Ignatz Waghalter
(1881-1949) www.waghalter.com was born in Warsaw into a musical yet poor
Jewish family. Ignatz’s eldest brother,
Henryk, became one of the most important cellists at the Warsaw Conservatory
with two other brothers, Joseph and Wladyslaw, achieving prominence as
musicians.
Waghalter displayed musical talents at an early age, performing
publicly in local music halls, the circus and for wealthy Polish aristocratic
and bourgeois families when he was only six years old. At the age of seventeen Waghalter
travelled to Berlin where, after a brief period of study with the composer
Philipp Scharwenka, he met the great violinist Joseph Joachim who helped him
gain admittance to the Academy of Art in Berlin where he studied under Friedrich
Gernsheim (1839-1916).
Waghalter’s compositional abilities soon became clear with
Joachim giving high praise to his early String
Quartet in D major and his Sonata for
Violin and Piano receiving the Mendelssohn Prize. Other works from this
period were a Violin Concerto, a Rhapsody for Violin and several song
cycles.
In 1907 Waghalter secured a post as conductor at the
Komische Oper in Berlin, assisting Arthur Nikisch This was followed by a brief
tenure at the Stadttheater in Essen before the appointment as principal
conductor at the new Deutsche Opernhaus in Berlin established his position as a
major figure in German music. Three of Waghalter’s own operas received their
premier at the Deutsche Opernhaus.
Waghalter spent some time in the USA in the 1920s where he
became musical director of the New York State Symphony for a season before
returning to Germany, where he accepted the position of Generalmusikmeister of the
film company UFA.
During this time he composed the film score for Hann Walter
Kornblum's Wunder der Schöpfung. He
also composed several operettas and appeared as a guest conductor. Waghalter
was later appointed musical director at the National Opera in Riga, Latvia but,
after his return to Berlin his position under the Nazi regime became increasingly
difficult forcing him into exile in 1934. After moving to Czechoslovakia, then
Austria, Waghalter and his wife fled to the United States.
After his arrival in New York, Waghalter established a
classical orchestra of African-American musicians. However, funding was
difficult and the project could not be sustained. He occasionally appeared as a
guest conductor but died in relative obscurity in New York at the age of sixty
eight.
Naxos www.naxos.com issued
a recording of Waghalter’s Violin
Concerto, Rhapsodie, Violin Sonata, Idyll and Geständnis with
the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Alexander Walker with Irmina
Trynkos (violin) and Giorgi Latsabidze in 2012 (piano) (8.572809).
Now from Naxos www.naxos.com comes a new release with the New Russia State Symphony Orchestra www.nros.ru/nros conducted by Alexander Walker www.alexanderwalker.org featuring Waghalter’s New World Suite, the Overture
and Intermezzo from his second opera Mandragola
and Masaryk’s Peace March. All are
listed as world premiere recordings.
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| 8.573338 |
Waghalter’s comic opera Mandragola
(1914) is based on a satirical play by Italian Renaissance philosopher
Niccolò Machiavelli. Its successful Berlin premiere was attended by Richard
Strauss, Ferrucio Busoni and Engelbert Humperdinck. The Overture: Allegro moderato, fliessend
opens with a burst of energy before moving quickly forward in a buoyant theme.
There are some textural and harmonic subtleties when the music calms but
overall this is music of light-hearted joy. The Intermezzo: Allegretto grazioso brings a rather pastoral feel with
a lovely cor anglais contribution before a clarinet shares the melody over
punctuated strings. There is some distinctive orchestration, particularly in
the use of brass, with some lovely instrumental touches.
Waghalter had already met such prominent American composers
as Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern and George Gershwin during his earlier visit to
the USA. These influences most certainly found their way into his New World Suite (reconstructed by Alexander
Walker) (1939/2013) where he includes jazz, vaudeville and cabaret elements.
In ten movements Intrada:
Allegretto moderato, fliessend has a lively rhythmic opening, again with
some attractive instrumental contributions, before moving through some lovely
and, indeed, very American sounding passages. A piano can be heard as a
syncopated rhythm appears before the end. In the Intermezzo: Moderato pizzicato strings herald another rhythmic
section with brass and woodwind weaving an attractive melody.
The strings bring a flowing melody to Hymn and Variations: Moderato assai before a cor anglais adds its
texture. Other woodwind combine to take the melody as does the piano before
developing into another rhythmic theme for strings over which the woodwind
bring flourishes. With the Promenade:
Allegro vivo a string rhythm jogs along, over which brass bring the melody,
before it is shared around the orchestra. Again there are many attractive
details for various instruments including the piano.
Horns open the Idyll
and Hornpipe: Andantino before strings join and the melody moves ahead with
a muted trumpet and cor anglais taking the theme. There is a staccato string
passage with piano before a slow, broader version appears. The tempo picks up with
a rhythmic trumpet theme to which the rest of the orchestra join sounding
almost like Gilbert and Sullivan operetta such is its light hearted rhythmic,
forward moving nature. The Pastorale:
Larghetto opens in a rather serious vein but soon lightens as the orchestra
weaves around the theme. A cornet brings a lighter, more buoyant theme before
moments of thoughtfulness and melancholy contrast with lighter sounds of the
brass.
Waghalter brings the same distinctive brass and woodwind
sounds to the City Dance: Tempo comodo as
the music quickly moves through a number of variations until the strings take
the music forward to a rich coda. Vaudeville:
Allegro vivo launches a fast moving, rhythmic theme, full of light and
jolly instrumental details.
Berceuse: Andante con
moto brings a mellow, flowing theme with piano accompaniment that is soon
shared by various instruments. Waghalter brings some attractive orchestral
textures in this lovely piece, light yes, but very attractive. A trumpet brings
a very American sound to the Finale:
Allegro. Waghalter appears to have perfectly
assimilated the American popular sound in this lively piece, ranging from
rhythmic to flowing with an important piano part before a grand orchestral
coda.
Masaryk’s Peace March
(1935) was written after Waghalter had fled to Czechoslovakia and was
commissioned for the official celebrations of the occasion of the retirement of
1st President of Czechoslovakia, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk (1850-1937), an opponent
of Fascism. At over ten minutes it is a substantial, very fine occasional piece
that shows Waghalter’s talent for providing a longer, more varied work that,
nevertheless, is kept within the confines of a rousing march. A really
enjoyable piece.
The CD booklet speaks of Waghalter’s desire to write
approachable, lively music. That is exactly what is to be found on this new
disc. Alexander Walker and the New
Russia State Symphony Orchestra provide very fine performances and are nicely
recorded. Music in a lighter vein this may be but it is thoroughly enjoyable.
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