Franz Schreker, Austrian composer, 1878-1934

Franz Schreker, originally Schrecker, was an Austrian composer, conductor, teacher and administrator. Primarily a composer of operas, Schreker developed a style characterized by aesthetic plurality (a mixture of Romanticism, Naturalism, Symbolism, Impressionism, Expressionism and Neue Sachlichkeit), and conception of total music theatre into the narrative of 20th-century music. In 1912, the first performance of the complete opera "Der ferne Klang" in Frankfurt consolidated his fame. The first performance of "Der Schatzgräber" in 1920 was the high point of his career. Among other well-known Schreker operas are "Das Spielwerk und die Prinzessin" and "Die Gezeichneten".