Departures of note

Gustav Falke was a German philosopher and music writer who died in Berlin at the age of 68. He grew up in Hamburg, where he experienced Günter Wand as chief conductor of the NDR Symphony Orchestra, an influence that shaped his musical judgments. He studied German literature under Karl Robert Mandelkow and earned his doctorate at the Technical University of Braunschweig with a dissertation on Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit. His 'Parallelstellenphilologie' approach to Hegel scholarship was received controversially within the field. For two years Falke served as the FAZ feuilleton's correspondent for Berlin concert halls, a position long held by Hans Heinz Stuckenschmidt. His criticism was marked by a rigorous, criterion-based approach, avoiding superlatives and empty praise, and he was known for comparing aesthetic standards across the arts. He also engaged with major musical figures of his time, including Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Peter Schreier, and Daniel Barenboim.