Hans Rott
Born on 1 August 1858 in Vienna, the son of a singer and an actress, Rott studied at the Vienna Conservatory. Anton Bruckner was his organ teacher, and Gustav Mahler was a fellow student. Hans Rott had a highly successful early career, but things soon began to go wrong in his life - his mother died, his father suffered a bad accident, and Brahms rejected his Symphony. Following an incident on a train in which Rott drew a gun and threatened a fellow passenger, he was judged insane, and taken to hospital. After a suicide attempt, he was transferred to a Viennese insane asylum, where he 'survived' for more than three years until his death there on 25 June 1884, aged just twenty-five.
In 1975, according to Ingvar Hellsing Lundqvist, musicologist Paul Banks discovered, in the Austrian National Library archives, a symphony in E major by twenty-year-old Hans Rott. The discovery attracted some considerable attention, especially when a recording was made.
A selection of articles about Hans Rott
CD Spotlight. Astounding Work - A second volume of orchestral music by Austrian composer Hans Rott, heard by Geoff Pearce. '... performed with passion and understanding, and the quality of the recording matches this. Bravo.'
CD Spotlight. Enormous Potential - Orchestral music by Hans Rott impresses Geoff Pearce. '... fine performances and warmth of sound ...'
Pernicious passion - The Lieder of Hans Rott, by Tess Crebbin
Shopping for opera ... - Tess Crebbin investigates the largest classical CD store in continental Europe
CD Spotlight. A monumental work - Hans Rott's Symphony in E, with Patric Standford. '... outstanding recording.'