Le Poème de l'Extase

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alexander Scriabin in 1905

Le Poème de l'Extase is a large orchestral work by the Russian composer Alexander Scriabin , published in 1908 as his op. 54 (and at the same time the title of a poem by Scriabin that was written around the same time).

Emergence

In 1904 Scriabin began to draft a poem that is related to the composition that was begun shortly thereafter (without this directly tracing the course) and bears the same title "Le Poème de l'Extase" (temporarily the title "Poème orgiaque" intended). The poem, which comprises around 370 lines, was self-published in Geneva in 1906 - Scriabin spent most of this time on Lake Geneva . In terms of content, it corresponds to the philosophical speculations of Scriabin, which were shaped by Nietzsche , theosophy and an increasingly solipsistic worldview. Closely related to symbolism , it depicts the struggles of the creative spirit, which stands for freedom and love, with horror figures, then - increasingly in direct speech - the role of the “I” through which all of humanity is redeemed in ecstasy. The beginning and the end are in German translation:

The ghost,
Inspired by the thirst for life
Soar to the daring flight
[...]
And the universe echoed
From the joyful cry
I am !

Scriabin initially wanted to add the text to the score - the music was written between 1905 and January 1908 - but abandoned it again in order to reaffirm the autonomy of the music, but then wanted the text of the poem to be sold during performances. In 1908 the work was published as Scriabins op. 54 by MP Belaieff in Leipzig and St. Petersburg under the title: “ Le Poème de l'Extase . Le texts et la Musique by A. Scriabine. "

Instrumentation

The score provides for the following occupation before: piccolo , 3 flutes , three oboes , English horn , three clarinets , bass clarinet , 3 bassoons , contrabassoon , eight horns , five trumpets , three trombones , tuba , timpani , bass drum , pool , fanfare , triangle , bell , Glockenspiel , celesta , harp , organ and strings .

With this orchestral apparatus, which significantly exceeds the traditional line-up of the symphony orchestra , Le Poème de l'Extase can be placed in a row with works by other composers that were also composed shortly after the turn of the 20th century ( e.g. Mahler's 8th Symphony or An Alpine Symphony von Strauss ).

characterization

The playing time of the one-movement, 605 bar work (Scriabin also called it his "4th Symphony" at times) is about 18 to 24 minutes. It is based on a freely used sonata main movement form , whereby introduction, exposition, development, recapitulation, second development and coda can be differentiated.

The composition, opened by a figure presented by the flute and described by Scriabin himself as the "theme of longing", contains 7 themes (some analyzes even identify at least 11 different thematic figures). Although these overlap in a complex way in the developmental parts of the strongly polyrhythmic composition, they do not actually develop further. This corresponds with a bold harmony, which is characterized by altered chords, which mostly remain unresolved (and in Scriabin's next orchestral work "Prometheus" will flow into a fixed chord structure, the so-called " mystical chord "). A “theme of self-assertion” dominated by quarters and voiced by the trumpet takes on a special role in the colorful, iridescent sound of the composition. This theme sounds in the closing apotheose in the 8 horns and the 1st trumpet over a flat C major organ point . The work seems like a steady crescendo , only briefly interrupted by the coda , but also contains transparently orchestrated passages.

Socialist historiography placed the "ecstasy" evoked in the poem and composition in close connection with the spirit of the impending October Revolution . In fact, Scriabin had contact with the Marxist Plekhanov on Lake Geneva and temporarily planned to put the first line of the International over his work, but soon abandoned it when he realized that the revolutionary events in Russia did not match his own philosophical and artistic ideas corresponded. On the other hand, a mere reduction to the - undoubtedly existing - sensual and erotic allusions (the composition is enriched with lecture terms such as "très parfumé", "presque en délire" or "avec une volupté de plus en plus extatique"; Rimski-Korsakow , To whom Scriabin had played the work on the piano before the premiere, described it as "obscene") not doing justice to the work.

World premiere and reception

The world premiere on December 10, 1908 in New York was played by the Russian Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Modest Altschuler , a former student friend of Scriabin who founded this orchestra in the USA (the composer was not present at the premiere, however). The premiere was originally planned in St. Petersburg , but the intended conductor Felix Blumenfeld initially capitulated to the difficulties of the complex score. The Russian premiere took place on January 19, 1909 under the direction of Hugo Warlich in St. Petersburg, and 12 days later Blumenfeld finally conducted the work there as well.

While the New York premiere received little response from the press, the Russian premiere of Scriabin, already known as an avant-garde, received considerably more attention. Prokofiev wrote in his diary: Myaskovsky and I had seats next to each other and devoured the “Poème de l'extase” with great interest, although in some places we were downright confused by the novelty of the music. The “Russian Word” wrote: The new symphonic work Poème de l'Extase, the boldest and most complex in its orchestration work in contemporary music, made a powerful impression, not with the exception of Richard Strauss .

The work was soon performed in Germany too. In 1924, the German musicologist Adolf Aber wrote in a foreword to the score: With this work, Scriabin ranks worthy of the great symphonists who are familiar with our music history.

The American writer Henry Miller wrote in his autobiographical novel “Nexus” under the impression of the work: It was like an ice bath, cocaine and rainbow .

“Le Poème de l'Extase” op. 54 became one of the most famous works by Scriabin. Several CD recordings, mostly by Russian orchestras, are available.

Individual evidence

  1. Alexander Scriabin: Le Poème de l'Extase (poetry). Übers. Ernst Moritz Arndt. Russian Propylaen, Vol. 6. Geneva 1906, Moscow 1919.
  2. Quoted from: Sigfried Schibli: Alexander Scriabin and his music . Piper, Munich / Zurich 1983. ISBN 3-492-02759-8
  3. Ruskoe slovo. 1909, No. 26, p. 5; quoted according to: Gottfried Eberle: I create you as a diverse unit. Lines of development in Alexandr Scriabin's symphonies . In: Alexander Scriabin and the Scriabinists , pp. 42–68. ISBN 3-88377-149-X
  4. cit. after: Igor Fjodorowitsch Belsa: Alexander Nikolajewitsch Skrjabin . Verlag Neue Musik, Berlin 1986. ISBN 3-7333-0006-8

literature

  • Igor Fjodorowitsch Belsa: Alexander Nikolajewitsch Scriabin . Verlag Neue Musik, Berlin 1986. ISBN 3-7333-0006-8
  • Gottfried Eberle: I create you as a diverse unit. Lines of development in Alexandr Scriabin's symphonies . In: Alexander Scriabin and the Scriabinists. Edited by Heinz-Klaus Metzger, Rainer Riehn. Music concepts. Vol. 32/33. edition text + kritik, Munich 1983, pp. 42–68. ISBN 3-88377-149-X
  • Wulf Konold (Ed.): Lexicon Orchestermusik Romantik. SZ . Piper / Schott, Mainz 1989. ISBN 3-7957-8228-7
  • Friedrich Saathen: Of heralds and heretics. Biographical studies on the music of the 20th century . Böhlau, Vienna 1986. ISBN 3-205-05014-2
  • Hansjürgen Schaefer: Concert book orchestral music. PZ. VEB Dt. Publisher f. Music, Leipzig 1974.
  • Sigfried Schibli: Alexander Scriabin and his music . Piper, Munich / Zurich 1983. ISBN 3-492-02759-8

Web links