Rezniček, Emil Nikolaus von

Rezniček, Emil Nikolaus von , Austrian conductor, pedagogue, and composer; b. Vienna, May 4, 1860; d. Berlin, Aug. 2, 1945. He studied law at Graz and music with Wilhelm Mayer (W.A. Rémy), and later took a brief course with Reinecke and Jadassohn at the Leipzig Cons. (1884). He was subsequently engaged as a theater conductor in Zürich, Berlin, Mainz, and other cities; was court conductor in Weimar (1896) and Mannheim (1896–99). After a short residence in Wiesbaden, he settled in Berlin, and in 1902 established there a very successful series of concerts for chamber orch., the Orchester-Kammerkonzerte; in 1906 he was appointed prof. at the Scharwenka Cons. in Berlin. He conducted the Warsaw Opera from 1906 to 1909, and then was the conductor of the Komische Oper in Berlin (1909–11); from 1920 to 1926, he taught at the Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. His most successful score was the opera Donna Diana, its overture becoming a popular favorite.

Works

DRAMATIC: Opera : Die Jungfrau von Orleans (Prague, June 19, 1887); Satanella (Prague, May 3, 1888); Emmerich Fortunat (Prague, Nov. 8, 1889); Donna Diana (Prague, Dec. 16, 1894; rev. 1908, 1933); Till Eulenspiegel (Karlsruhe, Jan. 12, 1902); Eros und Psyche (Breslau, 1917); Ritter Blaubart (Darmstadt, Jan. 29, 1920); Holofernes (Berlin, Oct. 27, 1923); Tanzsymphonie (Leipzig, Jan. 13, 1927); Satuala (Leipzig, 1927); Spiel oder Ernst (Dresden, Nov. 11, 1930); Der Gondoliere des Dogen (Stuttgart, Oct. 29, 1931); Das Opfer (1932); Tenor und Bass (Stockholm, 1934). Operetta : Die Angst vor der Ehe (Frankfurt an der Oder, 1914). ORCH. : 4 syms.: No. 1, Tragic (1904), No. 2, Ironie (1905), No. 3 (1918), and No. 4 (1919); Nachstück for Violin or Cello and Orch. (1905); Serenade for Strings (1924); 4 Symphonic Dances (1925); Violin Concerto (Berlin, Feb. 26, 1925); Raskolnikoff, overture (1932). OTHER : Chamber works, including 3 string quartets (1921, 1923, 1932), piano pieces, and organ music; choral music; songs.

Bibliography

O. Taubmann, E.N. v.R. (Leipzig, 1907); M. Chop, E.N. v.R.: Sein Leben und seine Werke (Vienna, 1920); R. Specht, E.N. v.R.: Eine vorläufige Studie (Leipzig, 1923); F. von Rezniček, Gegen den Strom (Vienna, 1960); T. Leibnitz, Österreichische Spätromantiker: Studien zu E.N. v.R., Joseph Marx, Franz Schmidt, und Egon Kornauth (Tutzing, 1986).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire