Walter Arlen

Walter Arlen (né Aptowitzer;[1] born July 31, 1920)[2] is an Austrian-born American composer, specializing mainly in voice and piano scores, having published around 65 works. He is also a music critic for the Los Angeles Times.

Walter Arlen
Birth nameWalter Aptowitzer
Born (1920-07-31) July 31, 1920
Vienna, Austria
Occupation(s)
  • Composer
  • music critic
  • music teacher

Biography

Arlen was born in Vienna.[1] His parents ran a department store until it was taken from them by the Germans in 1938. His father was sent to Buchenwald concentration camp and his mother committed suicide after a breakdown. Arlen himself relocated to Chicago, and had a chance encounter with Schubert composer, Otto Erich Deutsch, and having promise was encouraged to compose, he records for Decca Records, with many of his works only discovered recently, having trained at the University of California, Los Angeles under Leo Sowerby and Roy Harris, he is being fundamental in tracking down other artists from the period whose works where lost or forgotten due to the Nazi Regime[3][4] Whilst working as a journalist, he founded the music department at Loyola University Chicago. Arlen established friendships with numerous other German and Austrian emigrees, including Stravinsky, Milhaud, Villa-Lobos and Chavez[1][2]

Selected works and recordings

Recordings:

  • Klavierwerke & Lieder Rebecca Nelsen (soprano), Daniel Wnukowski (piano) 2 CDs Gramola
  • Kammermusik & Lieder "Die letzte Blaue", Rebecca Nelsen, Christian Immler, Daniel Wnukowski, Daniel Hope 2 CDs Gramola
  • Lieder "Es geht wohl anders", Rebecca Nelsen, Christian Immler, Danny Driver 2 CDs Gramola

References
  1. McKee, Abaigh. "Walter Arlen (b. 1920)".
  2. Horak, Jan-Christopher (August 16, 2019). "Happy Birthday, Walter Arlen!". UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved October 18, 2020. In 2020 he received the honorary citizenship of Bad Sauerbrunn.
  3. Cullingford, Martin (April 5, 2012). "Walter Arlen: a life set to song". Gramophone.
  4. "Warenhaus Dichter" [Department store poet]. Wien Geschichte Wiki (in German). January 16, 2018. Archived from the original on July 5, 2018.
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