A Friendship in Sonats:
Erich W. Korngold & Erich Zeisl
The Vienna-based violinist Johannes Fleischmann is about to release a recording of the Violin Sonata by the last “child-prodigy” Erich Wolfgang Korngold, combined with the rarely heard Brandeis Sonata by Korngold’s close friend Erich Zeisl. As part of the US pre-release tour, the performance by Johannes Fleischmann and the Swedish pianist Oscar Micaelsson was presented at the Austrian Cultural Forum Washington. During the concert, a short documentary had been shown, featuring testimonies by prominent family members including Barbara Zeisl-Schoenberg, Erich Zeisl’s daughter.
The rise of National Socialism forced both Korngold and Zeisl to flee from Austria because of their Jewish faith, and to settle in California. Their paths, however, were quite different. Korngold celebrated his classical works and his revolutionary successes in American film music. He also received two Academy Awards (Oscars) for his compositions “Anthony Advers” and “The Adventures of Robin Hood”. In comparison, it was a more difficult road for Erich Zeisl. Thanks to the intervention of Hanns Eisler and Hans Kafka, he was able to land various jobs as a composer in Hollywood, but he never had the kind of success like Korngold.
PROGRAM
Erich W. Korngold
‘Margit’ from ‘Four little cheerful waltzes’ (~4 min.)
Erich W. Korngold
‚Violinsonata, op. 6’ (~40 min.)
Intermission: ‘THE IDEA BEHIND’ (~8 min.)
Short movie about Korngold & Zeisl and the idea behind recording their works
Erich Zeisl
‘Brandeis Sonata’ (~27 min.)
When: Thursday, June 27, 2019 | 7:30 pm
Where: Austrian Cultural Forum Washington/Embassy of Austria
3524 International Court, NW, Washington, DC 20008
Ticket: Free admission, registration obligatory
Parking on International Court is available after 6:30 pm (for the duration of the event) or on 36th Street; access to the Embassy through the park behind the building.
A registration is not a guarantee of a seat as these are assigned on a first-come first-served basis. Doors close at event start-time.
JOHANNES FLEISCHMANN | violin
‘THE VIENNESE VIOLINIST’
Born into a musical family in Vienna, the violinist Johannes Fleischmann received his first instrumental foundations at the age of 5. After graduating at the Viennese Musikgymnasium he founded the „o(h)!-ton Ensemble, Wien“ in 2003. The same year, he began his studies at the University of Music and the Performing Arts Vienna, in the classes of Klaus Maetzl and Christian Altenburger and graduated in 2011 with distinction. Johannes received scholarships of the „Angelika-Prokopp- Foundation of the „Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra“ and the „Tokyo Foundation“. Johannes Fleischmann continued his studies with Johannes Meissl and Hatto Beyerle specializing in chamber music. Furthermore, he has attended multiple masterclasses by Erich Höbarth, Rainer Honeck, András Keller, Peter Nagy, Ruggiero Ricci, András Schiff and Dora Schwarzberg. In May 2009, Johannes Fleischmann made his solo debut of the Brahms Violin Concerto at the Wiener Konzerthaus.
OSCAR MICAELSSON | piano
‘WHIRLWIND FROM THE NORTH’
Born in Gothenburg 1990 in Sweden, Oscar Micaelsson first studied piano with Kerstin Jansson in Sweden. Afterwards he studied under Niklas Sivelöv and Søren Rastogi at the Royal Danish Academy of Music and under his present mentor Deborah Wood at the Royal Theater of Copenhagen. In 2014 he was awarded the Léonie Sonning grant for young upcoming artists in Denmark, which enabled him to do post-gradual studies under Jay Gottlieb in Paris between 2012 and 2015. Around the same time he was awarded Artist of the Year, an Artist in Residence in the region of Southern Sweden that allowed him to pursue further private studies in improvisation in New York. He has participated in important masterclasses under Ferenc Rados, Boris Berman, Andrzej Jasinski and Luiz de Moura Castro during his studies. Besides his classical career he enjoys jazz and improvisation and has been invited to perform improvised recitals in classical, contemporary and jazz styles in the US and Europe. He is also a composer and writer, currently working on a book about improvisation and jazz for classically trained musicians and he has also received several dedications of piano works. He has performed in many major concert halls in Germany, Austria, Denmark, Sweden and other countries.
DOCUMENTARY | THE IDEA BEHIND
Violin: Johannes Fleischmann, Piano: Magda Amara
Idea & Concept: Johannes Fleischmann / Production: VeniVidiMovie
Direction: Roland Pfannhauser
Camera: Johannes Fleischmann & Leo Ihrybauer
Cut: Leo Ihrybauer / Coordination: Esther Pruckner
Special thanks to John Ross Group