Eugène Albert

Albert, Eugène d’ 

Born Apr. 10, 1864, in Glasgow; died Mar. 3, 1932, in Riga. Composer and pianist.

The son of the French musician C. Albert, Eugène d’Albert studied in London with the Austrian pianist E. Pauer. Later he studied with H. Richter in Vienna and with F. Liszt in Weimar. As a pianist he toured Europe and America and won recognition for his interpretation of Beethoven’s works. He wrote 20 operas, the best known of which is The Valley (1905, the German Opera, Prague), in which he brought the principles of Italian verism to bear upon the German tradition. The music of Albert’s operas is melodic and easy to follow. Among his other works are a symphony, two concerti for piano and orchestra, a concerto for cello and orchestra, symphonic overtures, two string quartets, piano transcriptions of Bach’s organ works, and short vocal and piano pieces.

REFERENCE

Raupp, W. Eugen d’Albert. Leipzig, 1930.