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Artist
Gerard Hoffnung
12+ albums
comedygermanhumourparodyconductor
about
Gerard Hoffnung (1925-1959) was an artist and musician, best known for his humorous works. Born in Berlin on 22nd March 1925, and named Gerhard, he was the only child of a well-to-do Jewish couple, Hilde and Ludwig Hoffnung. In 1939 his parents left Germany for London, where he attended Highgate School, while his father went to what was then the British Mandate of Palestine to enter the family's banking business. (This temporary separation became permanent as a consequence of the Second World War.) Hoffnung died of a cerebral haemorrhage on 25th September 1959, only twenty years after arriving in England but filled those two decades with considerable achievements as - amongst other things - a cartoonist, tuba player, impresario, broadcaster, and public speaker, much sought after by the Oxford and Cambridge Unions. Hoffnung published a series of books of cartoons poking gentle fun at conductors and orchestral instrumentalists. After his death, some of these were turned into a short animated film by Halas and Batchelor under the title ''The Hoffnung Symphony Orchestra'', which won a number of awards in 1965-66. He is probably best remembered for his three Hoffnung Music Festivals 1956, 1958 & 1961 held at the Royal Festival Hall in London which are availabe on one album at Last.fm. These featured contributions from distinguished musicians. Compositions specially commissioned for the Festivals included Malcolm Arnold's ''A Grand, Grand Overture'', op. 57 which was dedicated
top songs
albums
Hoffnung
Hoffnung Music Festivals 1956, 1958 & 1961
Hoffnung At The Oxford Union
The Hoffnung Music Festival Concert, 1956 / Hoffnung At The Oxford Union
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Hoffnung - The Importance of Being Gerard Hoffnung
The Hoffnung Interplanetary Music Festival 1958
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Hoffnung: A Last Encore (Disc 2)
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The Comic Genius Of Gerard Hoffnung: Classic Albums 1956-61
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Hoffnung: A Last Encore (Disc 1)
Hoffnung: The Importance of Being Gerard Hoffnung
Hoffnung At The Oxford Union Featuring The Bricklayer's Story (Remastered)
The Hoffnung Interplanetary Music Festival