Four tone poems after A. Böcklin

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Four tone poems after A. Böcklin is an orchestral work by Max Reger , which he composed in Meiningen in 1913 . Its four parts refer to four paintings by Arnold Böcklin , including Die Toteninsel .

Background and story

Although tone poems were a common genre around 1900, partly due to the numerous works by Richard Strauss , Reger otherwise preferred to compose absolute music . He described the four tone poems after A. Böcklin ( op. 128) and A romantic suite (op. 125) as an "excursion into the field of program music ".

Reger composed the work from the end of May to July 1913 in Meiningen, after starting planning in October 1912. He dedicated it to Julius Buths . The notes were published by Bote & Bock in September 1913 . Reger performed the work for the first time on October 12, 1913 with the municipal orchestra in the Essen hall .

construction

The Hermit (1884)
In the game of waves (1883)
The Isle of the Dead (1883)
Bacchante Festival (around 1856)

The four parts contrast in tempo : slow, fast, slow, fast. The performance designation of the two slow parts is Molto sostenuto (but never sluggish) , that of the two fast Vivace .

Structure of the four tone poems according to A. Böcklin
No. title Tempo designation Time signature key
1 The hermit playing the violin Molto sostenuto (but never slow!) 3/4 A minor)
2 In the game of the waves Vivace 3/4 F sharp minor
3 The island of the dead Molto sostenuto (but never dragging) 4/4 c sharp minor
4th Bacchanal Vivace 2/4 A (major)

The work is a symphony orchestra with three flutes (including piccolo ), two oboes (including English horn ), two clarinets , two bassoons , contrabassoon , four horns, three trumpets, three trombones, tuba, harp, three drums and additional percussion and a solo - Violin and strings written. The parts can be performed individually or like a symphony.

The hermit playing the violin

The hermit playing the violin refers to the painting The Hermit , which Böcklin created in Florence in 1884 . A solo violin contrasts with a string section that plays muted ( con sordino ) and another that plays unmuffled. The ethereal violin ( ethereal violin ) can with the 1914 composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams song Ascending lark ( The Lark Ascending ) are compared. Klaus Uwe Ludwig wrote an arrangement for violin and organ that was published by Breitkopf .

In the game of the waves

Im Spiel der Wellen refers to Im Spiel der Wellen , which Böcklin painted in 1883. Like the painting, the music evokes the flickering of sea foam in the sun and the naiads playing with Triton .

One reviewer compared the piece with Debussy's tone poem La Mer , which had been written a few years earlier and in whose orchestral setting the sound component had become more independent compared to the thematic work. He noted that Reger pursued a colorful realm of mythical creatures ( Reger pursued the flamboyant realm of mythical creatures ). Both plants have a similar sparking orchestral character ( sparkling orchestral character ).

The island of the dead

The island of the dead refers to the motif of the same name, which Böcklin depicted in five different paintings between 1880 and 1886. The island of the dead is considered to be Böcklin's most famous work, with a title that was not invented by himself but by the art dealer Fritz Gurlitt . Thomas Mann characterized this painting as an expression of sympathy with death , typical of the fin de siècle . A composition by Andreas Hallén based on the picture was published in 1897. It was followed by other works, such as the symphonic poem of the same name op. 29 by Sergei Rachmaninoff , which was premiered on April 18, 1909 in Moscow . Rachmaninoff first saw a black and white photo of the painting in Paris before he could see the original in a gallery in Leipzig .

Reger wrote long-held but changing chords ( long-held but shifting sonorities ), for which he, the orchestra like an organ began. Max Beckschäfer arranged Reger's piece for the organ in 1984. The world premiere took place in 1985 in the Marktkirche in Wiesbaden .

Bacchanal

Bacchanal refers to the painting Bacchantenfest from around 1856. It may depict the follies of earlier orgiastic times, or the need of an elderly person to continue to participate. Reger, who called his own experience “Sturm und Trank”, as a play on words with Sturm und Drang , used counterpoint , harmonious development and sophisticated instrumentation to transform the dazzling painting into music.

Other works and later performances

Reger's pupil Fritz Lubrich , like his teacher, composed three romantic clay pieces based on Böcklin's pictures for organ op. 37 (No. 3 Island of the Dead ) in 1913 . Reger's work was performed as the official opening concert of the Reger Year in 2016 by the Leipzig Music Academy in Leipzig, where Reger died in 1916.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Bernhard Hartmann: The hermit playing the violin and the twittering machine. 2005
  2. ↑ a b c compositions by Max Reger . koelnklavier.de. 1994. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  3. ↑ a b Four tone poems after A. Böcklin Op. 128 . Max Reger Institute / Elsa Reger Foundation. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  4. ↑ a b Terry Barfoot: Max Reger (1873-1916) / Four Tone Poems after Böcklin, Op. 128 . musicweb-international.com. 2009. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  5. ↑ The Hermit / The violinist hermit . German digital library. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  6. ↑ a b c d e Mark Swed: Max Reger a crowd pleaser at a full and festive Disney Hall. 2014.
  7. ↑ The Hermit Playing the Violin from the 'Boecklin-Suite' Op. 128 / arranged by Klaus Uwe Ludwig (from left, org) . Breitkopf. Retrieved March 2, 2016.
  8. ↑ The Isle of the Dead . German digital library. Archived from the original on July 16, 2016. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 12, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de
  9. ↑ a b c Stephan Hoffmann: SWR2 music lesson with Stephan Hoffmann / 1873/74 (Reger / Rachmaninoff / Schönberg) (PDF) SWR . February 1, 2013. Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  10. ↑ Ewald Reder: Sergej Rachmaninow - life and work (1873-1943). 3. Edition. Triga, Gründau-Rothenbergen 2007, p. 243.
  11. ^ Max Beckschäfer : Works / Arrangements / for organ . Retrieved July 13, 2016.
  12. ↑ Works by Max Reger . In: International Organ Concerts Wiesbaden . Market Church (Wiesbaden) , 1985.
  13. ^ Official opening concert of the Reger year of the city of Leipzig . reger-in-leipzig.de. January 6, 2016. Archived from the original on July 16, 2016. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 12, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.reger-in-leipzig.de