Hugo Balzer
Hugo Philipp Balzer (born April 17, 1894 in Meiderich ; † April 3, 1985 in Hösel ) was a German conductor.
Life
Balzer studied at the conservatories in Duisburg and Cologne. He initially worked as Kapellmeister in Koblenz and Essen. In 1929 he went to Freiburg im Breisgau as general music director and in 1933 to Düsseldorf in the same position. He was involved in the founding of the Robert Schumann Conservatory in 1934 and in the opening ceremony in January 1935. In 1939 he was appointed professor at this institution; in addition, he was given the management of the school. Since 1946 Balzer has been a guest conductor in operas and concerts mainly in Romansh-speaking countries (Spain, Italy, Brazil), where he activated earlier contacts. During his time in Düsseldorf he was involved in several world premieres of operas such as Ennoch Arden and Die Hexe von Passau , both by Ottmar Gerster .
Ratings
Balzer had to organize the Reichsmusiktage for the National Socialists. They tried to develop Düsseldorf into their music capital, which was never realized. Balzer was able to make musical life in Düsseldorf largely neutral, even if he couldn't prevent the Degenerate Music exhibition . As director of the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra “Hugo Balzer pursued an opportunistic program policy, and the orchestra was the central orchestra at the Reich Music Days in 1938 and 1939.” Helmut Kirchmeyer, one of Balzer's successors as director of the Düsseldorf Music Academy, “recognizes Balzer as a person who cares for everyone imaginable way tries to survive the political reality of a blood dictatorship as unscathed as possible, to get past his own time and to do good within the scope of his possibilities ”.
literature
- Wilibald Gurlitt, Carl Dahlhaus (editor): Riemann Musik-Lexikon. In three volumes and two supplementary volumes. Balzer, Hugo. 12th completely revised edition. 1. Personal section A – KB Schotts-Söhne, Mainz 1959, p. 92 (first edition: 1882).
- Helmut Kirchmeyer: Hugo Balzer: A commemorative publication on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his death in connection with a study on the subject of artists under National Socialism . 1st edition. Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 2012, ISBN 978-3-515-10182-0 .
- Yvonne Wasserloos (ResearchGate.net, * .pdf): Music education in the service of the “national community”. Hugo Balzer and the Robert Schumann Conservatory in the “Third Reich”. January 2010, accessed January 21, 2019 .
Individual evidence
- ^ City of Ratingen: Overview of the death records of the city of Ratingen (1952–1987). Retrieved January 20, 2019 .
- ↑ The life dates are also given by LCNN.
- ↑ a b c d Yvonne Wasserloos, 2010.
- ↑ See the German Wikipedia article Rosa Sabater i Parera , after which she made her concert debut as a pianist under Balzer in Barcelona in 1942.
- ^ Paragraph according to Riemann Musik-Lexikon, 1959.
- ^ Municipal Music Association of Düsseldorf: Hugo Balzer - General Music Director from 1933 to 1945. Accessed on January 20, 2019 .
- ^ Tonhalle Düsseldorf: History of the Düsseldorf Symphony Orchestra. Retrieved January 20, 2019 .
- ↑ From a review of the work of Helmut Kirchmeyer on Hugo Balzer.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Balzer, Hugo |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Balzer, Hugo Philipp (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German conductor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 17, 1894 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Meiderich |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 3, 1985 |
| Place of death | Hösel |