5. Wilhelm Kienzl (1857-1941)
My last lesser known composer, Wilhelm Kienzl was born in Waizenkirchen in Upper Austria but was brought up in Graz, where he studied music. He was an admirer of Schumann and for a time part of Wagner's circle of friends, until they fell out over an argument about Schumann. He wrote very few chamber works (three string quartets and a piano trio), a lot of songs, some piano pieces, but I think ten operas and this is where his fame came from. He is known for writing the National Anthem of the 1st Austrian Republic and a single opera, Der Evangelimann which was premiered in 1895 by Carl Muck at the Berlin Court Opera. Kienzl wrote the libretto himself. It was adapted from a book of police stories (From The Papers Of A Police Inspector) of 1892 by L F Meisner.
The piece I've chosen is from Der Evangelimann because although his other works should, IMHO, be heard more often, this opera really kicks musical butt. It illustrates that just because a composer may not be well known, it doesn't mean to say that they are no good. That maybe something you may not normally listen to, as is the case with me in this instance, can appeal andthis really works for me. Prepare to bathe in the gorgeous melodies at the end of this duet from this sometimes quirky opera.
A couple of other operas:
Le Roi Arthus by the wonderful Ernest Chausson
Palestrina by Hans Pfitzner
The Bride of Messina by Zdenek Fibich
I hope that you liked some of my listening suggestions and that you might investigate some of the more lower magnitude stars among the firmament of great composers. Thank you for your attention! - David Pulsford, @lesser-known-composers
