The First Walpurgis Night
Arrangement for chamber orchestra (arr. J. Linckelmann) MWV D 3
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Composer
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
| 1809-1847
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Songwriter / Librettist
Johann Wolfgang Goethe
| -1832Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is today a dazzling figure in world literature. He was born in Frankfurt am Main and initially studied law, but then followed his inclination towards poetry. With the drama Götz von Berlechingen and the epistolary novel The Sorrows of Young Werther, he made important contributions to the literary movement of Sturm und Drang.
From 1775 onwards, Goethe was employed at the court of Duke Carl August in Weimar. In addition to his work at court as a minister and director of the Weimar Court Theatre, he wrote his major works here, including the drama Faust, other novels and many poems, which are still a source of inspiration for musical adaptations today. His poems were a source of inspiration for composers, especially in the 19th century, such as Franz Schubert. Schubert alone set 52 of Goethe's works to music, the best known of which are probably the songs Gretchen am Spinnrade and Erlkönig. Goethe also became acquainted with several composers of the time. He was particularly enthusiastic about the young Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, who also set Goethe's lines to music in the ballad Die erste Walpurgisnacht (The First Walpurgis Night). Personal details
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Arranger
Joachim Linckelmann
| 1964Joachim Linckelmann, born in Munich in 1964, studied flute at the Richard Strauss Conservatory in Munich and at the Würzburg University of Music. He has played the flute in various renowned orchestras in Germany and abroad and has also worked as a music designer and arranger since 1995. He has been arranging oratorios for smaller ensembles for Carus since 2009. Personal details