Mitja Nikisch

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Mitja Nikisch (born May 21, 1899 in Leipzig , † August 5, 1936 in Venice ) was a German pianist, composer and dance orchestra leader.

Live and act

Mitja Nikisch grave in the south cemetery in Leipzig

The son of the conductor Arthur Nikisch and the actress Amélie Heussner was primarily a pianist and studied from 1912 to 1919 at the Leipzig Conservatory with Robert Teichmüller and Joseph Pembaur piano and with Stephan Krehl music theory and composition. From 1919 he went on concert tours as a pianist, in 1923 he recorded works by Chopin on piano roles ; but he changed his profession and in 1925 founded a dance orchestra.

Due to the remarkable success of Paul Whiteman at his appearances in Berlin, jazz symphony orchestras with up to 20 musicians also formed in Germany. Mitja Nikisch was a leader in this development and had the reputation of a "German Whiteman". As early as 1927 he made recordings at Parlophon with a "symphonic jazz orchestra". At the end of the 1920s, his Mitja Nikisch Dance Orchestra was an extraordinarily well-staffed ensemble peppered with top-class international soloists: George Hirst , Danny Polo , David Bee , Eddie Rosner , the Waldi and Adalbert Luczkowski brothers and Christian Wagner were among the soloists of band over which the busy Berlin guitarist Otto Sachsenhauser ruled: "the best band I ever belonged" in 1929 led to joint appearances with the Syncopators of Stefan Weintraub . In 1930 and 1931 he played with his dance orchestra at the Casanova International Casino in Berlin . Due to the Nazi dictatorship, he had to give up the band.

In 1934 he recorded Mozart's Piano Concerto (KV 466) with the Berliner Philharmoniker under Rudolf Schulz-Dornburg and devoted himself increasingly to composition. His piano concerto is considered to be the main compositional work; he completed it shortly before his suicide and dedicated it to his wife Nora. In 1941 it was premiered under Charles Münch in Paris. The soloist was Nikisch's childhood friend Kostia Konstantinoff (* 1903, † 1947); the German premiere took place in Munich in 1988.

Sound documents (selection)

As a pianist
  • Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, KV 466. Berliner Philharmoniker, conductor: Rudolf Schulz-Dornburg. Telefunken E. 1643 - 1646. Berlin, March 1934.
With a symphonic jazz orchestra
  • Strauss fantasies a jazz musician ( theo mackeben ) I and II Parlophon P.9175 (20 422/20 423 W)
  • Blue Skies (Irving Berlin) Parlophone P.9178 (20 363-II W)
  • Alabama Stomp (Jimmy Johnson) Parlophone P.9178 (20 634 W)
  • Henderson Stomp ( Fletcher Henderson ) Parlophone P.9187 (20 550W) - 1927
  • Symphonic jazz variations on “ Hallelujah! " ( Vincent Youmans , arr. Nikisch) Parlophone P.9209 (20 605 W)
  • Symphonic jazz variations on " Ain't She Sweet " (Ager & Yellen, arr. Nikisch) Parlophone P.9209 (20 637 W) - 1928
  • Symphonic Jazz Variations on "Blue River" (Bryan & Meyer, arr. Nikisch) Parlophone P.9248 (20 703-II W)
  • Ain't That a Grand and Glorious Feeling ( Milton Ager ) Parlophone P.9249 (20 638 W) 1928
  • Ziki Paki Ziki Pu. One-Step (Vittorio Mascheroni, arr. Nikisch) Parlophone B.12 101-I (mx. 37 854) - 1928
  • Hochzeit der Holzpuppen (The Wedding of the Painted Doll) Foxtrot insert from Charell's revue operetta The Three Musketeers (NH Brown, arr.Nikisch) Parlophone B.12 101-II (mx. 37 855) 1928
With dance orchestra
  • A love affair by the way . Foxtrot from the Ufa sound film of the Erich Pommer production Burglar (text and music by Friedrich Hollaender ) Mitja Nikisch and his orchestra with refraing singing: Paul Dorn. Electrola EG2177 (mx. BD 9358-2). Berlin, December 1930
  • Let me be your Carmen for once . Paso doble from the Ufaton film of the Erich Pommer production Burglar (text and music by Friedrich Hollaender) Mitja Nikisch & his orchestra, vocals: Paul Dorn. Electrola EG2177 (mx. 0D 13-2). Berlin, January 1931
  • I can, I want ... (Should I?) Fox Trot from Lord Byron of Broadway ( Nacio Herb Brown & Arthur Freed ) Mitja Nikisch ms dance orchestra, refraing singing Paul Dorn. Electrola EG2228 (mx. 0D 107-2). Berlin, February 1931
  • I stand in the snow and wait for you. Fox Trot (Dr. Bronisław Kaper ) dance orchestra Mitja Nikisch, Refrainges .: Paul Dorn. Electrola EG2228 (OD 106-II). Berlin, February 1931

literature

  • František Havelka: Czech Music of the Third Stream in a European context and in a world context. In: Acta Universitatis Palackianae Olomucensis. Philosophica - aesthetica. 24, 2001, ZDB -ID 402396-1 , pp. 75-93, online (PDF; 107 kB) .
  • Horst H. Lange: Jazz in Germany. The German Jazz Chronicle 1900-1960 . Berlin, Colloquium Verlag, 1966 a. ö .. ISBN 3-487-08375-2 .
  • Rainer E. Lotz: Discography of German Dance Music (= German National Discography. Ser. 2). Volume 4. Lotz, Bonn 1995, ISBN 3-9803461-2-9 .

Illustrations

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hans-Jürgen Schaal : Fox dances and black pipes: 80 years ago Germany was a jazz country . 2004; and: F. Havelka, 2001.
  2. ↑ See labels of the 30cm recordings of Hallelujah and Ain't She Sweet
  3. ^ Dagmar Luczkowski: Adalbert Luczkowski .
  4. ↑ http://www.sedina.de/assets/s2dmain.html?http://www.sedina.de/cds/symphonien/kurtgraunkesymphonienr7nikischklavierk.html
  5. ↑ Parlophon-Beka Electric, main directory 1928/29, p. 69
  6. ↑ cf. LANGE p. 186 and P. 32
personal data
SURNAME Nikisch, Mitja
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German pianist, composer and orchestra leader
DATE OF BIRTH May 21, 1899
PLACE OF BIRTH Leipzig
DATE OF DEATH August 5, 1936
Place of death Venice