Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber

The works of Carl Maria von Weber (1786-1826), who almost singlehandedly created German Romantic opera, featured characters who stood for honor and nobility, love and sacrifice, representing the highest ideals of a humane German culture. In 1943, at a time when German culture seemed to have been overwhelmed by barbarism, Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) paid homage to his great predecessor by turning some of Weber’s four-hand piano pieces into the brilliantly elaborated, playful Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes by Carl Maria von Weber. Hindemith had left Nazi Germany and, after being invited by Serge Koussevitzky to join the faculty of the Berkshire Music Center (Tanglewood) in 1940, remained in the U.S. to teach at Yale, where he had a strong influence on a generation of composers.