Hans Winterberg
Symphonie – ursprünglicher Finalsatz
Symphony No. 3 – Original Finale
1953
Conducted by Shelley Katz using the Symphonova
Hans Winterberg composed his Symphony No. 3 between 1952 and 1955, during his years in Bavaria. Scored for a large orchestra, including an extensive clarinet section, harp and glockenspiel, the symphony remained unperformed during his lifetime. Its world premiere took place on 25 June 2026 in Regensburg, with the Philharmonisches Orchester Regensburg conducted by Stefan Veselka—more than seventy years after its completion.
Winterberg also wrote an alternative movement, preserved as III. Symphonie – ursprünglicher Finalsatz 1953 (Symphony No. 3 – Original Finale, 1953). Published by Boosey & Hawkes, this original finale has now been recorded for the first time by Symphonova, offering listeners a new perspective on the symphony and its development.
Hans Winterberg (1901–1991) was a Prague-born composer from a German-speaking Jewish family. He studied composition with Fidelio F. Finke and Alois Hába, and conducting with Alexander Zemlinsky. His distinctive musical language brings together the rhythmic vitality of the Bohemian-Moravian tradition, the colours of French Impressionism and the expressive intensity of Central European modernism.
Deported to Theresienstadt in 1945, Winterberg survived the Holocaust and returned to Prague. In 1947 he settled in Bavaria, where he worked for Bavarian Radio and taught at Munich’s Richard Strauss Conservatory. His output includes orchestral, chamber, piano and vocal music, as well as ballet scores.
Although his music was performed and broadcast during his lifetime, it remained unpublished. The score has recently been published by Boosey & Hawkes.
