German Composer Max Bruch was Born in 1838

Bruch's concertos for violin, viola, and cello have maintained their popularity to this day

 

Max Bruch composed over 200 works, including two violin concertos, the "Scottish Fantasy" for Violin and Orchestra, "Romance" for Viola and Orchestra, and "Kol Nidrei" for Cello and Orchestra.

Born on January 6, 1838, in Cologne, Bruch studied composition with Heinrich Breidenstein and Ferdinand Hiller. Greatly influenced by the works of Mendelssohn and Schumann, his first symphony received its premiere when he was just 14 years old.

Bruch enjoyed a fruitful professional career, with his works being performed throughout Europe and America. He is best known for his violin and cello concertos, and his secular oratorios.

Throughout his life, he also found an important source of his music in folk songs, on which many of his melodies are based.

Later in life, he was involved with the Liverpool Philharmonic Society from 1880 to 1883, and served as a teacher at the Royal Academy of Arts in Berlin from 1892, where Vaughan Williams was among his pupils. He retired from his post in 1911. Bruch died on October 2, 1920, in Berlin.

 

MAX BRUCH | VIOLIN CONCERTO NO. 1 IN G MINOR | ITZHAK PERLMAN | TOKYO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA | 1991