Unlikely performance of E.J. Moeran’s Sinfonietta

[Stanfordian]

I’ve come across the details of a very rare/unlikely performance of E.J. Moeran’s Sinfonietta (1944) by the Berliner Philharmoniker under Hans-Joachim Wunderlich that took place at the Jagdschloß Grunewald in Berlin on Saturday 16th June 1956. Given the paucity of performances of English music that the Berliner Philharmoniker give I found this to be a most interesting detail.

At this time (1956) the Berliner Philharmoniker did not have regular concert hall as the Alte Philharmonie on Bernburger Straße had been destroyed by Allied bombing in 1944 resulting in the orchestra having to use a various halls, such as the Hochschule für Musik and the Titania-Palast, until the new Philharmonie was completed in 1963. Wilhelm Furtwängler had died in 1954 and Herbert von Karajan had recently taken over as principal conductor.

The remainder of the programme that night was:
Gluck: Ballet Suite (orch and selected by Mottl);
Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 3 in G major, K216 by soloist Manfred Scherzer;
Schmalstich: Serenade in B major for Strings, Op. 104;
Schubert: Rosamunde Overture;

[umslopogaas]

Stanfordian, that is fascinating, I have several recordings of Moeran's music, but none of the Sinfonietta, so I shall order one. But Schmalstich? Who on earth is (s)he? The Penguin Guide of 2010 hasnt any knowledge.

[Stanfordian]

Stanfordian, that is fascinating, I have several recordings of Moeran's music, but none of the Sinfonietta, so I shall order one. But Schmalstich? Who on earth is (s)he? The Penguin Guide of 2010 hasnt any knowledge.

Hiya umslopogaas, Moeran's Sinfonietta is certainly a fine work. Over the years I have collected 3 recordings of it. I do like to hear it from time to time but I'm not sure that I would rush out and buy a copy of the work. By the way this is not a recording of it by the Berlin Philharmoniker that I am referring to merely wanting to flag up a performance of it by the world's most famous orchestra. Hans-Joachim Wunderlich, well he is a new name to me, just one of the many guest conductors that the Berlin Philharmoniker have used. The composer Clemens Schmalstich is yet another new name for me but he is on Wikipedia.

Here is the link to the Berlin Philharmoniker 'Concert Annals' years 1954/57: http://concertannals.blogspot.co.uk/...1954-1957.html

[Suffolkcoastal]

Very interesting fact Stanfordian, thank you. There's a short summary on wikipedia on Clemens Schmalstich (1880-1960) who seems to have been a composer and conductor, I expect he was well known to the conductor and possibly orchestra and he seems to have been living in Berlin at the end of his life.

[Pabmusic]

I remember Vernon Handley saying that, on the eve of a final exam at Oxford, he didn't revise but conducted a performance of the Moeran Sinfonietta with the University orchestra instead.