*1882 Frankfurt am Main - † 1954 Köln
When he was only 12 years old, Walter Braunfels started studying the piano under James Kwast at the Dr. Hoch’sches Conservatory in Frankfurt. After completing his musical studies in Vienna (Theodor Leschetitzky) and Munich (Ludwig Thuille), he regularly gave piano concerts. In 1920, he made his name as a composer with his opera Die Vögel. His works were conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler, Günter Wand, and Otto Klemperer, amongst others. In 1925, he and Hermann Abendroth were offered the joint directorship of the newly established Cologne Academy of Music. When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Braunfels, as a so-called half-Jew, was dismissed from office and forbidden to work in his profession. He retreated from public life and the music scene, yet stayed on in Germany. After the war, he was reinstated as the director of the Cologne Academy by Konrad Adenauer. Since the 1990s, his compositions have enjoyed a renaissance and have been performed a number of times.
Further information: www.walter-braunfels.de