Erwin Schulhoff

Erwin Schulhoff (1894–1942) was a Czech composer and pianist of the early 20th century, known for modernist works that often incorporate jazz elements and for the opera Flammen (premiered 1932).

Flammen premiered in 1932 in Brno. Schulhoff wrote operas, piano works, chamber music and string quartets; his style is noted for mixing neoclassical techniques with jazz rhythms and popular dance forms such as the fox-trot.

The available review treats Schulhoff's Flammen as a modernist masterpiece blending neoclassicism and jazz. Premiered in Brno in 1932, the opera is read as a tragicomic, Freudian reinvention of the Don Giovanni legend. The review highlights specific scenes (Mitternachtsmesse, Karnevalsnacht) and performances (Kurt Westi, Iris Vermillion).

For:Listeners of 20th-century opera, fans of modernist and jazz-influenced classical music, scholars of interwar European music.