The Songs of Max Kowalski
Live Concert - Free by Registration
Wednesday, November 1, 2023 at 7:30 PM
Center for Jewish History | 15 West 16th Street | New York City
Max Kowalski (1882 - 1956)
Composer, singer and teacher, Kowalski was briefly imprisoned in the Buchenwald concentration camp in 1938, as part of an effort by the Nazis to force Jews to leave Germany, so they could confiscate their property.
He then immigrated to London with his daughter, after his wife’s earlier imprisonment in various camps in 1937 and 1938, and her eventual suicide. Kowalski wrote many lieder, some of which was published by a major publisher, Universal, before his flight from Germany.
Reflecting on his own work as an artist Kowalski once observed ,“I am not concerned with any kind of ‘principles.’ I am an arch-romantic and rely wholly on feeling.” And then in a turn to Goethe’s Faust, “Feeling is all!”
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Noted interpreters of German art songs, Wolfgang Holzmair and Thérèse Lindquist received exceptional reviews (see below) for
their recording of Kowalski’s lieder on Bridge Records.
their recording of Kowalski’s lieder on Bridge Records.
“Holzmair sings it all with an immaculate style that admirable fuses sound and sense...Thérèse Lundquist tackles the accompaniments, some of them almost Lisztian in their complexity, with terrific aplomb.” - Gramophone
"Holzmair delivers all the music with great commitment, taking infinite care to put across the exact sentiment and mood of each poem.” - BBC Music Magazine
“Wolfgang Holzmair has a warm, rich baritone that seems well-suited to the repertoire. Kowalski was an intuitive melodist, and Holzmair’s fluid delivery retains some of the spontaneous nature of the music. Highly recommended for aficionados of lieder.” - Finding Beauty in Ephemera
"Holzmair delivers all the music with great commitment, taking infinite care to put across the exact sentiment and mood of each poem.” - BBC Music Magazine
“Wolfgang Holzmair has a warm, rich baritone that seems well-suited to the repertoire. Kowalski was an intuitive melodist, and Holzmair’s fluid delivery retains some of the spontaneous nature of the music. Highly recommended for aficionados of lieder.” - Finding Beauty in Ephemera
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VOLUME 23
American Society for Jewish Music / Center for Jewish History / 15 West 16th Street / New York, NY 10011
Tel: 212-874-3990 / Fax: (212) 874-8605 / [email protected]
Tel: 212-874-3990 / Fax: (212) 874-8605 / [email protected]
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Site last updated April 13, 2023
Site last updated April 13, 2023