Karl Weigl

Karl Weigl, born in 1881 in Vienna, was a composer and pianist whose life and work spanned two continents and two world wars. Growing up in the vibrant musical culture of fin-de-siècle Vienna, Weigl studied piano with Alexander Zemlinsky and composition with Robert Fuchs, and even served as a repetiteur under the tutelage of Gustav Mahler. His early career flourished in his hometown, but the rise of Nazism forced him to flee in 1938. Settling in New York, Weigl continued to compose and teach, becoming a naturalized American citizen in 1943. His music, deeply rooted in the Viennese Post-Romantic style, includes a rich body of chamber and orchestral works that are increasingly being rediscovered and recorded. Weigl's personal life was also marked by his marriage to pianist and composer Vally Weigl, with whom he shared a deep artistic connection. Despite the challenges he faced, Weigl's compositions reflect a unique voice that deserves to be explored and celebrated.