Hans Koessler is a composer whose name is well known, even if his work is not widely familiar. In this case, his partial renown is due to the fact that this Bavarian composer taught the next generation of Hungarian musicians-including Bartók, Kodály, and Dohnányi-in Budapest and was ultimately awarded the noble title ""von."" Although some students complained behind his back about his professorial stringency, Koessler's own works tell a different story. The great creative power, poetic sensitivity, and tonal confidence of his B minor symphony are complemented in the violin concerto by remarkable formal originality-there are probably few works of this genre that unfold their eloquence as a powerful passacaglia.
