Winterberg: Symphony No. 2 / Piano Concerto No. 2

Hans Winterberg is one of the Jewish composers of his generation who survived persecution and National Socialism. Trained in Prague and influenced by the new Czech musical tradition, he himself cited Arnold Schoenberg as one of his points of departure. His music combines Central European impressionism with complex rhythmic structures.

Symphony No. 2 and Piano Concerto No. 2 were created under vastly different life circumstances. Winterberg composed the symphony between 1943 and 1946, during one of the darkest periods of his life. The piano concerto was written just a few years later, between 1949 and 1951, when new artistic prospects opened up for him following his relocation to the young Federal Republic of Germany.

Jonathan Powell takes the solo part in the piano concerto; Roland Kluttig conducts the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz.