Yet another Swiss rarity this weekend. This time the Piano Concerto Number One of Gaston Brenta featuring pianist Naum Sluszny and the Radio Orchestra of Beromünster conducted by Daniel Sternefeld. It was recorded in the studios of Radio Zurich on May 27, 1962.
A little background on the artists as well as the composer:
Gaston Brenta was born in Brussels, June 10, 1902; died. there, May 30, 1969. He studied theory with Gilson; in 1925 he and 7 other pupils of Gilson formed the Belgian Groupe des Synthétistes, advocating a more modern approach to composition. From 1931 he was associated with the Belgian Radio; from 1953 to 1967 he was music director of the French Services there. His music follows the traditions of cosmopolitan Romanticism, with exotic undertones.
Naum Sluszny (1914–1979), a student of Stefan Askenaze, became an internationally renowned pianist after WWII, performing solo and in chamber groups across Europe. He teamed up with violinist Carlo Van Neste in a duo and played in the Queen Elisabeth Trio with Van Neste and cellist Eric Felbusch.
Conductor Daniel Sternefeld took private lessons with Renaat Veremans and Paul Gilson at the Royal Conservatory of Flanders in Antwerp, after which he studied conducting under Frank van der Stucken. He completed his studies at the Mozarteum in Salzburg with Bernard Paumgartner, Clemens Krauss and Herbert von Karajan. In 1942, he risked his life by attending the funeral of his teacher Paul Gilson in Brussels.
In 1938, he was appointed principal conductor of the Royal Flemish Opera. During the occupation Sternefeld, an ethnic Jew, was forced into hiding in Antwerp. He was arrested in late 1943 and incarcerated in the Dossinkazerne in Mechelen.
He stayed several months in this Sammellager but was released. It was during this period that Daniel Sternefeld wrote his first symphony.
If you aren’t familiar with the music of Gaston Brenta, here is a good place to start your expedition.
