Swiss Composers 4

swissmusic

Swiss music between late romantic and neo-baroque. A portrait of composers Paul Juon, Ernest Bloch and Hans Huber. Interpretations by cellist Esther Nyffenegger and pianist Desmond Wright.

Paul Juon (1872-1940)

Paul Juon was born in Moscow and received his musical training there and in Berlin. He remained true to Russian, Scandinavian and German influences throughout his life, particularly Brahms, Tchaikovsky and Sibelius.

Ernest Bloch (1880-1959)

Ernest Bloch, a native of Geneva, emigrated to America in 1916, becoming the founder and leading exponent of a specifically Jewish style of music. Late in his life Bloch returned to the simplicity of Baroque models in predominantly linear compositions.

Hans Huber (1852-1921)

Hans Huber held fast to the German romantic tradition of Schumann and Brahms throughout his life, but the Sonata no.4, op.130, also incorporates elements of Reger’s chromatic style.

Esther Nyffenegger

Born in Zurich, Esther Nyffenegger studied cello in Winterthur and Zurich and received her Concert diploma in 1960.

From 1962 to 1972 she taught at the conservatories in Winterthur and Lucerne. She has been a free-lance musician since 1972. From 1983 until 1986 Esther Nyffenegger was guest professor at the Tokyo National University for Fine Arts and Music. She has taught cello at the Neuburg/Donau Summer Academy for a number of years and now currently teaches at the Zurich Conservatory.

Desmond Wright

After solo appearances with South African symphony orchestras at an early age, Desmond Wright studied piano at the Royal College of Music in London, and later with Dame Myra Hess. From 1972-1977 Wright taught at the Hochschule Mozarteum in Salzburg. Desmond Wright now teaches at the Berne Conservatory.

Production information

Swiss Composers 4. E. Nyffenegger / D. Wright (1997). Musica Helvetica MH CD 98.2. Executive producer for SRI: Christian Strickler.