Gerhard Otto
Gerhard Otto (born March 21, 1914 in Dresden ; † November 23, 1992 in Hamburg ) was a German flautist.
life and work
Gerhard Otto studied flute, piano and music theory from 1928 to 1932 at the Vogt Conservatory, the forerunner of today's Hamburg University of Music and Theater . He had u. a. Lessons from Hans Brinckmann and Ferdinand Pfohl .
He started his first engagement at the age of 18 in 1932 at the Schiller Opera in the then independent Altona . In 1934 Eugen Jochum signed him to the Philharmonic State Orchestra Hamburg. Gerhard Otto was released from 1939 to 1944 for the Bayreuth Festival during World War II , where he also played under Wilhelm Furtwängler .
In 1950, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt brought him first and solo flutist in his newly founded NWDR Symphony Orchestra. He was a concertmaster and chamber musician until his retirement in 1979.
His full flute tone, highlighted by all critics ("the wonderfully soft, elegantly rounded tone," "a tone that remains soft and yet firm, expressive and dynamic up to the highest registers", "tones of fascinating luminosity"), his stylish and technical brilliant playing was entirely at the service of the work and the orchestral sound. Gerhard Otto played among the modern composers Benjamin Britten , Paul Hindemith and Jean Sibelius and was highly valued by them as well as by internationally renowned guest conductors (such as Erich Kleiber , Otto Klemperer , Eugene Ormandy ). Herbert von Karajan called him the “poet among the flautists” (see quote below).
At the Hamburg Conservatory in Blankenese, Gerhard Otto taught the master students in transverse flute from 1950 to 1990, for which he published a solo book for flute in three volumes from 1980–84.
Regular solo concerts cemented his reputation. Gerhard Otto made a special contribution as an interpreter of modern French flute music, especially by Jean Françaix , Jacques Ibert and Olivier Messiaen .
In 2004 the archive of the North German Radio had 212 recordings of pieces of music in which he played as a soloist.
Quote
Herbert von Karajan wrote to Gerhard Otto on September 16, 1959 (based on the original of the letter in the possession of the heirs):
“If I had to give you a name I would say: you are the poet among the flautists and a master in capturing all the hidden tensions that are embedded in music. Eight bars of your first solo in the 3rd movement of the Walton Symphony say more than you can give in the whole movement: And that is art in the noblest sense and for that I thank you with all my heart Yours Herbert von Karajan "
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, "In camouflage for audition - How I founded the NDR symphony orchestra 25 years ago", Die Welt, October 31, 1970
- ↑ Norddeutscher Rundfunk (ed.), Special edition of the program booklet "Jubilee concert for the 25th anniversary of the symphony orchestra", 1./2. November 1970
- ↑ “Telemann and Handel”. Hamburg Foreign Gazette, March 3, 1939
- ↑ Listen to June 2, 1954
- ↑ "Old and New Flute Tones". Hamburger Abendblatt February 12, 1970
- ↑ Hamburg Conservatory (ed.) "75 Years Hamburg Conservatory in Blankenese", Festschrift from 1983, pp. 18, 28 (photo), 34
- ↑ Gerhard Otto (ed.) Solo book Flute, Simrock / Benjamin (Elite Edition) Vols. 1-3, ISMN: 979-0-2211-0348 (49, 50) -5
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Otto, Gerhard |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German flautist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 21, 1914 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Dresden |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 23, 1992 |
| Place of death | Hamburg |