ELLY NEY (DÜSSELDORF, 27 SEPTEMBER, 1882 – TUTZING, 31 MARCH, 1968)
She was born in Düsseldorf, where her mother was a music instructor and her father was a registrar. Her grandmother introduced her to the works of Beethoven, and supported her piano playing. She studied at Cologne with Isidor Seiss and Karl Bötcher. After winning the Mendelssohn Scholarship in 1901, she studied in Vienna with Theodor Leschetizky, with whom she only had two lessons, and Emil von Sauer. She taught at the Cologne Conservatory for three years, then became a touring virtuoso. In 1927 she was given the honorary freedom of Beethoven’s birthplace Bonn. In 1932 she founded the Elly Ney Trio with Wilhelm Stross (violin) and Ludwig Hoelscher (cello): in quintets the group recorded with Florizel von Reuter (violin) and Walter Trampler (viola). She traveled to many parts of the world, including the USA, playing in Carnegie Hall in New York City. During the Third Reich she joined the Nazi Party in 1937, participated in “cultural education” camps, and became an honorary member of the League of German Girls. She recited quotations from Hitler between performances of Beethoven sonatas and honored the composer’s bust with a Hitler salute. She held antisemitic views: in 1933, Ney refused to perform in Hamburg after she was asked to replace a Jewish pianist (Rudolf Serkin), although she did record at least one Mendelssohn Song without Words in 1960 or shortly afterward. Ney was awarded the War Merit Cross, 2nd Class for care for troops. After the war, the city of Bonn imposed a stage ban on her. In 1952 a request for lifting the ban was rejected, stating that Ney was a “pronounced National Socialist”. Nevertheless, after finally renouncing Hitler a full seven years after the end of WWII, she was named Honorary Citizen of Tutzing in 1952. However, her Nazism was too embarrassing, and they stripped her of that status after her death in 1968. Elly Ney was married twice; first, in 1911, to the Dutch conductor Willem van Hoogstraten. They had one daughter, Eleonore (1918–2007). They divorced in 1927 and she married Paul Allais, an American coal dealer from Chicago. This marriage didn’t last long, and later on Ney reconciled with van Hoogstraten. Ney died in Tutzing in 1968 aged 85.
TRACKLIST
Piano Concerto No. 15 in B-Flat Major, K. 450- I. Allegro (Mozart)
Piano Concerto No. 15 in B-Flat Major, K. 450- II. Andante (Mozart)
Piano Concerto No. 15 in B-Flat Major, K. 450- III. Allegro (Mozart)
1 October & 21 November 1935
2RA 769-1, 770-2, 771-2, 772-1, 773-1, 774-4 (Electrola DB4435/7)
Rondo in A Minor K. 511 (Mozart) 16 February 1938 2RA 2668-4, 2669-3 (Electrola DB4620)
Piano Concerto No 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 19- I. Allegro con brio (Beethoven)
Piano Concerto No 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 19- II. Adagio (Beethoven)
Piano Concerto No 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 19- III. Rondo. Molto allegro (Beethoven)
23 & 24 November 1937
2RA 2470-1, 2471-2, 2472-2, 2473-2, 2474-2, 2479-2, 2480-1, 2481-1 (Electrola DB4503/6)
Burleske in D Minor, TrV 145 (Strauss) 29 May 1934 2D 2109-2, 2110-2, 2111-2, 2112-2 (Electrola DB44245)
Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-Flat Major, Op. 7- I. Allegro molto e con brio (Beethoven)
Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-Flat Major, Op. 7- II. Largo, con gran espressione (Beethoven)
Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-Flat Major, Op. 7- III. Allegro (Beethoven)
Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-Flat Major, Op. 7- IV. Rondo. Poco allegretto e grazioso (Beethoven)
7 June 1938; matrices 2RA 3020-2, 3021-4, 3022-2, 3023-2, 3024-3, 3025-4, 3026-3 (Electrola DB4582/5)
Andante favori in F Major WoO 57 (Beethoven) 16 February 1938 2RA 2490-3, 2491-6 (Electrola DB4676)
Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13 ‘Pathétique’- II. Adagio cantabile (Beethoven) 28 October 1936 2RA 1561-5 (Electrola DB4460)
6 Variations on ‘Nel cor più non mi sento’ WoO 70 (Beethoven) 23 June 1937 2RA 1267-4 (Electrola DB4479)
Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111- I. Maestoso – Allegro con brio ed appassionato (Beethoven)
Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111- II. Arietta. Adagio molto semplice cantabile (Beethoven)
6 May 1936 & 23 June 1937
2RA 1260-1, 1261-4, 1262-3, 1263-5, 1264-5, 1265-3, 1266-4 (Electrola DB4476/9)
4 Impromptus, Op. 142, D. 935- No. 4 in F Minor (Schubert) 26 February 1934 2D 1972-1 (Electrola DB4432)
6 Moments musicaux, Op. 94, D. 780- No. 4 in C-Sharp Minor. Moderato (Schubert) 26 February 1934 2D 1973-1 (Electrola DB4432)
Kinderszenen Op. 15- No. 1, Von fremden Ländern und Menschen
Kinderszenen Op. 15- No. 2, Kuriose Geschichte
Kinderszenen Op. 15- No. 3, Hasche-Mann
Kinderszenen Op. 15- No. 4, Bittendes Kind
Kinderszenen Op. 15- No. 5, Glückes genug
Kinderszenen Op. 15- No. 6, Wichtige Begebenheit
Kinderszenen Op. 15- No. 7, Träumerei
Kinderszenen Op. 15- No. 8, Am Kamin
Kinderszenen Op. 15- No. 9, Ritter vom Steckenpferd
Kinderszenen Op. 15- No. 10, Fast zu ernst
Kinderszenen Op. 15- No. 11, Fürchtenmachen
Kinderszenen Op. 15- No. 12, Kind im Einschlummern
Kinderszenen Op. 15- No. 13, Der Dichter spricht
3-15 12 March 1937
2RA 1897-3, 1898-1, 1899-2, 1900-1 (Electrola DB4471/2)
Intermezzi, Op. 117- No 1, Andante moderato (Brahms) 26 February 1934 2D 1975-1 (Electrola DB4426)
Klavierstücke, Op.118 No. 5, Romance. Andante (Brahms) 20 September 1937 0RA 2288-1 (Electrola DA4438)
Klavierstücke, Op.119- No. 4, Rhapsody. Allegro risoluto (Brahms) 26 February 1934 2D 1974-3 (Electrola DB4426)
Klavierstücke, Op. 76- No. 3, Intermezzo. Grazioso (Brahms) 20 September 1937 0RA 2289-3 (Electrola DA4438)
16 Waltzes, Op. 39- No. 15 (Brahms) 20 September 1937 0RA 2289-3 (Electrola DA4438)
No comments:
Post a Comment