Bernhard Krol (Composer, Arranger)

Born: June 24, 1920 - Berlin, Germany
Died: April 17, 2013 - in Kemnat, Ostfildern, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.

The German composer, Bernhard Krol, did his musical studies in Berlin before going on to complete them with Arnold Schoenberg's disciple, Josef Rufer, in Vienna (horn and composition).

Bernhard Krol's career as a professional instrumentalist confered upon him a special idiomatic knowledge of brasses. He was successively a horn player with the Staatskapelle Berlin (1945-1962), the Berliner Philharmoniker (1961-1962) and finally with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (until 1967).

In his compositions Bernhard Krol uses the tonal system, looking back towards composers such as Max Reger or Paul Hindemith. His music is characterized by a freshness of music-making, marked rhythms and, as he once said, 'heaven's gift of the beauty of sound' Varied classical models as in his Figaro Metamorphoses for horn and strings on three motifs of a canzona from W.A. Mozart's opera, or his cheerful Fledermaus Variations in which he transforms Strauss's themes into a completely new musical structure. He is one of the most respected personages in the German musical world, and his fame as a composer is worldwide. He has written numerous pieces for brass instruments, and a number of works for solo instrument and orchestra. His chamber music includes his Sinfonia sacra for trombone and organ.

Selected Works

Fledermaus-Variationen for orchestra, Op.60 (1974)
Figaro-Metamorphosen for horn and string orchestra, Op.61 (1977)
Messa da Sinfonietta for chorus, organ and string orchestra, Op.64 (1977)

Source: Boosey & Hawkes Website, Editions BIM Website; Naxos Website
Contributed by Aryeh Oron (January 2010)

Bernhard Krol: Short Biography | Arrangements/Transcriptions: Works | Recordings of Works for Orchestra

Use of Chorale Melodies in his works

Sinfonia sacra Jesu, meine Freude trombone and organ, Op. 56 (CM: Jesu, meine Freude; 1973)

Links to other Sites

Bernhard Krol (Boosey & Hawkes)
Bernhard Krol (Editions BIM)
Bernhard Krol Biography (Naxos)

Bibliography