paul hindemith's der schwanendreher (literally, "the swan turner") is a concerto for viola and orchestra. "der schwanendreher" occupies a place at the core of the viola concerto repertoire, along with the concertos by walton and bartók. it was composed in 1935 and premiered by the composer himself at a performance in amsterdam on 14 november 1935. each movement is based on a separate medieval german folk song, thus, it is sometimes referred to as the "concerto from old folk songs". this composition draws its title from the final movement's folk song base, "aren't you the swan turner?".