# Victor Emanuel Bendix (1851–1926)



## Joachim Raff (Jan 31, 2020)

(1851–1926), pianist, conductor, and composer. Born in Copenhagen, the brother of the pianist Otto *Bendix, Victor Bendix studied at the Copenhagen Conservatory with composer Niels Gade and as a pianist with, among others, Liszt (from 1881). He was répétiteur at the Copenhagen Royal Theater and later piano teacher at the Royal Academy of Music. Bendix was an excellent conductor, and in this role he made great contributions to the musical life of Copenhagen. He was the conductor of the choral society, which he founded in Copenhagen (1872–76), and of the Copenhagen Philharmonic Concerts (which he established in 1897). His concert performances of Siegfried and Tristan und Isolde and his staged performances of Verdi's Don Carlos were welcome innovations in the usual repertory of the Copenhagen Musical Society. From 1892 to 1893 he conducted the Volkskonzerte in Berlin. Bendix wrote many songs but his important works were his compositions for the piano; among them are Piano Trio op. 12, Piano Concerto op. 17, and Piano Sonata op. 26. He also composed Psalm 33 for chorus and orchestra and four symphonies.


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## Joachim Raff (Jan 31, 2020)

Bendix's Piano Concerto is one of the great piano concertos of the 19th century yet it is hardly known, probably for two reasons: Bendix does not have a particularly distinctive style and this work, most unusually for its period, is not a display concerto and so would not appeal to all pianists. However, the concerto's ideas are first-rate and the whole piece is superbly constructed and very tautly argued. Although Bendix's symphonies are clearly influenced by the Russian school, this concerto is more Germanic in style so, if you like Brahms, give it a try. It will take a few hearings to find your way around but the rewards will be enormous.


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