The Composer

Egon Wellesz – a classical of the modern age

Had there been a survey in March 1938 in Austria asking who were among the most important composers in our country, the name of Egon Wellesz would soon have been mentioned. After the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra had performed the symphonic suite Prosperos Beschwörungen (Prospero’s Invocation) under the direction of Bruno Walter, more performances (again under Bruno Walter) from the Amsterdam "Concertgebouw-orkest" (as it was called then) were expected on March, 13th (Amsterdam) and 16th (Rotterdam). Two years previously, the Philharmonic Orchestra (directed by Felix Weingartner) included Wellesz’ „symphonic tone poem“