Music for Orchestra – A Selection from the 20th Century (2020 Update)

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Music  for Orchestra

A Selection from the 20th Century

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Music  for Orchestra

A Selection from the 20th Century

Index

8 — Boulanger, Lili

18 — Honegger, Arthur

D’un matin de printemps (1917 – 18)

Rugby (1928) 20 — Jolivet, André

10 — Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Mario

Concerto op. 72 (1935) 12 — Debussy, Claude (arr. Koechlin, Charles)

Khamma (1911 – 12) 14 — Dohnányi, Ernő

Symphonic Minutes (1933) 16 — Dutilleux, Henri

Le Loup (1953)

Cinq Danses rituelles (1940) 22 — Koechlin, Charles

Les Heures persanes (1913 – 19) 24 — Koussevitzky, Serge

Konzert für Kontrabass und Orchester (1902) 26 — Maconchy, Elizabeth

The Land (1929)

28 — Malipiero, Gian Francesco

38 — Prokofiev, Sergei

Quarta Sinfonia (1946)

Konzert Nr. 1 (1910-12)

30 — Messiaen, Olivier

40 — Rota, Nino

Réveil des Oiseaux (rev. 1988)

Castel del Monte (1975) 42 — Stravinsky, Igor

32 — Milhaud, Darius

Le Roi des étoiles (1911 – 12)

Saudades do Brazil (1921)

44 — Villa-Lobos, Heitor

Amazonas (1917) 34 — Pizzetti, Ildebrando

Concerto dell’estate

46 — Weiner, Leó

(1928)

Divertimento No. 3 (1943, rev. 1949)

36 — Poulenc, Francis

Les Animaux modèles (1942)

48 — Zemlinsky, Alexander

LustspielOuvertüre (1894 – 95)

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Music Afrom Selection the

for 20th Century Orchestra

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n 2017, we compiled a selection of lesser-known works by well-known composers, which we believe would garner success in the concert halls. For this expanded revision, we have included composers from the catalogues of Universal Music Publishing Classical to enrich your programming. Each highlighted composition is accompanied by a brief introduction and alternate suggestions to satiate your musical curiosity.

We are proud to include the pioneering female composers Lili Boulanger and Dame Elizabeth Maconchy. Boulanger, who passed away prematurely at the age of 24 in 1918, was the first female recipient of the Prix de Rome in musical composition.

Maconchy, among other accolades, was the first woman elected Chair of the Composers’ Guild of Great Britain in 1959.

Three of the composers famously grouped together as Les Six are featured in the brochure. Darius Milhaud recorded his personal impressions of Rio de Janeiro while expressing his love for his South American country in Saudades do Brazil. Arthur Honegger devotes himself to the diversity of human exercise in his second symphonic movement – Rugby. Francis Poulenc composed in 1940 his third and last ballet Les Animaux modèles (available as an orchestral suite) – a cautiously political work.

Poulenc’s teacher Charles Koechlin orchestrated the ballet Khamma by Claude Debussy, who did not witness its premiere himself. In the 1920s, exoticism was very popular among the composers (Koechlin never actually visited Persia). In his sixteen-part Les Heures persanes, the listener can expect to be taken on a musical journey to the “orient”. By contrast, Heitor Villa-Lobos thoroughly researched indigenous musical traditions in his homeland, Brazil which led to his work Amazonas.

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Réveil des Oiseaux is the first work of the “ornithologist” Olivier Messiaen dedicated to birds; a conceptually unique piano concerto.

Together with Messiaen, it was André Jolivet who formed the group “La Jeune France”, re-establishing a more spiritual approach to music; his Cinq Danses rituelles form an essential link between serial aesthetics and spectrally-inspired techniques.

Sharing the same teacher Hans von Koessler, the contemporaries Léo Weiner and Ernő von Dohnányi both were deeply inspired by Hungarian folk music, albeit with different perspectives and approaches.

Meanwhile, Gian Francesco Malipiero (Luigi Nono’s teacher) and Ildebrando Pizzetti, both born around the 1880s and part of the so-called “generazione dell’Ottanta”, stand for a radical renewal of Italian instrumental music after the opera-dominated 19th century. Pizzetti’s pupil Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco became a very successful film composer for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in Hollywood after fleeing Fascist Italy.

This brochure will provide further details about these compositions as well as works by Dutilleux, Koussevitzky, Prokofiev, Rota, Stravinsky and Zemlinsky (who celebrates his 150th anniversary in 2021). We are happy to provide perusal scores and recordings for any of the listed compositions in this brochure. Please feel free to reach out to us to discuss these works, or other works in our robust catalogs.

Listen, watch and peruse

8

Lili Boulanger

for orchestra

D’un matin de printemps (1917 – 18)

Instrumentation 3.3.3.2 - 4.3.3.1 perc - hp.cel 16.14.12.10.8 World Premiere Jan. 17, 1923, Paris Salle du Conservatoire Duration 5� Éditions Durand 6945

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The first woman to have ever won the Prix de Rome.

he first woman to have ever won the Prix de Rome, Lili Boulanger, suffered from fragile health, which ultimately resulted in her premature passing at the age of 24. It was during these final years of her life that she created works with authen­ti­city and qualities that fascinate listeners today. Although her sister Nadia (the famous teacher) was actively caring during her lifetime for Lili’s catalogue and reputation, the last decade has brought her works a remarkable presence on stage and an even stronger profile among the most talented conductors of our time.

Orchestrated after a duet for violin and piano shortly before her death in March 1918, D’un matin de printemps contrasts with the general and personal context of the time of its writing, starting with the Great War still unfolding, not to mention the sad consciousness of the author about her threatening physical condition.

More recommendations:

At first glance, the piece appears in the form of a swirling scherzo of ABA form and carefree mood, in the vein of pre-war D’un soir triste (1918 – 20) Transcription for orchestra by debussysm from which it takes on some voluptuous harmoNadia Boulanger nies and several diaphanous textures. The central part, which 2.3.3.3 - 4.3.3.1 - timp.2perc is more focused and personal, as well as an assertive finish, cel.hp - str reveals both, however, a strong consciousness of the great 10� symphonic “épopées” of Franck and Saint-Saëns and their style alternating elegance and monumentality.

Faust et Hélène (1913)

It is common to associate the performance of D’un matin lyrical episode for soloist and orchestra de printemps with that of D’un soir triste, a piece that is its conafter the second “Faust” by Goethe temporary in the catalogue of this much valuable composer S.T.B - 3.3.3.3 - 4.5.3.1 and shares with it many musical elements. timp.2perc - cel.2hp - str 30� Psaume CXXX “Du fond de l’abîme” (1918 – 20) De profundis for singer, choir, organ and orchestra A - Chr (SATB) - org - 3.3.3.3 - 4.3.4.1 timp.2perc - cel.2hp - str 25� Vieille Prière bouddhique (1914 – 17) Prière quotidienne pour tout l’Univers for tenor, choir & orchestra T - Chr - 2.3.3.3 - 4.3.4.1 - timp.2perc cel.2hp - str [split] 8�

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Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco

Concerto op. 72 (1935)

Instrumentation 3.3.2.2 - 4.3.3.1 - timp.2perc.xyl cel.2hp - str World Premiere Jan. 31, 1935, New York New York Philharmonic Arturo Toscanini Duration 33ďż˝ Casa Ricordi 123248

for cello and orchestra

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More recommendations: Capriccio diabolico op. 85b (1945) for guitar and orchestra 2.1.2.1 - 2.0.0.0 - timp.perc hp - str 9� 2° Concerto “I Profeti” (1929) for violin and orchestra 2.3.2.2 - 4.3.3.0 - timp.perc pf.hp - str 35� Concerto italiano in G minor (1924) for violin and orchestra 2.2.2.2 - 2.2.0.0 - timp org - str 33�

The cello is clearly the protagonist.

orn in Italy in 1895, Castelnuovo-­ Tedesco gained notoriety early in both his own country and abroad. His international reputation grew quickly after he met violinist Jascha Heifetz and guitarist Andrés Segovia, for whom he wrote solo concert pieces.

Prior to leaving Europe, once Italy began persecuting Jews in 1938, Castelnuovo-Tedesco composed another concert, this time for the famed cellist Gregor Piatigorsky. In 1935, Piatigorsky performed the piece at a world premiere, together with the New York Philharmonic, conducted by Arturo Toscanini. Although the piece was presented, and loved, by leading musicians of his day, it was not performed again until 2017, nearly 80 years after it premiered. It was thanks to the Houston Symphony Orchestra, featuring principal cellist Brinton Averil Smith, that Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s piece finally saw the light of day again.

Though the orchestra’s colour and atmosphere enrich the concerto, the cello is clearly the protagonist. Entering alone, the soloist flings out the vehement main theme. After the rest of the orchestra comes into play, the opening theme begins to evolve, and the cello gives it a gentler cast.

But the music rouses as the soloist introduces a snappy, march-like theme at which the opening solo hinted. The lyricism appears, in the form of a melody whose downward contours help lend it soulfulness and impact. As these themes interact, the movement passes through pensiveness, intensity and drama, climaxing in the cello’s cadenza. The second movement picks up on the luminous aura. The lilt of the cello’s melody launches a graceful, airy dance. An orchestral outburst launches the finale, and the cello quickly steps in with another big, dramatic solo. After taking a more lyrical turn, it builds up to the bold, bounding theme that propels the finale.

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Claude Debussy / Charles Koechlin (arr.)

Légende dansée de William Leonard Courtney et Maud Allan for orchestra

Khamma (1911 – 12)

Instrumentation 4.4.4.4 - 4.3.3.1 timp.2perc - cel.pf.2hp - str World Premiere Oct. 15, 1924, Paris Orchestre Colonne Gabriel Pierné Duration 22� Éditions Durand 458

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An exotic work culminating in an ecstatic, sacrificial dance.

More recommendations: La Mer (1905) Trois Esquisses symphoniques critical edition by Marie Rolf 2.3.2.4 - 4.5.3.1 - timp.3perc - 2hp str [split] 22� Première Suite d’orchestre (1882 – 84) Version with the 3rd movement “Rêve” completed by Philippe Manoury 2.3.2.2 - 4.2.3.1 - timp.perc - 2hp - str 20� Préludes (1998 – 99) orchestrated by Gil Shohat (I Preludi) 3.3.3.3 - 4.3.3.1 - timp.3perc - hp - str 40� | 42�

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ebussy never witnessed a performance of Khamma, nor did he finish orchestrating it. The composer already had a problematic relationship with the world of dance following Nijinsky’s radical choreography to Jeux and L’Après-midi d’un faune, commissions of the Ballets Russes, which have since asserted themselves as concert masterpieces.

Despite Khamma’s troubled genesis, its tightly wrought dramatic structure and mysterious harmonies are pure Debussy. The dark, undulating piano arpeggios and distant trumpet calls of the opening measures set the scene with vivid strokes, with a nearly leitmotivic approach to illustrating the plot. The influence of Stravinsky, and in particular Petrushka – which Debussy praised for its “sonorous magic” – manifests itself in sharp timbral contrasts and bitonal passages.

Debussy accepted the commission from Canadian dancer Maud Allan in the midst of health problems that not only forced him to take extensive loans from his publisher, Jacques Durand, but also to entrust the orchestration following measure 55 of the first scene to Charles Koechlin.

Allan, at the height of her fame following appearances in The Vision of Salome, turned to Debussy for another exotic work culminating in an ecstatic, sacrificial dance. The veiled protagonist of Khamma, originally entitled Isis, falls dead at the feet of the sun god, Amun-Ra, after a supplication to deliver his people from invaders. The libretto was most likely conceived by Allan’s co-author William Leonard Courtney, according to an Egyptian tale.

Although Allan had done everything to ensure that she would premiere the work, she eventually had to relinquish her plans. Khamma was first performed in a 1924 concert version in Paris. Its ballet premiere

by Jean-Jacques Etchevery took place over two decades later, also in the French capital.

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Ernő Dohnányi

for orchestra (op. 36)

Symphonic Minutes (1933)

Instrumentation 2.2.2.2 - 4.2.3.0 timp.perc - hp.cel - str World Premiere Oct. 23, 1933, Budapest Philharmonic Society Ernő Dohnányi Duration 13� UMP Editio Musica Budapest D-38

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Symphonic Minutes’ structural clarity and transparency contribute to its easy reception and popularity.

ymphonic Minutes was composed for the ballet, The Holy Torch, which was created by Dohnányi’s wife, the actress and dancer Elsa Galafrés. The Holy Torch is a compendium of music by Dohnányi comprising this original composition, Symphonic Minutes, and the pre-existing work Ruralia Hungarica (1923). Though conceived for dance, Dohnányi stressed that Symphonic Minutes was a concert work, and insisted that it was presented first in a concert hall unaccompanied by its choreography.

Although the work belongs to Dohnányi’s “Hungarian Period” (1916 – 1944), it is essentially free of national character, except the variations on a Hungarian religious melody. This was likely a conscious reference to Bartók, as Dohnányi purposefully incorporated external influences into his own music, citing an example of Dohnányi as a conservative yet auto­ nomous interpreter-composer. Symphonic Minutes’ structural clarity and transparency, as exemplified by refined form and motivic development, sparkling orchestration, naturally effusive melodies, and straightforward expression contribute to its easy reception and popularity.

Dohnányi dedicated Symphonic Minutes to the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra, which he led as conductor for over a decade-and-a-half. Surely, he meant to wield the strength of his ensemble when scoring spectacular passages for the winds throughout the work.

More recommendations: Ruralia Hungarica (1924) five pieces for orchestra op. 32/b 3.3.3.3 - 4.3.4.1 - timp.per hp.cel - str 26� Concerto No. 1 (1915) for violin and orchestra op. 27 violin solo - 2.2.2.3 - 4.2.3.0 timp.perc - hp - str 40�

Connected works: Pál Kadosa Divertimento No. 1 (1934) for orchestra op. 20/a 2.2.2.2 - 4.2.2.0 - timp.perc - pf - str 13� Ferenc Farkas Divertimento (1930) for orchestra 2.2.2.2 - 2.2.0.0 - timp.perc - str 15�

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Henri Dutilleux

Fragments symphoniques for orchestra

Le Loup (1953)

Instrumentation 3.2.2.2 - 2.2.2.1 timp.perc - pf.cel.hp - str World Premiere (Ballet) Mar. 17, 1953, Paris Théâtre de l’Empire Gérard Blareau Duration 14� Éditions Durand 5790

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After refusing for a long time to allow this work to be performed in concert, Dutilleux changed his mind in 2010 at the age of 94.

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round 1952, the dancer and choreographer Roland Petit, founder of the Ballets de Paris, commissioned a score for the ballet Le Loup from Dutilleux. He brought the composer together with the authors Jean Anouilh and Georges Neveux and the set designer Carzou.

Their show was premiered at the Théâtre de l’Empire in Paris on 17 March 1953, with Petit in the title role. Running worldwide for many years, Le Loup was one of the most successful ballets of the post-war period.

After refusing for a long time to allow this music to be performed in concert, D ­ utilleux changed his mind in 2010. Strangely beautiful, his score for Le Loup consists of three parts (corresponding to the three tableaux of the ballet) “balanced rhythmically as different movements of a symphony would be”, stated the composer. This results in “symphonic fragments”, reproducing the tripartite structure and representing half of the duration of the ballet.

Seduced by the scenario renewing “in an even darker environment [...] the story of Beauty and the Beast”, Dutilleux wrote contrasting and sensual music. Neither avant-garde nor truly neoclassical, it proves to be even more accessible than his Symphonie no° 1, even though this was earlier. Despite the many twists and turns in the story, the composer avoided the trap of fragmentation: “I felt that the score had to form a single unit”, he explained. Even if it is interspersed with different dances, as is the law of the genre, the piece does not simply consist of a series of numbers, but is rather a symphonic poem.

Certain themes provide unity, especially the fairground melody and the wolf’s beautiful lament. There is no doubt today that this score deserves to be considered as a symphonic piece in itself, one to which concert halls should open their doors.

More recommendations: Symphonie no° 1 (1951) pour orchestre 3.3.3.3 - 4.3.3.0 - timp.4perc pf.cel.hp - str 31� Trois Tableaux symphoniques (1943 – 45) 2.1.2.2.asax - 2.2.2.1 - timp.2perc ondes.pf.hp - str 11�

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Arthur Honegger

Mouvement symphonique no° 2 (H. 67) for orchestra

Rugby (1928)

Instrumentation 3.3.3.3 - 4.3.3.1 - str World Premiere Oct. 19, 1928, Paris Orchestre symphonique de Paris Ernest Ansermet Duration 8� Éditions Salabert 3819

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The musical action is once again characterised by a feeling of constant unrest.

ive years after writing the im­ pressive Pacific 2.3.1 – Mouvement symphonique No. 1 in 1923, Arthur Honegger devoted himself to a short orchestral essay once again. Far away from the idea of the cogs in a machine, but constantly looking for an acoustic representation of movement in space, Honegger completed Rugby, his second of three symphonic movements.

The idea of movement was one of the great themes in the inter-war period.

The futurists and the “engineers” of music seized the objects of everyday life and dreamed of compositions constructed from the seemingly trivial concept of noise.

Only Erik Satie had until then dared to combine the popular expression of the physical movement with the spiritual superiority of serious music in his Sports et Divertissements (1914). While he had a passion for golf, tennis and sailing, Arthur Honegger was more interested in football and could usually be found at the Colombes stadium at the weekends. According to him, Rugby could also be named “football”, but “the wilder, more sudden, desperate and less regulated rhythm of a rugby game made him feel more sublime”.

The actual inspiration for the work came from his experiences in the stadium, “the attacks and counter-attacks of the game, the match’s rhythms and the colours” – even though the French-Swiss composer has always rejected any interpretation of his work as program music or a direct portrayal of a pictorial narrative. The musical action, accompanied by orchestral and virtuoso passages, is once again characterised by a feeling of constant unrest; the sounds of movement in space give form and shape to the protagonist of a seething stadium.

More recommendations: Une Cantate de Noël (1952 – 53) Bar - Chr - Cchoir 2.2.2.2 - 4.3.3.0 - org.hp - str 25� Symphonie no° 3 Liturgique (1945 – 46) 3.3.3.3 - 4.3.3.1 - timp.2perc - pf - str 29�

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André Jolivet

for orchestra

Cinq Danses rituelles (1940)

Instrumentation 3.3.3.3 - 4.3.3.1 - 3perc pf.cel.2hp - str World Premiere Dec. 5, 1944, Paris Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire André Cluytens Duration 25� Éditions Durand 634

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“Dances of birth and puberty, war and manhood, love and marriage, death and resurrection”

More recommendations: Concerto pour percussions (1958) for percussion & orchestra I. Robuste - II. Dolent - III. Rapidement - IV. Allègrement perc - 2.2.2.2.sax - 2.2.2.1 - hp.pf - 8.7.6.5.4 (min) 17� Concertino (1948) for trumpet, string orchestra & piano tpt - 0.0.0.0 - 0.0.0.0 - pf - 8.6.5.5.4 (min) 9� Guignol et Pandore (1943) Suite symphonique 3.3.3.3 - 4.4.3.1 - timp.5perc - pf.2hp - str 18� Trois Interludes de La Vérité de Jeanne (1956) 3.3.3.3 - 4.4.3.1 - timp.3perc - hp - str 16�

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prolific composer of one of the most fertile catalogues in the last century, André Jolivet has remained particularly famous for a few works, including the Cinq Danses rituelles, premiered for the symphonic orchestra (after a first version for solo piano) in a newly liberated Paris in 1944.

“Dances of birth and puberty, war and manhood, love and marriage, death and resurrection” (in the words of their author) they form a cycle in five parts (Danse initiatique, Danse du héros, Danse nuptiale, Danse du rapt and Danse funéraire) in which the power of a compositional craftmanship acquired with the best French masters of the “entre deux guerres” period converges in a unique manner with the raw sound material of Edgar Varèse, meanwhile exiled in the United States, whose influence on the young Jolivet had been huge.

The incantatory lyricism and eruptive energy of a music “chant de l’homme”, anticipating the later multicoloured frescoes of Scelsi and Messiaen (artistic fellow of Jolivet a few years ago) compete here with a more formal logic in the musical grammar, including notes, pivot groups and coherent rhythmic structures, very singular in Paris at that time and of which the young generation which will make, a few months later, the journey to Darmstadt, could have been jealous of.

New “heyday of dance”, quoting the famous word of Wagner on one of Beethoven’s great orchestral achievements, the Cinq Danses rituelles not only form an essential link between the two great compositional features of the 20th century, structurally-inspired techniques like serialism on one hand and acoustically-inspired ones like spectralism on the other, but above all embody a musical moment that is uniquely inspired and powerful.

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Charles Koechlin

Seize pièces d’après “Vers Ispahan” de Pierre Loti op. 65 for orchestra

Les Heures persanes (1913 – 19)

Instrumentation 2.2.2.2 - 2.2.0.0 timp.perc - cel.hp.pf - str World Premiere Feb. 10, 1992, Ludwigshafen Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz Leif Segerstam Duration 65� Éditions Eschig 2793

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Koechlin creates a dreamy escapism by using dazzling instrumental colours and changing harmo­ nic planes.

es Heures persanes was first released as a piano piece during the First World War. In 1921, Charles Koechlin decided to orchestrate his work without changing the structure he had already composed. He had already gained the first experiences of this kind in 1898 when he collaborated on the orchestration of Fauré’s Pelléas et Mélisande.

Les Heures persanes is made up of sixteen parts, which take the listener on a journey to Persia. Koechlin was inspired mainly by reading One Thousand and One Nights and by Gobineau’s Nouvelles Asiatiques, for instance; but his main source was the holiday journal of Pierre Loti, Vers Ispahan, in which the author recorded his journey to Persia at the beginning of the 20th century.

While the reader accompanies Loti over two months, Koechlin chose a different division of time: the sixteen parts are musical depictions covering a total of three days. The main pieces of this musical poem collection are three Clair de lune pieces, two scorings of the morning (Matin frais and Aubade) and one piece for midday (Roses au soleil de midi) – here the listener finally reaches the roses of Ispahan, the goal of Loti’s journey.

Koechlin, who travelled a great deal, never went to Persia himself, but he was familiar with Algeria. He would have been able to draw inspiration for an oriental colour in his music from these experiences, but Les Heures persanes has nothing oriental in its sound language. As Koechlin himself wrote, he attempted “to conjure up Arabic music through compositional equivalence rather than oriental modes”. This is the case with the “Arabesque” Islamic ornamentation, and Gobineau’s wanderlust from Nouvelles Asiatiques is tangible in “La Caravane”.

Koechlin creates a dreamy escapism by using dazzling instrumental colours and changing harmonic planes. In extremely slow phrases he devotes himself to musical nuances and colours. But between these slow movements one can hear more lively parts, which disturb this dreamlike dimension – through this unexpected and severe change – in order to make it more clear and real. Atonality and polytonality blend into a musical spectrum, which always emphasizes the melodic line with perfection.

More recommendations: The Seven Stars’ Symphony op. 123 (1933) I. Douglas Fairbanks II. Lillian Harvey III. Greta Garbo IV. Clara Bow et la Joyeuse Californie V. Marlène Dietrich VI. Emil Jannings VII. Charlie Chaplin 4.3.3.sax.3 - 4.4.3.2 - timp.6perc pf.cel.hpd.2hp - str 45� La Course de printemps op. 95 (1927) Poème symphonique after Rudyard Kiplings’ ‘The Jungle Book’ 4.3.3.3 - 4.4.4.2 - 2timp.perc pf.org.2hp - 14.12.10.8.8 28�

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Serge Koussevitzky

fĂźr Kontrabass und Orchester op. 3

Konzert (1902)

Instrumentation db - 2.2.2.2 4.0.0.0 - hp - str World Premiere Feb. 25, 1905, Moscow Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Serge Koussevitzky (db) Duration 17ďż˝ Ricordi Berlin (Rob. Forberg Musikverlag) F 95010

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The special charm of Koussevitzky’s composition lies in the way he transfers

oday, Serge Koussevitzky is mostly known as a conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra where he served for more than 25 years and founded the Tanglewood Festival. He had a strong impact on the development of classical music in the US having commissioned many works by composers of his time, including Ravel and Prokofiev. His commitment to contemporary music is continued today by the Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation in the Library of C ­ ongress, Washington, DC. Less is known about him as a composer, however.

One of Koussevitzky’s most important works is his double bass concerto from 1902. Solo concertos for double bass are still a rarity today but Koussevitzky himself was a virtuoso of the instrument. The special charm of Koussevitzky’s composition lies in the way he transfers the sound of Russian late-­Romanticism to the peculiar timbre of double bass. His concerto was clearly influenced by Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov, and the main theme recalls that of Dvořák’s 9th symphony. In Koussevitzky’s concerto, this theme is played by a horn, which in addition evokes Tchaikovsky’s first piano concerto.

Koussevitzky’s concerto consists of three movements and is rather short – a performance takes about 17 minutes. In this concerto, expression is more important than virtuosity. The composition is characterized by lyrical melodies and yearning cantilenas.

There is a special reason for its passionate and emotional sound: the work is dedicated to Natalie Ushkov, the daughter of a prosperous tea merchant. The double bass concerto was premiered by Koussevitzky with the Moscow Philharmonic on February 25, 1905 in Moscow – the same year he went on to marry Natalie.

the sound of Russian late-Romanticism to the peculiar timbre of double bass.

One more recommendation: Valse miniature op. 1 No. 2 (1907) db - 2.2.2.2 4.2.3.0 - timp.hp - str 3�

26

Elizabeth Maconchy

A suite for orchestra after the poem

by V. Sackville-West

The Land (1929)

Instrumentation 3.3.3.2 - 4.3.3.1 - timp - hp - str World Premiere Aug. 30, 1930, London BBC Symphony Orchestra Sir Henry Wood Duration 15ďż˝ Ricordi London AL 103

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Elizabeth Maconchy became the Chair of the prestigious Composers’ Guild of Great Britain.

nitially a student of Vaughan Williams, Elizabeth Maconchy (1907-1994) became fascinated early on – during the 1920s – by Bartok’s music, which set her on a Continental track distinctly from many of her colleagues, who at the time cultivated the splendid isolation of their Englishness. Maconchy’s music gained strong resonances on the continent; by 1936 her works had been played in Eastern Europe, France, Germany, but also the US and Australia.

Maconchy showed great promise in music from a young age, and in 1923 her mother moved her from Dublin to London in order to study at the Royal College of Music. There she studied composition with Ralph Vaughan Williams, an influential figure in the British musical “renaissance” at the time. As well regarded as she was at the College, it was not until she was awarded the Octavia scholarship for travel abroad in 1929 that she truly gained momentum. Vaughan Williams encouraged her to go to Vienna, which he felt encapsulated the prestige of European music. However, ensuring her studies, Maconchy was keener on Prague – the musical epicentre of the day – ensuring that she would keep ahead of the musical current. […] Upon her return to London that year, she was honoured with a premiere of her orchestral work The Land at the Proms. Despite a small setback with tuberculosis, the 1930s proved to be extremely productive for Maconchy. […]

It was in 1959 that Elizabeth Maconchy became the Chair of the prestigious Composers’ Guild of Great Britain, having thus proved herself an important and capable colleague to assume the great responsibilities of the position. A remarkably productive composer, this accomplishment only marks the halfway point of a nearly sixty-year career, the height of which came in 1987 when she was named Dame More recommendations: of the British Empire in the Honours List at age 80, joining Dame Ethel Smyth (1858-1944), the only British woman to Overture: Proud Thames (1953) 2.2.2.2 - 4.3.3.1 - timp - hp - str gain the title before that time.

6� Symphony for Double String Orchestra 1952-53 for strings 23� Dialogue (1940) for piano and orchestra 2.2.2.2 - 4.2.2.1 - timp - str 15� Nocturne (1951) for orchestra 3.3.3.3 - 4.3.3.1 - timp.perc - hp - str 7�

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Gian Francesco Malipiero

in memoriam

Quarta Sinfonia (1946)

Instrumentation 3.3.3.2 - 4.3.3.1 - perc - str World Premiere Feb. 27, 1948, Boston Boston Symphony Orchestra Serge Koussevitzky Duration 25ďż˝ Casa Ricordi PR 286

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Truly an idiosyncratic figure in music

More recommendations:

T

ruly an idiosyncratic figure in music, Gian Francesco Malipiero was the leading exponent of what was happening among Italian composers born in the 1880s.

Non-conformist and antidogmatic, the Venetian maestro played out his role in the spaces left open by the various “schools” of musical thought. He was always driven to reinvent himself and his music, while remaining faithful to his own artistic ideals and poetic visions. Malipiero produced a vast amount of material in virtually all genres of music.

It should be pointed out that the term “symphony” as used by Malipiero for orchestral works has nothing to do with a sort of reformulation of the German and Austrian symphonic tradition. Instead, it finds its roots in the Italian instrumental music ‘Sinfonia’ composed approximately between 1680 and 1780.

Quarta Sinfonia is dedicated to the memory of Natalie Koussevitzky, wife of the composer Serge Koussevitzky. Though it is not an epitaph, it does give listeners the impression that something has indeed passed.

Considered as one of Malipiero’s best works, Quarta Sinfonia is based on melodic lines that are more highly developed and refined than those seen in previous works. Structurally the composition is a sort of compromise between the demands of thematic evolution and the need for free musical invention. It is music with a typical Italian character. In terms of movements, it is divided up as follows: Allegro Moderato, Lento, Funebre, Allegro and Lento Finale (with the tolling of a bell, which provides background for the solemn evocation of the funeral procession), with six brief variations.

Settima Sinfonia (1948) Delle canzoni 2.2.2.2 - 4.2.3.1 - perc - hp - str 20� Vivaldiana (1952) for orchestra 2.2.2.2 - 2.0.0.0 - str 15� Gabrieliana (1971) for orchestra 1.2.2.2 - 2.2.0.0 - str 20� Frammenti sinfonici (1920-1922) from ‘Tre Commedie Goldoniane’ for orchestra 1. La bottega del caffè - 2. Sior Todaro brontolon - 3. Le baruffe chiozzotte 3.3.3.3 - 4.3.3.1 - timp.4perc - hp - str 20�

30

Olivier Messiaen

for piano solo & orchestra

Réveil des Oiseaux (rev. 1988)

Instrumentation pf - 4.3.4.3 - 2.2.0.0 - 4perc cel - str World Premiere Oct. 11, 1953, Donaueschingen Südwestfunk-Orchester Baden-Baden Hans Rosbaud Duration 22� Éditions Durand 691

31

O

This piece was the only one in Messiaen’s catalogue to contain solely birdsongs.

livier Messiaen liked to be defined as a “composer, rhythmist and ornithologist”. Fascinated by birds since he was a child, he acquired the habit of transcribing their songs and including them in his own pieces. In 1953, for the first time, he devoted an entire score to them: Réveil des Oiseaux, a highly poetic work, was a piano concerto with an original conception. This piece was the only one in Messiaen’s catalogue to contain only birdsongs, properly identified, “without any rhythm or counterpoint added”, stated Messiaen. It brings together the birdsongs of the Île-de-France and faithfully reproduces their rhythm of life and singing between midnight and noon on a spring day: “This is a completely truthful work“, the composer liked to say.

The score is fairly symmetrical, structured around six piano cadences alternating with the whole orchestra, the central one being the most elaborate. Close to chamber music, the first section, “Minuit” (Midnight), introduces some birds (nightingale, owl, wryneck, warbler, lark, nightjar).

Then “4 am, dawn, the birds’ awakening” arrives: a tutti intensifies until it becomes a tremendous flurry. The silence descends suddenly with the first ray of sunlight. A new section begins, “Chants de la matinée” (Morning Songs), which concludes with an extensive piano cadence. Finally, “Midi : Grand Silence” (Midday: The Great Silence) showcases the last songs (finches, great spotted woodpecker, cuckoo).

Réveil des oiseaux is still rather onomatopoetic which cannot be said of some of Messiaen’s subsequent ornithologically inspired pieces: Ca­talogue d’oiseaux (Bird Catalogue, 1956 – 58), La Fauvette passerinette (The Subalpine Warbler, 1961), La Fauvette des jardins (The Garden Warbler, 1970) and Petites Esquisses d’oiseaux (Small Sketches of Birds, 1985) proved themselves to be more abstract and somewhat dry at times. The composition is dedicated to Jacques Delamain, Messiaen’s ornithology teacher.

More recommendations: Le Tombeau resplendissant (1931) 3.3.3.3 - 4.3.3.1 - perc - str 16� Poèmes pour Mi (1936 – 37) for high dramatic soprano & orchestra Poems by Olivier Messiaen S - 3.3.2.3 - 4.3.3.1 - 4perc - str [split] 32�

32

Darius Milhaud

Suite de danses (op. 67b) for orchestra

Saudades do Brazil (1921)

Instrumentation 2.2.2.2 - 2.2.2.0 - timp.2perc - str [split] World Premiere Feb. 28, 1921, Paris Théâtre des Champs-Elysées Vladimir Golschmann Duration 22� Éditions Eschig 2123

33

Saudades do Brazil is a succession of sections that are sometimes melancholic and sometimes cheerful and lively.

B

etween 1916 and 1918 Darius Milhaud stayed in Brazil as the secretary of his friend, the poet and diplomat Paul Claudel. In Rio de Janeiro, he witnessed the famous carnival and the exuberant atmosphere. The music he heard there inspired his works Le Boeuf sur le toit (The Ox on the Roof) as well as Saudades do Brazil (Memories of Brazil).

The Portuguese word “Saudade” means something like “longing” or “fond memories” – Milhaud wrote the piece in Copenhagen in the summer of 1920, but his love for Brazil was still present. The work was initially intended for piano; Milhaud dedicated the individual movements to his friends, including the famous pianist Arthur Rubinstein and Ricardo Viñes, as well Paul Claudel. The conductor Vladimir Golschmann, who was very involved in the music of the group of composers called Les Six (which also included Milhaud), commissioned Milhaud to rework Saudades for orchestra. This version was accompanied by an additional overture on 28 February 1921 at a performance at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris under the direction of Golschmann.

Saudades do Brazil is a succession of sections that are sometimes melancholic and sometimes cheerful and lively; the critic Alfred Frankenstein aptly described the mood of the work as “alternating between halting, wild and sparklingly brilliant”. The inspiration for the composer provided the popular sounds of tango and maxixe – the latter is a two-step syncopated dance, similar to a polka, which was also popular as a ballroom dance in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century. At the same time, Saudades was also shaped by Milhaud’s experiments with polytonality: in several movements of the work, motifs appear in different keys in parallel.

More recommendations: Concerto n°1 pour violoncelle et orchestre op.136 (1934) vc - 2.2.2.2 - 2.2.2.1 - timp.perc - hp - str 15� Concerto n°1 pour piano et orchestre op.127 (1933) pf - 2.2.3.2 - 2.3.2.1 - timp.perc - hp - str 12�

34

Ildebrando Pizzetti

Concerto dell’estate (1928)

1. Mattutino – 2. Notturno – 3. Gagliarda e Finale

per orchestra

Instrumentation 3.3.3.3 - 4.3.3.1 - timp.2perc pf.2hp - str World Premiere Feb. 29, 1929, New York New York Philharmonic, Arturo Toscanini Duration 25� Casa Ricordi PR 251

35

P

izzetti began composing at an early age. He also taught music (Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco was one of his pupils) and wrote extensively about music. Along with Franco Alfano, Alfredo Casella, Gian Francesco Malipiero and Ottorino Respighi, he is a part of Italy’s so-called 1880s Generation.

His production mainly regards works that clearly reveal his recycling of the Florentine “recitar cantando”, along with Renaissance-era polyphony and Gregorian chants. His trademark is a diatonic harmony, featuring archaic resonance when he frequently adopts ancient modalities. His focus on vocal expression and his tendency to opt for diatonic are also seen in his instrumental music. While Pizzetti’s work in that area was limited, he did achieve remarkable results.

As regards Pizzetti’s symphonic output, his Concerto dell’estate stands out for its discursive nonchalance and structural freedom. It also reveals an unusual aspect of the Italian composer’s work, which is to say, the colouring used in the orchestration, that at times appears even luxuriant, echoing the work of Ottorino Respighi. To be sure, his search for rich sonority does affect language issues. There is practically no interval that is not rigorously diatonic and articulated based on ancient codes. Part I, Mattutino, is the freshest and most spontaneous, thanks also to highly efficient instrumentation.

Part II is most remarkable for the opposition of instruments that break into solos that do “battle” with the rest of the orchestra – for instance, there is the melisma of the flutes in the middle section.

Part III, Gagliarda e Finale, features a dance rhythm, and the archaism becomes fixed, as a definitive harmonic motif.

His trademark is a diatonic harmony, featuring archaic resonance when he frequently adopts ancient modalities.

More recommendations: Canti della stagione alta (1930) Concerto for piano and orchestra 2.2.2.2 - 4.3.0.0 - timp.perc - str 30� Rondò veneziano (1930) Tre visioni veneziane for orchestra 3.3.3.3 - 4.3.3.1 - timp.2perc - 2hp - str 23� 3 Canzoni (1929) for soprano and string quartet (or string orchestra) 1. La donna lombarda - 2. La prigioniera 3. La pesca dell’anello 8� Messa da Requiem (1922) for mixed chorus (SATB) 30�

36

Francis Poulenc

Suite d’orchestre

Les Animaux modèles (1942)

Instrumentation 3.3.4.4 - 4.3.3.1 - timp.3perc pf.cel.2hp - str World Premiere (Ballet) Aug. 8, 1942, Paris, Opéra de Paris Roger Désormière Duration 21� Éditions Eschig 2201

37

The symphonic version delights thanks to its illustrative character and rich colours.

More recommendations: Aubade (1929) Choregraphic concerto for piano & 18 instruments pf - 2.2.2.2 - 2.1.0.0 timp - 0.0.2.2.2 21� Sécheresses (1937) Cantata for mixed choir & orchestra I. Les Sauterelles II. Le Village abandonné III. Le Faux avenir IV. Le Squelette de la mer Chr - 3.3.2.2 - 4.2.3.1 - timp.2perc cel.hp - str 18� Concert champêtre (1927 – 28) for harpsichord or piano & orchestra hpd/pf - 2.2.2.2 - 4.2.1.1 - timp.2perc - str 25�

L

es Animaux modèles is Francis Poulenc’s third and final ballet and was premiered about ten years after the splendid Les Biches ballet during World War II, when France was occupied by German troops. “When I began with the composition during the bleakest days in the summer of 1940, I wanted to find a reason for hope, hope for the destiny of my country, no matter what it cost” he remembered. He had planned to set La Fontaine’s fables to music for a long time. Now the seemingly harmless animal fables were the perfect opportunity to set a subtle example in the new work. At the end of 1940, a draft of the ballet was complete, but it took Poulenc all of the following year to finish the work. The widely acclaimed premiere took place on 8th August 1942. “You can imagine the audience, the German generals and their secretaries in drab grey uniforms, going to such a typically French event. I allowed myself the luxury – which only a few of the orchestra musicians realised – of interweaving the song ‘You won’t have Alsace Lorraine’ into the fight between the two roosters. Each time when the trumpet announced the theme I could not help smiling...”, explained Poulenc with delight.

Poulenc’s ballet Les Animaux modèles is set in the pastoral atmosphere of a July morning in Burgundy in the 17th century.

Thanks to the symphonic version, part of the music can be performed in concert halls and delights – even without knowing Poulenc’s intention – thanks to its illustrative character and rich colours.

38

Sergei Prokofiev

for piano and orchestra op. 10

Konzert Nr. 1 (1910 – 12)

Instrumentation pf - picc.2.2.2.3 4.2.3.1 - timp.glock - str World Premiere July 25, 1912, Moscow Sergei Prokofiev (piano), Konstantin Saradzhev (cond.)

Duration 16� Ricordi Berlin (Rob. Forberg Musikverlag) F 95014

39

It remains a fresh and unconventional virtuoso piece.

S

ergei Prokofiev wrote his first piano concerto between summer 1910 and February 1912 and performed its world premiere in Moscow on July 25, 1912. Around the same time, he finished his composition studies, during which he had composed a number of symphonic works, a piano sonata and several character pieces for piano. Prokofiev had originally conceived the concerto as two separate compositions for piano and orchestra: one was to be a concertino for students to perform, and the other was a more demanding and virtuosic piece for himself. In the end, he combined the material to create the concerto that we know today.

At the time when the piano concerto was premiered, however, it was not understood by everyone. One reviewer criticized the work as incoherent and constructed by stringing together unrelated fragments. In reality, the form of the first piano concerto was truly original and forward-looking. Prokofiev used both elements of the sonata-form and those of a complete sonata. The concerto also resembles a rondo, because the distinctive introductory material reappears in the middle and end of the piece.

With his first piano concerto, Prokofiev anticipates various formal techniques of the 20th century – like montage. More than 100 years after its world premiere, it remains a fresh and unconventional virtuoso piece that both summarizes and concludes the piano playing of the Romantic era.

40

Nino Rota

Ballata per corno e orchestra

Castel del Monte (1974)

Instrumentation hn - 3.2.3.2 - 4.4.3.1 - perc org.pf.hp - str World Premiere Aug. 11, 1975, Lanciano Domenico Ceccarossi (horn), Nino Rota (cond.)

Duration 10ďż˝ Casa Ricordi 135038

41

C

His lyricallyimpressive and technicallydemanding work is in the realms of more serious music.

ourt dances, hunting sounds, the backdrop of a venerable castle – the images that Nino Rota conjures up in his ballad for horn and orchestra are from the distant past. His lyrically-impressive and technically-demanding work is in the realms of more serious music. He named it Castel del Monte, after the Italian fortress of the 13th century, built by the Hohenstaufen Emperor Frederick II in Apulia, near Bari. The homage to the famous castle, which was probably never completed, dating from 1974 is no exception in Rota’s œuvre: During his life, the Milanese composer wrote a great deal of operas and ballet music, as well as three symphonies, some outstanding solo concertos and music for smaller groups and chamber music ensembles. However, they were always in the shadow of his many award-winning and extraordinarily well-known film scores, especially those which he composed for films by the cinematic grand master Federico Fellini.

But Rota dedicated Castel del Monte to the Italian horn player Domenico Ceccarossi, who also premiered the ten-minute work at the Corsi Internazionali di Lanciano under the baton of the composer. Rather connected to traditions and old styles than to the avant-garde movements, his horn ballad is also reminiscent of Dvořák’s melancholy melodies, the imposing moments of Wagner and the subtle irony of ­Prokofiev’s music. Accompanied by harp arpeggios, the solo horn introduces a dreamy and gentle melody at the beginning; as it progresses, these dance-like passages, which are surrounded by cheerful string motifs, are replaced by proud hunting calls, and finally end in the detached reminiscence of the beginning.

More recommendations: Sinfonia sopra una canzone d’amore (1947) per orchestra 3.2.3.2 - 4.3.1.1 - timp.perc - str 30� Guerra e Pace (1956) Suite dal Film “War and Peace” 3.2.3.2 - 4.4.3.1 - perc - org.pf.hp - str 70�

42

Igor Stravinsky

Cantate für Männerchor und Orchester

Le Roi des étoiles (1911 – 12)

Instrumentation Chr (12T.12B) - 3.4.ca.4.4 - 8.3.3.1 - timp.drum - cel.2hp - str World Premiere Apr. 19, 1939, Brussels Orchestre de la Radio de Bruxelles Franz André Duration 6� Ricordi Berlin (Rob. Forberg Musikverlag)

43

L

e Roi des étoiles can be found in our catalogue as a remnant from the Russian publisher P. Jurgenson. It is an erratic singleton which has almost nothing to do with the smash hits that helped deliver legendary performance scandals and worldwide fame to Stravinsky and Sergei Diaghilev and his Ballets Russes.

Instead of the forward-rocking Stravinsky of the Sacre, Le Roi des étoiles exhibits parallels with the tonal language of Scriabin and Debussy.

In contrast to the almost contemporaneously composed ballets, which thanks to the Ballets Russes’ extensive tours enjoyed a quick succession of repeat performances, Le Roi des étoiles, composed in 1911-12, had the misfortune of waiting nearly 30 years for a single presentation.

Le Roi des étoiles portrays an eschatological vision of resurrection in which a king of the stars, with much bluster and commotion, leads his disciples into the wilderness. A detailed view reveals the subtlety of Stravinsky’s setting. Along with analogies to Skryabin and Debussy in the orchestral apparatus, one can detect harmonies aspiring to nowhere reminiscent of Wagner. Quaver (eighth-note) horn triplets on octave F sharps, barely audible yet all the more relentless, are juxtaposed against varying chord changes from the strings and chorus.

And when it comes to wind writing, Stravinsky is simply a master. One brilliant touch is the serene, premature “Amen”: a fake ending to the piece after the penultimate strophe, in which the resurrected one calls his followers to the harvest, and the rising up of the faithful – entirely devoid of pathos – is then sublimely depicted musically by means of a brief tremolo motif on the violins.

Le Roi des étoiles portrays an eschatological vision of resurrection.

More recommendations: Sinfonie Nr. 1 Es-Dur op. 13 (1905 – 07) 3.2.3.2 - 4.3.3.1 - timp.3perc - str 38�

44

Heitor Villa-Lobos

Poema sinfónico sobre um conto indigena de Raul Villa-Lobos

Amazonas (1917)

Instrumentation 4.3.4.4 - 8.4.3.1 timp.3perc - pf.cel.2hp - str World Premiere May 30, 1929, Paris Orchestre des Concerts Poulet Gaston Poulet Duration 14� Éditions Eschig 2444

45

On the basis of an indigenous myth, Villa-Lobos develops a musical sound universe in Amazonas.

H

eitor Villa-Lobos, born in 1887 in Rio de Janeiro, played as a multi-instrumentalist in various ensembles in both classical and popular music.

His compositional thinking was heavily influenced by the chôro, a style of music that developed at the end of the 19th century in Brazil, which blends European dances such as a waltz or polka with African rhythms and improvisational elements from jazz.

During his time as a cellist in the orchestra of the Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro, Villa-Lobos came into contact with the music of the French impressionists Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy as well as with works by Igor Stravinsky, which he found very appealing. The symphonic poem Amazonas had probably already been written at this time around 1917, although the premiere took place on the 30th of May 1929 in the Salle Gaveau in Paris, where Villa-Lobos was staying at the time.

For Villa-Lobos, Paris was the starting point of his international breakthrough. In the 1920s, he lived twice in the epicentre of European culture. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the changing fashions of the continent craved ever-new “exotisms”, and skilful production artists achieved great success, including Debussy’s work with Javanese gamelan instruments, Darius Milhaud with his Le Bœuf sur le toit or Puccini’s operas Madame Butterfly and Turandot. Within this environment and according to the eurocentric view of the time, Villa-Lobos was one of the few authentic representatives of the periphery of world events.

On the basis of an indigenous myth, Villa-Lobos develops a musical sound universe in Amazonas, which, after a long, quiet introduction, increasingly becomes a “cacophony”. Villa-Lobos’ vision of a jungle story is however more forgiving and in some ways less violent than Stravinsky’s enactment of indigenous rites, even if both composers savour the musical effect. Villa-Lobos uses polytonal and polyrhythmic elements in a similar manner to Stravinsky. However, where Stravinsky emphasises the construction of these elements on an overall concept in the foreground, Villa-Lobos introduces different keys and rhythms almost casually within a rather musical, rhapsodic way of thinking.

More recommendations: Suite pour cordes (1912) str 12� Chôros no° 10 (1926) for orchestra and mixed choir Chr - 3.2.2.3.sax - 3.2.2.0 - timp.4perc - pf.hp - str 13�

46

Leó Weiner

Impressioni ungheresi for orchestra op. 25

Divertimento No. 3 (1943, rev. 1949)

Instrumentation 2.2.2.2 - 4.2.3.0 - timp.perc hp - str World Premiere Mar. 7, 1944, Budapest HÉV Orchestra Vilmos Komor Duration 14� UMP Editio Musica Budapest W-10

47

L

eó Weiner’s (1885-1960) Divertimento No. 3, as the subtitle “Impressioni ungheresi” suggests, draws on Hungarian folk music themes, but differs in concept and sound from his contemporaries, Bartók or Kodály. Weiner, although belonging to the same generation as his aforementioned contemporaries, took a different compositional path. At the beginning of his career, his classically spirited and lyrical works were accepted with huge acclaim. In the decade after World War I with the spread of new Hungarian music, he experienced a mounting creative crisis.

Weiner turned to folk music in the 1930s.

Unlike Bartók, he did not collect folk songs nor did he experience a peasant lifestyle himself. Instead, he approached folk music through recordings, abstractly, as a means of sourcing musical material. This approach is featured in his Divertimenti (two for string orchestra, three for full orchestra), which he wrote in a creative phase encompassing World War II (ca 1930–1950) and garnered him great popularity outside of Hungary.

The Divertimento No. 3 (1943, rev. 1949), consists of five short movements and displays a simpler, distant, and more classical Hungarian style than Bartók’s, by avoiding dense motivic development, and presenting listeners his folk-music materials clearly. The work is characterized by rapid changes of orchestral environment, showy solo sections, and broadened miniature forms.

More recommendations: Csongor and Tünde – Suite (1937) for orchestra op. 10/b 2.2.2.2 - 4.2.3.0 - timp.perc - hp - str 24� Passacaglia (1955) for orchestra op. 44 2.2.2.2 - 4.2.3.1 - timp - hp - str 7� Divertimento No. 1 (1934) for string orchestra op. 20 str (+ picc, hn, tpt ad. lib.)

9� Romance (1949) for violoncello, harp and string orchestra op. 29 vc - hp - str 7�

The Divertimento No. 3 is characterized by rapid changes of orchestral environment, showy solo sections, and broadened miniature forms.

48

Alexander Zemlinsky

für großes Orchester Critical Edition by Antony Beaumont

LustspielOuvertüre (1894 – 95)

Instrumentation 2.2.2.2 - 4.2.3.0 - timp - hp - str World Premiere Jan. 27, 2019, Berlin Deutsches SymphonieOrchester Berlin Fabien Gabel Duration 13� Ricordi Berlin SY 5049

49

J

This graceful, light-footed work, remained buried and forgotten in the archive for more than 120 years.

ohannes Brahms proposed 24-year-old Alexander Zemlinsky for a monthly scholarship from the Viennese Ministry of Education in the spring of 1895 on the basis of an Overture in F Major. Temporarily freed from the daily burden of conducting lessons, Zemlinsky found himself able to finish orchestrating his first opera Sarema in peace.

It is possible that he submitted the overture without a title page, which would explain the somewhat vague statement in Brahms’ letter of recommendation. In Zemlinsky’s estate there are two different title sheets for that: One dated “in September 1894” has the comment “for Der Ring des Ofterdingen von Wartenegg”; and the other, dated “1895” does not list a literary source. What happened?

In May 1890, the Deutsches Volkstheater in Vienna announced a competition to write a comedy. Out of 262 submissions, the jury chose Der Ring des Ofterdingen by Wilhelm von Wartenegg (1839–1914), curator of the Imperial and Royal Art Gallery in Vienna, as the winner. The premiere followed on 12th March 1891. “The first act [...] resulted in numerous curtain calls for the actors”, wrote the Wiener Zeitung, “then the applause became weaker and more divided”. At the final curtain there were whistles and boos; “outrageous rubbish”, wrote Arthur Schnitzler in his diary.

The piece was abridged and the audiences rejoiced at following performances. A few months after the premiere, the text appeared as a Reclam book, and in the course of the 1891/92 season, the piece achieved considerable success in places such as Karlsruhe, Leipzig, Oldenburg and Schwerin. Further productions were also announced in Berlin and Prague.

It is true that the harp of the Lustspiel-Ouvertüre, which occasionally appears as a solo, suggests the surroundings of a romantic minnesinger play, and the side theme in C major fits exactly to Wartenegg’s Kranzlied in the 4th act. But in the end the score does not have a literary source. In Zemlinsky’s eyes it had reached its goal without it, by winning the scholarship, and he put it aside. Later he borrowed the main theme for a pantomime with piano accompaniment, Ein Lichtstrahl, which was to be performed in 1901 at the Buntes Theater “Überbrettl” in Berlin. However, this plan was also never put into action. And so, despite Brahms’s praises, the Lustspiel-Ouvertüre, this graceful, light-footed work, remained buried and forgotten in the archive for more than 120 years.

More recommendations: Orchester-Suite (1895) Legende, Reigen und Humoreske 2.2.2.2. - 4.2.3.1 - timp.perc - str 20� Maiblumen blühten überall (1904) für Sopran und Streichsextett S - str 8� Sinfonie in d-Moll (1892/93) 2.2.2.2 - 4.2.3.0 - timp - str 35�

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Published by G. Ricordi & Co. Bühnen- und Musikverlag GmbH Part of Universal Music Publishing Group Stralauer Allee 1 D-10245 Berlin E-Mail: info.ricordi@umusic.com Tel.: +49 (0) 30 52007-1323 www.ricordi.com Edited by: Maximilian von Aulock, Jascha Zube Editorial assistance: Margarita Artemenko, Julia Nuesslein Translations: Alastair Coates Visual concept / design: Eps51 Typefaces: Noe, Neue Haas Unica Print: medialis Offsetdruck GmbH Texts Eric Denut (Boulanger, Jolivet); Ricordi Milan promotion (Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Malipiero, Pizzetti); Rebecca Schmid (Debussy); Veronika Kusz (Dohnányi, Weiner); Nicolas Southon (Dutilleux, Messiaen); Zélie Jouenne (Koechlin); Annette Thoma (Koussevitzky); Christa Brüstle and Danielle Sofer [ed.], Elizabeth Maconchy: Music as Impassioned Argument, Universal Edition AG: Vienna, 2018 (Maconchy); Dr. Éva Pintér/Bremer Philharmoniker (Milhaud); Eva Ziegelhöfer/Niederrheinische Sinfoniker (Poulenc); Sergej Newski (Prokofiev); Felicitas Böhm (Rota); Dr. Henrik Almon (Stravinsky, Villa-Lobos); Antony Beaumont (Zemlinsky) Pictures © All Rights Reserved (Boulanger); Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s heirs (Castelnuovo-Tedesco); Durand Salabert Eschig (Debussy, Dutilleux, Honegger, Koechlin, Milhaud, Poulenc, Villa-Lobos); Dohnányi Archives (Dohnányi); With the kind permission of Mrs. Christine Jolivet (Jolivet); Boston Symphony Orchestra Archives (Koussevitzky); Suzie Maeder (Maconchy); Fondazione Giorgio Cini, Fondo Gian Francesco Malipiero (Malipiero); Rob Croes / National Archives of the Netherlands (Messiaen); Casa Ricordi (Pizzetti, Rota); Duna Media Service (Weiner); Alexander Zemlinsky Fonds bei der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien (Zemlinsky) © Universal Music Publishing Classical, 2020

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