Rudi Stephan (1887-1915)

[Louis]

Rudi Stephan was a promising young German late romantic composer who got killed in WW1.

His few works include orchestral pieces such as "Music for Orchestra 1912" which was recently performed by Petrenko with the Berliner Philharmoniker.

But his main work is his opera "Die ersten Menschen" (Libretto is a symbolist play by a forgotten playwright named Otto Borngräber). Opera Frankfurt performed it recently and it got brilliant reviews.

His influences are usually named Strauss, Wagner, Debussy, Schönberg but without sounding ecclectic rather he managed to come up with his own musical style.

Imo it's weird that people online are generally interested in obscure late romantic German composers like Richard Wetz or Othmar Schoeck but never in Rudi Stephan.

[Luke]

Rudi Stephan was a promising young German late romantic composer who got killed in WW1.

His few works include orchestral pieces such as "Music for Orchestra 1912" which was recently performed by Petrenko with the Berliner Philharmoniker.

But his main work is his opera "Die ersten Menschen" (Libretto is a symbolist play by a forgotten playwright named Otto Borngräber). Opera Frankfurt performed it recently and it got brilliant reviews.

His influences are usually named Strauss, Wagner, Debussy, Schönberg but without sounding ecclectic rather he managed to come up with his own musical style.

Imo it's weird that people online are generally interested in obscure late romantic German composers like Richard Wetz or Othmar Schoeck but never in Rudi Stephan.

Well I've long been mpressed with Stephan, got a number of discs and certainly agree with you about him. I'd take slight issue with calling Schoeck obscure or German as he's neither, the first IMO (he's the last major lied composer, I think, and as such a significant composer and one with a fascinating style all his own) and the second as a matter of fact (he's Swiss). But Stephan is great.

[david johnson]

I have a recording of Stephan music.  A former student recommended it to me.

[Cato]

I found this work: