Fritz Brun

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Fritz Brun (18 August 1878 – 29 November 1959) was a Swiss pianist, conductor and composer of classical music.

Life[]

Brun was born in Lucerne. He was a student of Franz Wüllner at the conservatory at Cologne,[1] and studied piano and theory there until 1902. The following year he became a piano teacher at the music school in Bern.[1] From 1909 until 1941, he led the symphony concerts of the Bernischen Musikgesellschaft, and was conductor of the choral society and lieder group there.[1] From 1926 to 1940, additionally, he was the vice-president of the Swiss music society Tonkünstlerverein. In June 1941 Brun retired, except for occasional returns to conducting. He dedicated his first violin sonata to violinist Adele Bloesch-Stöcker.

In 1912 Brun married Hanna Rosenmund; they had three children. Brun died in Grosshöchstetten.[2]

Compositions[]

Fritz Brun composed many works, his most popular being the 10 symphonies composed between 1901 and 1953, the symphonies have been considered as significant works in his country's musical life.[3] From 2003-2015, these symphonies were collectively performed by the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and Bratislava Symphony Orchestra, conducted by the Swiss conductor Andriano and released on May 2019 by Brilliant Classics.[4] The set consists of individual recordings by the Guild Music Label.

Beside the symphonies, Brun also composed 4 string quartets, a piano concerto, a cello concerto, many more including vocal works.

Brun's work has been considered and compared to the style of Brahms[5][6] this might be because Brun specialized and admired the work of Brahms, especially as a conductor.[7][8]

Symphonies[]

  • No. 1 in B minor (1901) (premiered 1 June 1908 conducted by the composer)[9][10]
  • No. 2 in B♭ (1911) (premiered 14 February 1911 conducted by Volkmar Andreae)[9][10]
  • No. 3 in D minor (1919) (premiered 3 March 1920, conducted by the composer)[9][10]
  • No. 4 in E (1925) (premiered 2 February 1926 conducted by Volkmar Andreae)[10])
  • No. 5 in E♭ (1929) (Chaconne/Gehetzt, phantastisch/Langsam (slow)/Rasch und wütend) (premiered 14 January 1930 conducted by Volkmar Andreae)[10][11]
  • No. 6 in C (1932–1933) (premiered 29 October 1933 conducted by Hermann Scherchen)[9][10]
  • No. 7 in D (1937) (premiered 10 November 1937 conducted by Hermann Scherchen)[9][10]
  • No. 8 in A (1938/1942?)[9] (premiered 11 November 1942 conducted by Hermann Scherchen)[10])
  • No. 9 in F (symphony/suite; five movements) (1949–50)[9][12] (premiered 12 December 1960, conducted by Volkmar Andreae)[10]
  • No. 10 in B♭ (1953, premiered 7 November 1955 conducted by Luc Balmer)[10][11]
  • Symphonic Prologue for Orchestra (3 December 1944)[2]

Concertos[]

  • Piano concerto in A major (1946)
  • Cello Concerto in D minor (1947)[9][10]

String Quartets[]

  • String Quartet in E♭ major (1898)[10]
  • String Quartet in G major (1921)[10]
  • String Quartet in F major (1943)[10]
  • String Quartet in D major (1949)[10]

Sonatas[]

  • Piano and violin sonata in D minor (1906)
  • Piano and violin sonata in D major (1951)
  • Piano and cello sonata (1952)

Other Works[]

  • Piano Quintet in B♭ major (1902)
  • Variations for piano and strings (premiered 13 October 1944)[2]
  • Overture to a Julibee Celebration (May 1950)[2]
  • Orchestra Rhapsody (1958)[2]
  • 3 Lieder (Based on work by Othmar Schoeck)
  • 5 Lieder
  • "Aus dem Buch Hiob" (Translated: "From the book of Job") (1906)[2]
  • Divertimento for piano and strings (1954)[2]

Selected discography[]

  • Fritz Brun. Complete Orchestral Works Brilliant Classics 957845; 11Cds 2003-2015, 1946 (CD11) originally released as individual recordings by the Guild Music label

Sources[]

  • "Guild Music Biography of Fritz Brun". 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  • "Fritz Brun Website". Retrieved June 21, 2012.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Palmer, Peter. "JSTOR - Fritz Brun: A Swiss Symphonist". Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "Fritz Brun - Brilliant Classics" (PDF).
  3. ^ L. Paxton, John (1980). Calender of Creative Man. p. 412.
  4. ^ "Fritz Brun: Complete Orchestral Works".
  5. ^ Hugh Reed, Peter (1993). American Record Guide - Volume 56, Issues 4-6. p. 228.
  6. ^ Bithell, Jethro (2019). Germany: A Companion to German Studies.
  7. ^ Neue Zeitschrift für Musik - 1969 - Volume 78, Part 1 - Page 148 (translated: "In a perfect performance he offered Brahms' song of fate , whose works Fritz Brun always interprets with complete devotion.")
  8. ^ A. Roth, Lee (2016). Ernst Kurth as Theorist and Analyst - Page 18.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Lace, Ian (2004). "Review of Sterling Recording of Brun Symphony 3". MusicWeb International. Retrieved 2009-01-02.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o See Brun Website Worklist (http://www.fritzbrun.ch/e/werkverzeichnis.html )
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b Guild biography page, subpage with description of symphonies 5 and 10.
  12. ^ Guild biography page, Subpage describing symphony 9/Aus dem Buch Hiob recording

External links[]

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