Credits:

Ulf Schirmer

Description:

The composer Hartmann was extremely popular in Europe, and many of his new works were continuously premiered by renowned musicians even during his lifetime. His popularity did not wane even after his death; at a concert held in 2005 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Hartmanns birth, the chamber opera *The Youth of Simplicius Simplicissimus* was performed in concert form and was met with great acclaim. Although Hartmann called this work an opera, it is actually a satirical piece that emphasizes spoken dialogue rather than singing. The original version was composed between 1934 and 1936 at the suggestion of Hermann Scherchen, but when it was revised in 195556, it underwent a transformation into a more complex work, influenced by Stravinsky and World War II. For this performance, Wolf Schirmer assembled a lineup of top soloists, including Gerhrhel, and featured the equally popular vocal ense