Hamburg 1903 - London 1996

It is said that Berthold Goldschmidt once remarked that he had been banned twice:  once by the Nazis and later by the BBC.  Despite having achieved critical success and respect within the German musical community Goldschmidt’s path on immigration to England was far from easy.

Born to a music-loving family, Goldschmidt’s musical talent as a pianist and composer was nurtured from an early age.  In 1922 he commenced his studies with Schreker in Berlin, in 1925 he won the prestigious Mendelssohn Prize. Both Kleiber and Klemperer  were interested in staging the winning work which brought Goldschmit to forefront of German musical consciousness.  He collaborated closely with Kleiber at the Berlin Opera, most famously on the premiere of Berg’s Wozzeck, and later transferred to Darmstadt.

The premiere of his first opera “Der Gewaltige Hahrnrei” in Mannheim in 1932 was both a critical and popular success and a further production was planned for Berlin thus ensuring his position as a leading contemporary composer.

This success was shortlived, however, for only a year later he was forced to resign his position in the opera and his compositions were banned.  It was after a particularly horrifying interrogation by the Gestapo that Goldschmidt took the opportunity to emigrate.

Goldschmidt found it difficult to find work in London in the 1930’s and he survived through teaching.  He later worked for the BBC during the war years, compiling music programmes to be broadcast in Europe and then, for the German Service.  He replaed George Szell at short notice at the Edinburgh Festival in 1947 and subsequently resurrected his conducting career, receiving engagements with many of London’s major orchestras, including the premiere of Mahler’s 10^th Symphony in the version he completed together with Deryck Cooke.

His own compositions, however, remained neglected. His opera “Beatrice Cenci” won the composition prize at the Festival of Britain;  Covent Garden, however, refused to stage the work. In 1959 it became clear that Goldschmidt’s musical style was at odds with the prevailing trends towards atonality and experimental music and he stopped composing.

There was a rediscovery and resurgence of interest in his music in 1983, led initially by Trinity College, London and further championed by Sir Simon Rattle to whom Goldschmidt was mentor, and a renaissance of his music flourished throughout the decade leading to the Berlin Premiere of “Der Gewaltige Hahrei” 61 years after it had been originally scheduled, and the London premiere of “Beatrice Cenci”.  More significantly, Goldschmidt resumed composing and his creative discipline and fervour lasted until his death in 1996.