Sabine Fischmann / Klaus Brecht (arr.) Der Zauberlehrling

Personal details

Johann 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

Klaus Brecht worked for almost thirty years as a lecturer, music teacher, choir director and voice coach at the Landesakademie für die musizierende Jugend Baden-Württemberg (Baden-Württemberg State Academy for Young Musicians), where he remains involved in various music education projects. He is the editor of several songbooks and textbooks, holds a teaching position at the Mannheim University of Music and is active as a lecturer, choirmaster and adjudicator for various music associations, including the BMCO (Federal Association Choir & Orchestra) and the BMU (Federal Association for Music Education). Personal details