Dora Pejačević Essentials

The cultural riches of East-Central Europe provided Dora Pejačević (1885-1923) with ample inspiration for her largely self-directed musical studies. The Croatian composer, daughter of aristocratic parents, broke into the male-dominated world of symphonic composition in the 1910s, notably so with the Piano Concerto, Op. 33, Symphony in F-sharp Minor and her surging Overture in D minor. Pejačević’s most profound works, expressed in the emotionally intense language of late Romanticism, include Liebeslied, a sublime setting of verse by Rilke, and Metamorphosis (Verwandlung) to lyrics by Karl Kraus. While Canzonetta and Vertige prove that she could keep company with the finest of salon composers, compositions such as the single-movement Piano Sonata and the String Quartet in C Major, completed not long before her death in 1923, reflect the seriousness and depth of her chamber music.