Overture in D Minor
Dora PEJAČEVIĆ
1885-1923
She was born in 1885 in Budapest into an aristocratic and cultured family, representative of a certain Austro-Hungarian elite of the time, much like the one described by writer Stefan Zweig in his memoirs. She began at the piano, started composing at age 12, and later studied in Dresden and Munich. Largely self-taught, she shaped her artistic identity through contact with major literary and artistic figures of her time, including Rainer Maria Rilke. An avid reader, she took a keen interest in the social issues of her era.
Pejačević lived on her family estate in Našice, but spent extended periods in major capitals, especially Budapest, Vienna, and Munich, where she settled after marrying Ottomar Lümbe and where she died in 1923, shortly after the birth of their son. Frequently performed during her lifetime by renowned musicians at home and abroad, Pejačević left a catalogue of 58 opus numbers, including numerous works for piano, chamber music, art songs, and a few orchestral pieces. A late-Romantic composer influenced by Wagnerism, Impressionism, and Expressionism, her style resonates with the musical currents of her time. Intensely sensitive, she sought to translate her most intimate feelings into music, sometimes composing in a state of “trance.”
She composed her Overture in D minor in 1919, in an energetic, at times tormented style reminiscent of pages by Strauss or Mahler. A heroic feel runs through the work, briefly interrupted by a few serene episodes.
© François Zeitouni, 2026
