Upcoming lecture recitals
(173) Tuesday, 27. January 2026, Konzerthaus Berlin, Musikclub, 20 hPerformance ban and internal emigration - The composer Ilse Fromm-Michaels
Ilse Fromm-Michaels was born in Hamburg in 1888. She played piano and form early on composed her own music. At the age of 13 she entered the Music academy in Berlin, later she studied at the renowned "Stern'sches Konservatorium". She studied composing with Hans Pfitzner, but only for a short time and later she declared that Pfitzner was of little importance for her. After finishing her studies she made a career as pianist, performing with conductors Otto Klemperer, Carl Schuricht and Arthur Nikisch and playing contemporary music in piano recitals, e.g. music by A. Schönberg, A. Berg and A. Webern. She gave the first performance of Erwin Schulhoff's Two Piano Pieces, Op. 4 in 1913. It is not known how much of her own music she performed within these recitals. In 1915 she married the music-loving judge Walter Michaels, who was jewish.
After 1933, she was banned from performing, but continued to compose. In the 1930's she wrote pieces for orchestra which reflected the dark times. After her husband died in 1946, she fell silent as a composer. Ilse Fromm-Michaels died in Detmold in 1986.
Babette Dorn performs piano music by Fromm-Michaels and talks to Bettina Brand.
Concert supported by Bareva Foundation
Following lecture recitals
(174) 26. March 2026: Wilhelm Grosz (1894-1939): Musical versatility in dramatic times
(175) 7. May 2026: The son of a rabbi: Josef Tal - Piano music from 70 years
(172) 12. June 2026: Gustav Brecher: Conductor, composer, renovator. A Jewish musician's life between glory and exitus
Entrance fee: 8 Euros
Reservations: Konzerthaus Berlin [www.konzerthaus.de]
Tel.: (030) 20309 - 2101
