Günter Raphael

Composer Günter Raphael gained considerable acclaim before his career was derailed by the Nazis due to his half-Jewish status. He is particularly known for chamber music but wrote five symphonies and other large works as well. Raphael had a musical background on both sides of his family; his maternal grandfather, Albert Becker (1834-1899), was an important Berlin church composer. By the mid-'20s, Raphael's compositions were being performed by top German groups. In 1926, the Gewandhaus Orchestra of Leipzig with conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler played his Symphony No. 1 in A minor, Op. 16. As of the mid-2020s, recordings of some 55 of his works were available. In 2024, violist Gregory K. Williams issued the album Shadows: The Unaccompanied Viola Sonatas of Günter Raphael.