue and composer, Volkmar Andreae, received piano instruction as a child and his first lessons in composition with Karl Munzinger in Bern. From 1897 to 1900, he studied at the Cologne Conservatory and was a student of Fritz Brun, Franz Wüllner, Isidor Seiss and Friedrich Wilhelm Franke.
In 1900, Volkmar Andreae was a soloist tutor (repetiteur) at the Munich Hofoper (Munich Court Opera). In 1902 he took over the leadership of the Mixed Choir of Zürich (Gemischten Chores Zürich), where he remained until 1949, also leading the Stadtsängerverein Winterthur from 1902 to 1914 and the Männerchores Zürich (men's chorus) from 1904 to 1919. From 1906 to 1949 he was Chief Conductor of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zürich, and from 1914 to 1939 Director of the Conservatory of Zürich. Among his pupils there: Alfred Baum, Adolf Brunner, Erhart Ermatinger, René Gerber, Bernhard Henking, He was offered the opportunity of succeeding Gustav Mahler as conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in 1911, but he declined. Later he worked as freelance composer in Vienna and worked internationally as a conductor (especially with the works). He championed the works of Anton Bruckner, Richard Strauss, Max Reger, Gustav Mahler, and Claude Debussy.
Volkmar Andreae composed opera, symphony and chamber music, piano, violin, and oboe concertos, piano music, as well as choir music and songs. In his own compositions, he reflected the post-Romantic tendencies. He is mentioned in Chapter XXI of Thomas Mann's 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 in Zürich.
His grandson is the conductor Marc Andreae, who recorded various of his grandfather's works for the Guild label. |
