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Kate Molleson and Natasha Loges explore the serious effects on Johanna Senfter’s career caused by the run-up to, and aftermath of, the Second World War.

If you know the name Johanna Senfter, it is probably in connection with her teacher, the composer, Max Reger. Senfter won the Arthur Nikisch prize for composition in 1910, and went on to be one of the most prolific of all late-Romantic female composers, writing at least 150 works, yet she has all but disappeared from our history books. In between the two World Wars she was very active within the world of music too, founding the Oppenheim Music Society, organising her own concert series and founding the Oppenheim Bach Society. However, her personal life is shrouded in mystery with little information published about either her biography, or her music, and there are substantial gaps in her story when we know nothing about Senfter. Unsurprisingly then, there are also questions hanging over certain elements of her personal life, and her political allegiances. Over the course of this week, Kate Molleson is joined by Professor Natasha Loges to explore the life of Johanna Senfter. They also examine the tumultuous world of early 20th-century Germany in which Senfter was working, and speculate on the reasons for her anonymity today.

In Friday’s episode, Kate and Natasha discuss the serious effects on musical life in Germany caused by the run-up to the Second World War, and explore Johanna Senfter’s second retreat from the public and the bitterness that she felt towards the end of her life due to her music’s reception. Kate and Natasha also address the accusations which were made about the seemingly apolitical Senfter’s music by the German Communist party and the impact of those on performances of Senfter’s works.

Suite for 2 violins no. 1 – Courante
Friedemann Eichhorn, violin
Alexia Eichhorn, violin

Piano Concerto in G minor, Op.90 - II. Sehr ruhig
Â鶹Éç National Orchestra of Wales
Andrew Zolinsky, piano
Jonathan Bloxham, conductor

Symphony 4 – I. Gemassigt
Jenaer Philharmonie
Othmar Mäga, conductor

Quintet for Clarinet and String Quartet in B, Op. 119 – III. Funny
Ernesto Molinari, clarinet
Brenton Langbein, violin
Andreas Pfenninger, violin
Nicolas Corti, viola
Raffaele Altwegg, cello

6 Little Pieces, for violin and piano - No 1 Melodie
Setareh Najfar-Nahvi, violin
Theresia Schumacher, piano

Mazurka: Allegretto
Monica Gutman, piano

Produced by Sam Phillips for Â鶹Éç Audio Wales & West