Max von Schillings Das Hexenlied & autres œuvres orchestrales Mödl Glass Gerhardt Stulen

When Max von Schillings died in Berlin on 24 July 1933, a very German musician’s life reached its end. Wilhelm Furtwängler, writing in memory of his teacher, who »next to Strauss and Pfitzner« was regarded »as Wagner’s most significant successor and continuator,« accurately described his role when he stated »that he was one of the very few prominent composers of that epoch, also as a German musician conscious of culture and tradition.« This statement perfectly captures the place in music history fated for Schillings, with its strengths and weaknesses. Today the former fame of this late Romanticist born in Düren in 1868 has faded and his music is almost entirely forgotten, and since the 1930s hardly anything has been published about him. Therefore, we are particularly happy once again to rescue his music from oblivion with the present CD – in particular with the Hexenlied (Witch’s Song) op. 15 to a ballad by Ernst von Wildenbruch; premiered in 1902 and presented as an orchestral version in Basel in 1903, this work soon enjoyed great popularity. The Symphonic Prologue to Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex op. 11, A Dialogue for Violin, Cello, and Small Orchestra op. 8, and the Dance of the Flowers also offer rewarding opportunities for occupation with the music of Max von Schillings