Hans Huber (composer)

Hans Huber (28 June 1852 – 25 December 1921) was a composer from Switzerland who, between 1894 and 1918, composed five operas. His piano concertos are slightly unusual for the form in that they have, like Brahms' second piano concerto in B-flat major, four movements (scherzos are included in addition to the usual fast, slow, and fast tempo movements). He also wrote a set of 24 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 100, for piano four-hands in all the keys.

Biography

He was born in Eppenberg-Wöschnau (Canton of Solothurn). The son of an amateur musician, Huber became a chorister and showed an early talent for the piano. In 1870 he entered Leipzig Conservatory, where his teachers included Oscar Paul. In 1877 he returned to Basel to teach, but did not obtain a post in the Conservatory there until 1889; seven years later he became director. Among his notable students were Hans Münch and Hermann Suter.

In 1889 Huber wrote an A major symphony, which was conducted in December 1889 by Friedrich Hegar, and whose full score survives. He wrote in all nine symphonies, eight acknowledged, and several concertos, two each for violin and cello, four for piano, two of them effectively lost. During his last years he lived in Minusio in Villa Ginia. He died at Locarno.

Works

Huber's first symphony, in D minor, subtitled "Tellsinfonie" has a slight programmatic element, derived from the story of the Swiss national hero William Tell. The symphony is somewhat similar in style and formal restraint to Brahms, although there is perhaps a foreshadowing of Sibelius in some of the orchestral textures.

• Symphony n° 1 in D minor "Tellsinfonie", Op. 63 (ca.1882)
• Symphony nº 2 "Böcklin Symphony", Op. 115 (ca.1901)
• Symphony nº 3 in C major "Heroic" for Soprano and orchestra, Op. 118. (ca.1908)
• Symphony nº 4 in A "Academic" in the manner of a Concerto Grosso (1909)
• Symphony nº 5 in F major "The Fiddler of Gmund"
• Symphony nº 6 in A major Op. 134 (ca.1911)
• Symphony nº 7 in D minor "Swiss" (1922)
• Symphony nº 8 in F "Spring-symphony" (1920)

Recordings

The Swedish label Sterling has released all of Huber's symphonies, some tone poems, and the two still-extant piano concertos (nos. 1 & 3). There have also been several recent recordings from Huber's substantial output of chamber works, including at least one of his cello sonatas and three CDs (as of 2012) with violin sonatas of his; one of the early recordings of Huber's music was an LP of his first piano quartet "Waldlieder", with Hans-Heinz Schneeberger at violin.