OTTO NEITZEL
(FALKENBURG (POMERANIA), GERMANY, JULY 6, 1852 – COLOGNE, GERMANY, MARCH 10,
1920)
Otto Neitzel was the second son out of six musically talented children
of the teacher Gottfried Neitzel and his wife Louise, née Messerschmidt. At the
age of eight he caused a sensation as a “Wunderkind” playing piano in his
hometown Falkenburg and nearby cities (Dramburg, Kallies and Rummelsburg) in
the Pommersche Schweiz, Pommern. In Stettin he was promoted by Carl Loewe, in
Berlin by Eduard Grell (1800-1886), the violinist Hubert Ries and the composer
Wilhelm Taubert. Because his father was not able to finance his musical
education his talented son was sponsored by patron Bernhard Loeser from the
cigar manufacturers “Loeser&Wolff”. In 1865 the young boy left home to
become a quartaner at the Joachimsthaler Gymnasium in Berlin. He got piano
lessons at the Neue Akademie der Tonkunst by Theodor Kullak, Richard Wüerst and
Friedrich Kiel. From 1873 to 1875 he was a student of Franz List. 1875 he wrote
his dissertation “Die ästhetische Grenze der Programmmusik”. He went on tour
accompanying the soprano singer Pauline Lucca and the famous violinist Pablo de
Sarasate on piano. In 1878 Neitzel became director of the Musikverein in
Straßburg. From 1879 till 1881 he was music-director at the Straßburger
Stadttheater and worked as a teacher at the Straßburger Konservatorium. Its
Director Max Erdmannsdörfer recommended him as a representative for the German
piano school at the Moscow Konservatory. He was offered a chair as
“Imperatorial-Russian” professor. He married his student, the alto singer
Sophie Romboi. In 1885 he became teacher at the Kölner Konservatorium. In 1887
he became chief of the musical section of the “Kölnische Zeitung”, where he
published as a journalist. In the winter of 1906/07 he was invited to play and
hold lecture recitals in the United States, where he played Beethoven’s G-major
concert in Philadelphia and Boston, directed by Karl Muck. In 1909 Neitzel
directed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and his Choral Fantasy. Because of its
success Muck encouraged him to direct the orchestra, but Neitzel rejected the
offer. He was acquainted with Richard Wagner and Richard Strauß, who he
supported. In 1919 he became member of the Preußische Akademie der Künste in
Berlin. He held a chair as a professor. He died on 10 March 1920 in Cologne,
where he left behind four daughters.
TRACKLIST
681 WELTE-MIGNON BACH – Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue, d S. 903
682 WELTE-MIGNON BEETHOVEN – Piano Sonata, Op. 31, No. 2, d “Tempest”
lst mvt.
685 WELTE-MIGNON BEETHOVEN – Piano Sonata, Op. 81, Eb “Les adieux” 1st
mvt.
686 WELTE-MIGNON BEETHOVEN – Piano Sonata, Op. 81, Eb “Les adieux”
2nd 3rd mvts.
688 WELTE-MIGNON NEITZEL – Les rocs de Clifton, aus Paysages anglais.
690 WELTE-MIGNON SCHUMANN – Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13, Nos. 1, 2, 3, 7,
11 & 12
691 WELTE-MIGNON SCHUMANN – Davidsbündlertänze (David’s League Dances)
Nos. 1-18
695 WELTE-MIGNON DEBUSSY – Estampes (Prints), No. 1 Pagodes (Pagodas)
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