From his birth in a town near Frankfurt through his time in Egypt, Turkey, and eventual emigration to America, Paul Hindemith had a lasting impact on the music of the 20th century. Bill follows his journey from an avant-garde composer, to his works being outlawed by the Nazi Party. He encouraged amateur musicians and developed a style both neoclassical and heavily contrapuntal. He never let a setback get in his way: the year after Nazi Germany banned his music (1937), Hindemith released one of his masterpieces, Mathis der Maler (Matthias the Painter). Witness the progression through Hindemith’s early pieces, into his now signature style combining the tonal experimentation of Arnold Schoenberg with the strict counterpoint of JS Bach.
Hindemith, Paul (1895-1963)
Playlist
Episode 1
Hindemith, Paul: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 2 I. Sehr lebhaft III. Scherzo. Sehr lebhaft
Juilliard String Quartet
Streichquartette Nr. 1 C-Dur, Op. 2 / Nr. 4, Op. 22 / Nr. 7 In Es
Wergo 6622
1:01
Raff, Joseph Joachim: Cavatina, Op. 85, No. 3 (excerpt)
Josef Suk, violin; Josef Hala, piano
Slovanské Tance
Supraphon 840
1:45
Strauss, Richard: Till Eulenspiegel Einmal Anders! (excerpt)
Chicago Pro Musica
Facade
Reference Recordings 16
:53
Strauss, Richard: Ein Heldenleben, Op. 40 – Der Held (excerpt)
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Karajan
Ein Heldenleben
DG 415508
:34
Hindemith, Paul: 3 Stücke für Violoncello und Klavier, Op. 8 1. Capriccio 2. Phantasiestück
Pieter Wispelwey, violin cello; Paolo Giacometti, piano
Cello Concerto, Pieces for Cello and Piano
Channel Cl 11097
13:29
Hindemith, Paul: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 2 I. Sehr lebhaft III. Scherzo. Sehr lebhaft
Juilliard String Quartet
Streichquartette Nr. 1 C-Dur, Op. 2 / Nr. 4, Op. 22 / Nr. 7 In Es
Wergo 6622
16:19
Debussy, Claude: String Quartet (excerpt)
Juilliard String Quartet
Debussy/Ravel String Quartets
RCA 2036
00:20
Hindemith, Paul: Violin Sonata, Op. 11/1 in E-Flat, II.
Gidon Kremer, violin; Andrei Gavrilov, piano
Weber, Schumann, Hindemith, Schnittke – Violin Works –
Gidon Kremer, Andrei Gavrilov, Ricardo Muti
EMI 69334
5:47
Hindemith, Paul: Tanzstücke, I & II
Hans Petermandl, piano
HINDEMITH: Piano Works, Vol. 1
Marco Polo 8.223335
4:43
Hindemith, Paul: Sonata for Viola & Piano, Op. 11, No. 4 I. Phantasie
Kim Kashkashian, viola; Robert Levin, piano
Sonatas for Viola / Piano and Viola Alone
ECM 833309
3:37
Hindemith, Paul: Sonata for Viola & Piano, Op. 11, No. 4 I. Phantasie (excerpt)
Kim Kashkashian, viola; Robert Levin, piano
Sonatas for Viola / Piano and Viola Alone
ECM 833309
1:00
Episode 2
Hindemith, Paul: Kleine Kammermusik (excerpt)
Ensemble Wien-Berlin
Kleine Kammermusik • Sonaten
Sony 64400
00:39
Hindemith, Paul: Suite Fur Klavier
I. Marsch
II. Shimmy
III. Nachtstuck
Hans Petermandl, piano
HINDEMITH: Piano Works, Vol. 1
Naxos 8.223335
10:07
Hindemith, Paul: Kleine Kammermusik
Ensemble Wien-Berlin
Kleine Kammermusik • Sonaten
Sony 64400
13:01
Hindemith, Paul: Der Dämon, Op. 28 Tanz Des Dämons
Tanz Der Bunten Bänder, Tanz Der Geängstigten Schwalbe
Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra/Lothar Zagrosek
Tanz Grotesk
London 444182
7:07
Hindemith, Paul: Scherzo for Viola and Cello
Paul Hindemith, viola; Emanuel Feuermann, violoncello
Nobilissima Visione / Symphonia Serena / Konzertmusik /
Clarinet & Horn Concertos / Chamber Music
EMI 55032
3:26
Hindemith, Paul: Kammermusik, Op. 24, No. 1
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Claudio Abbado
Hindemith: Kammermusik
EMI 678411
14:10
Hindemith, Paul: Kleine Kammermusik (excerpt)
Ensemble Wien-Berlin
Kleine Kammermusik • Sonaten
Sony 64400
1:20
Episode 3
Hindemith, Paul: Symphony “Mathis der Maler” 1. Engelkonzert (excerpt)
Dresden Philharmonic/Kegel
Paul Hindemith: Mathis der Maler; Konzert für Trompete,
Fagott und Streichorchester; Nobilissima Visione
Berlin Classics 0090542
00:30
Hindemith, Paul: Morgenmusik from Plöner Musiktag I. Mäßig bewegt II. Lied III. Bewegt
Summit Brass
Hindemith: Complete Brass Works – Summit Brass
Summit 115
4:51
Hindemith, Paul: Das Marienleben, Op. 27 “Geburt Mariae” “Pietà”
Roxolana Roslak, soprano; Glenn Gould, piano
Hindemith: Das Marienleben for Soprano & Piano, Op. 27
Sony 52674
7:50
Hindemith, Paul: Concerto for Orchestra, Op. 38 I. MitKraft, mässig schnelle Viertel
III. Marsch für Holzbläser. Nicht zu langsame Viertel
Chicago SymphonyOrchestra/Neeme Järvi
Schmidt: Symphony No. 3 & Hindemith: Concerto for Orchestra
Chandos 9000
7:23
Hindemith, Paul: Konzertmusik For Brass & Strings, Op. 50, II.
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra/Herbert Blomstedt
Nobilissima Visione / Der Schwanendreher / Konzertmusik
Lon 433809
8:34
Hindemith, Paul: Piano Sonata #1, The River Main, I.
Glenn Gould, piano
The 3 Piano Sonatas
Sony 52670
3:24
Hindemith, Paul: Der Schwanendreher, III
Arthur Fiedler Orchestra/Arthur Fiedler; Paul Hindemith, viola
Hindemith plays Hindemith: Der Schwanendreher / Trauermusik /. Sonata for Piano 4 hands / Sonata No. 3 for Viola and Piano
RCA 62571
2:41
Hindemith, Paul: Mathis Der Maler “Sonniges Land. Mildes Drängen Schon Nahen Sommers”
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra/Kubelik; Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone
Mathis Der Maler
EMI 40740
3:30
Hindemith, Paul: Symphony “Mathis der Maler” 1. Engelkonzert
Dresden Philharmonic/ Kegel
Paul Hindemith: Mathis der Maler; Konzert für Trompete,
Fagott und Streichorchester; Nobilissima Visione
Berlin Classics 0090542
8:23
Episode 4
Hindemith, Paul: “Mathis der Maler” Symphony
II. Grablegung
III. Versuchung
Dresden Philharmonic/Kegel
Paul Hindemith: Mathis der Maler; Konzert für Trompete,
Fagott und Streichorchester; Nobilissima Visione
Berlin 0090542
18:55
Hindemith, Paul: Trauermusik
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra/Herbert Blomstedt; Walther, viola
Mathis Der Maler • Symphonic Metamorphosis • Trauermusik
Decca 421523
8:39
Hindemith, Paul: Nobilissima Visione, I
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra/Herbert Blomstedt
Nobilissima Visione / Der Schwanendreher / Konzertmusik Op. 50
Decca 433809
7:22
Hindemith, Paul: Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber, II, IV
LSO/Abbado
Sinfonietta / Symphonic Metamorphoses / Chout
Decca 470264
12:12
Episode 5
Hindemith, Paul: 2. Arioso, In the Swamp (excerpt)
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra/Robert Shaw; William Stone, baritone,
Jan de Gaetani, mezzo soprano
When Lilacs Last In The Dooryard Bloom’d
Telarc 80132
00:59
Hindemith, Paul: When Lilacs Last in The Dooryard Bloom’d, A Requiem for Those We Love
1. Prelude
2. Arioso, In the Swamp
3. March, Over the Breast Of Spring
4. O Western Orb 5. Arioso, Sing On, There in The Swamp
11. Finale: Passing the Visions
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra/Robert Shaw; William Stone, baritone,
Jan de Gaetani, mezzo soprano
When Lilacs Last In The Dooryard Bloom’d
Telarc 80132
29:28
Hindemith, Paul: Ludus Tonalis: Praeludium
Sviatoslav Richter, piano
Sonata Nº2 And Ludus Tonalis
Pyramid 13497
4:35
Hindemith, Paul: “Die Harmonie Der Welt” Symphony
Musica Humana
Dresden Philharmonic/Herbert Kegel
Paul Hindemith: Mathis der Maler; Konzert für Trompete,
Fagott und Streichorchester; Nobilissima Visione
Berlin 0090542
9:58
Hindemith, Paul: Sonata for Alto Horn in E Flat & Piano
Ruhig Bewegt
Lawrence Strieby, horn; Theodor Lichtmann, piano
Hindemith: Complete Brass Works – Summit Brass
Summit Records 115
1:42
Hindemith, Paul: Sonata for Tuba & Piano, I.
Gene Pokorny, tuba Theodor Lichtmann, piano
Hindemith: Complete Brass Works – Summit Brass
Summit Records 115
3:25