Anton Urspruch: Piano Concerto in E-flat Major, Op. 9

Anton Urspruch

 

 

 (February 17, 1850 in Frankfurt am Main – January 11, 1907 in Frankfurt am Main)

 German composer and pedagogue who belonged to the late German Romantic era.

 

I. Allegro ma non troppo 0:00
II. Andante lento e mesto 22:11
III. Finale: Allegro 29:00

Oliver Triendl, piano
Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie
George Fritzsch, conductor

Anton Urspruch (February 17, 1850 in Frankfurt am Main – January 11, 1907 in Frankfurt am Main) was a German composer and pedagogue who belonged to the late German Romantic era.

Urspruch was a pupil of Ignaz Lachner and Joachim Raff in Frankfurt, and later one of the favourite students of Franz Liszt in Weimar. His sole piano concerto was dedicated to Raff.

In 1878 he was appointed one of the first teachers at the Hoch Conservatory in Frankfurt when it opened there, teaching piano and composition and had friendly communication with Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms. After the death in 1882 of the Conservatory director Joachim Raff, Urspruch moved to the newly founded Raff-Konservatorium in Frankfurt, where he taught until his death.

In 1883 Urspruch married Emmy Cranz, daughter of the music publisher August Cranz.

In addition to his teaching, he produced a wide variety of compositions from piano solo, solo voice, choir, chamber music up to large orchestral works as well as two operas. Many of his works had successful performances in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne, Leipzig and Frankfurt.

In the last years of his life Urspruch was part of the revival of Gregorian Chant, having contact with the Beuron Archabbey and the cloister at Maria Laach Abbey.

In his lifetime Urspruch was highly recognised internationally as an advocate of the late romantic period. After his early death he was soon forgotten.