Variations for orchestra (Schönberg)

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Arnold Schönberg, portrait by Man Ray , 1927

The Variations for Orchestra op. 31 by the Austrian composer Arnold Schönberg (1874–1951), premiered in Berlin in 1928 under the direction of Wilhelm Furtwängler , are his first orchestral work written in pure twelve-tone technique .

Origin, world premiere

Arnold Schönberg took up his post at the beginning of 1926 as head of a composition master class at the Prussian Academy of the Arts in Berlin. Soon afterwards he began to attempt to transfer the compositional method , which was first used in the prelude of his Suite for Piano Op. 25, with twelve only related notes from chamber and vocal music to a large orchestra, which posed special challenges, such as avoiding in the Twelve-tone technique unwanted octave doubling . On May 2, 1926, Schönberg began composing a series of variations, which at first proceeded quickly, but was then interrupted due to other projects. The continuation turned out to be difficult because he did not initially find a sketched composition plan for the 5th variation and had to develop it again in order to finally be able to determine the agreement in comparison with the plan that was found again. In 1928, Schönberg received an inquiry from the conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler for an orchestral work and was able to reply that three-quarters of his 'Variations on an Own Theme' were ready. The composition was completed in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin on the French Riviera on August 21, 1928, the full score was completed on September 20, 1928.

The world premiere took place on December 2, 1928 in Berlin as part of the Fourth Philharmonic Concert. The fact that Furtwängler had only scheduled three rehearsals with the Berliner Philharmoniker led to a failure in connection with the musical language that was barely comprehensible for large parts of the audience. Emil Hertzka , Director of Universal Edition, reported that the work was "not understood by anyone (with the exception of a select few)," and that the criticism was "absolutely incomprehensible". The friend Alban Berg wrote in a relativizing way: “... They spoke of a scandal. - What really happened? Schönberg's work was played to the end undisturbed, and afterwards some of the audience whistled and the other applauded. [...] ".

The next performance in 1931 under Hans Rosbaud in Frankfurt a. M., who preceded a detailed introduction to the work by Schönberg, designed for the radio and provided with audio samples.

The first printing of Schönberg's Variations for Orchestra, Op. 31, took place in 1929 by Universal Edition .

Instrumentation

The score of orchestral variations Schoenberg provides the following Instrumentation: 4 flutes (. 3-4 piccolo), 4 oboes (4 also English horn ), clarinet in Eb, 3 Clarinet in B (all also clarinets in A), bass clarinet , 4 bassoons , (4th also contrabassoon ), 4 horns in F, 3 trumpets in C, 4 trombones , bass tuba , timpani , percussion (5 players: cymbals , bass drum , snare drum , tam-tam , triangle , glockenspiel , xylophone , flexaton ), 2 harps , celesta , mandolin and strings .

characterization

The underlying twelve-tone row: Above in the basic form and cancer, below in the inversion and cancer inversion

The performance of the work is about 20 to 23 minutes. It consists of 12 main sections:

  1. Introduction: moderately calm (33 bars)
  2. Theme: Molto moderato (24 bars)
  3. Variation I: Moderato (24 bars)
  4. Variation II: Slow (24 bars)
  5. Variation III: Moderate (24 bars)
  6. Variation IV: Waltz tempo (48 bars)
  7. Variation V: Moved (24 bars)
  8. Variation VI: Andante (36 bars)
  9. Variation VII: Slow (24 bars)
  10. Variation VIII: Very fast (24 bars)
  11. Variation IX: ... a little slower (24 bars)
  12. Finale: Moderately fast - Grazioso - Presto - Adagio - Presto (211 bars)

In an introduction tinged with impressionism , the theme is gradually developed from the interval b - e (a tritone ). Before it is fully introduced, towards the end of the introduction the BACH motif is heard for the first time in the trombone, which also appears in Variations II and V and clearly emerges in the finale. The theme itself is asymmetric split into a 5-bar antecedent and 7-bar trailer and is - mainly in the cellos - after the basic shape and in its cancer - reversing presented, the cancer and the reversal of the basic series. This means that the material for the following variations is given, where it also appears in different transposition levels. By distributing the row tones to different instruments, motifs can arise in the individual voices, the course of which does not have to correspond to the row structure (including the BACH motif).

The timbre, character and meter of the variations differ significantly. In Variation I, the row is first in the bass instruments. Variation II, described by Schönberg as “lovely” , is a chamber music-like, six-part polyphonic movement transferred to the strings and woodwinds. It is characterized by a canon of inversion between solo violin and first oboe. In Variation III, 2 horns, later the trumpets, take over the theme. In Variation IV, designed as a waltz, the theme (in harp, celesta and mandolin) takes a backseat. The very complex Variation V uses the entire orchestral apparatus, which in Variation VI is reduced to a group of soloists. In Variation V, Schönberg distributes the tones of the series to the various instruments in such a way that the listener no longer perceives the theme but a new melodic shape. In Variation VII, the theme is divided into individual instruments (initially piccolo, celesta, glockenspiel and solo violin). Variations VIII and IX both divide the theme into canon parts of various instruments. The multi-part finale contains, among other things, references to the previous variations, and the BACH motif is increasingly used in different order. Before the final Stretta in Presto, the theme of variations sounds again with contrapuntal overlay.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hans Heinz Stuckenschmidt : Beitext LP Deutsche Grammophon 2530 627: A. Schönberg: Variations op. 31 u. a., Berliner Philharmoniker, Herbert v. Karajan, 1975
  2. ↑ Hertzka's letter to Schönberg of December 14, 1928, cited above. n. Nikos Kokkinis, Jürgen Thym (Ed.): Arnold Schönberg, Orchesterwerke II . S. XVI
  3. ↑ Neues Wiener Journal, February 4, 1928. Quoted from Eberhard Freitag: Schönberg . Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, Reinbek, 1973, ISBN 3-499-50202-X , p. 123
  4. ↑ Introductory lecture by Arnold Schönberg to his orchestral variations op. 31, original sound and transcript, Radio Frankfurt, AD March 22, 1931, fragmentary preserved
  5. ↑ Cast details , Universal Edition
  6. ^ Gerhard von Westerman and Karl Schumann: Knaurs Konzertführer , Droemer Knaur, 1969, p. 374
  7. ^ Carl Dahlhaus : Masterpieces of Music / Schönberg - Variations for Orchestra , Wilhelm Fink Verlag, Munich, 1968, pp. 16, 17 and 19

literature

  • Robert Craft : CD supplement Naxos 8.557522, A. Schönberg: Variations op. 31 u. a., Philharmonia Orchestra, Robert Craft
  • Manuel Gervink: Arnold Schönberg and his time . Laaber, 2000, ISBN 3-921518-88-1 , pp. 274-276.
  • Hans Renner , Klaus Schweizer : Reclam's concert guide. Orchestral music. Stuttgart 1959. 10th edition 1976, ISBN 3-15-007720-6 , pp. 543-545.
  • Hansjürgen Schaefer: Concert book orchestral music. PZ. VEB Dt. Publisher f. Musik, Leipzig 1974, pp. 177/178.
  • Carl Dahlhaus : Masterpieces of Music / Schönberg - Variations for Orchestra , Wilhelm Fink Verlag, Munich

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