Prague, 8 June 1894 - Wülzburg, 18 August 1942
"Art in itself is the expression of heightened human longing, the artwork as such the explosion of heightened feeling. Absolute art is revolution."
Ervín (Erwin) Schulhoff
Ervín Schulhoff was a dazzling composer working between Dadaism and twelve-tone technique, between jazz and Czech tradition. Subtly balancing humour and tragedy, he was a bridge-builder between styles. He also wrote political music, including the "Communist Manifesto" for choir and orchestra. As a Jewish and communist artist, Schulhoff was persecuted by the National Socialists. He died in a concentration camp near Dachau and was forgotten for a long time. Today his imaginative and rich piano and chamber music is frequently heard in concerts again.
Check out the PIANOVERSAL listening tips with music by Ervín Schulhoff.
PIANOVERSAL listening tips: Ervín Schulhoff
Erwin Schulhoff - Partita (1920)
Schulhoff plays Schulhoff (!)
The recording quality is poor, but this is probably the only surviving recording by Schulhoff himself.
youtube_schulhoff_plays_schulhoff_partita
Concerto for Piano and Small Orchestra op. 43 (1923)
Cristina ORTIZ, piano; Larry FOSTER, conductor; The Czech Philharmonic
Prague Rudolfinum, Prague, Czech Republic January, 2004
I. Molto sostenuto - Alla marcia maestoso
II. Sostenuto - Allegro alla Jazz - Subito sostenuto, ma alla breve
III. Alla zingaresca - Tempo 1 (Allegro molto)
Hot-Sonate (1930)
Saxophone - Leo van Oostrom
Piano - Gerard Bouwhuis
youtube_Schulhoff_Hot-Sonate_sax-pf
Stimmungsbilder Op. 12
I. Singing Violins Over the Lake
II. Close Your Eyes
III. Do You Know
Magdalena Kozená, mezzo-soprano
Christoph Henschel, violin
Malcolm Martineau, piano
youtube_songs_op.12_Schulhoff
Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2
Boris Brovtsin, violin
Eldar Nebolsin, piano
spotify_sonata2_schulhoff_violon_piano
Schulhoff's works with piano are listed in the PIANOVERSALRegister.
Ervín (Erwin) Schulhoff: Composer of the Week No. 8 / February 2018