Composer of the Month 11/2011: Carl Maria von Weber   (selected by Peter van Dessel / Belgium)

German Democratic Republic 4.11.1986 Carl Maria von Weber was born on 18 or 19 November 1786 in Eutin. He received his musical training in Munich and Meiningen. From 1804 to 1806 he was Kapellmeister in Breslau and from 1806 to 1807 at the court of Duke Eugen of Württemberg. After that he lived in as a pianist in Munich, Leipzig, Berlin, Weimar and Gotha. From 1813 to 1816 he was opera director in Prague and in 1817 he became Royal Kapellmeister and director of the German opera at the Dresden Court Theatre. In Dresden, he completed his opera reform - which he already begun in Breslau - including the enforcement of the baton for the conductor. As a composer, Weber is mainly known by his operas "Euryanthe", "Oberon" and "Der Freischuetz". Less known is, that Weber also was an important writer. His musical and dramaturgic articles found large interest of the public in that time. Carl Maria von Weber died on 5 June 1826 in London. In November 2011 his birthday is coming up for the 225th time. The video shows the NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo conducted by Simone Young perfoming the overture of "Der Freischuetz". (NHK: Nippon Hoso Kyokai = Japan Broadcasting Corporation) More composer can be found in the members only section