Classical Works Spotlight #358--Paul Hindemith

[erik]

A German composer of the mid 20th century pays homage to a German composer of the early 19th century (and the "father" of German romantic opera) with the work that is in this week's Classical Works Spotlight.

Hindemith: SYMPHONIC METAMORPHOSIS ON THEMES OF CARL MARIA VON WEBER

One of the most prominent German composers of the early and middle parts of the 20th century, Paul Hindemith shared a trait with fellow German Richard Strauss in the sense that they each had one foot in the past, and one foot in the present. But they also shared something else in common as well: each had potentially unsavory contacts with the Nazi Party. Strauss was tainted by those contacts for most of his life; and Hindemith, having seen his music attacked by Nazi apparatchik Joseph Goebbels as “atonal noise”, left German for America in 1940, just as the Nazis began turning the entire continent of Europe into one huge graveyard.. Three years later, in 1943, he came up with an orchestral work that ranks, along with “Mathis Der Maler”, as a high point of his career, the Symphonic Metamorphosis On Themes Of Carl Maria von Weber. The work was commissioned by choreographer and dancer Leonide Massine as potential ballet material, but it didn’t pan out that way, partly because the choreographer was put off by the fairly large orchestration that was put into it, as opposed to the more classical/early Romantic orchestration that was part and parcel of the composer generally regarded as the forefather of modern German opera. In essence, Hindemith took his cue from themes that Weber wrote in 1809 for the incidental music to a production of Carlo Gozzi’s play “Turandot” (which also inspired the later, and much beloved, opera by Giacomo Puccini), as well as a couple of the composer’s piano duets. Structured in four movements, the work opens with a lively Allegro, followed by a Scherzo that quotes from Weber’s “Turandot” score; a lighter Andantino serves as the third movement (based on the piano duets); and then a hugely vigorous march, again taking its cue from “Turandot”, concludes the work. Arturo Rodzinski conducted the world premiere of the Symphonic Metamorphosis with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra on January 20, 1944. Legendary choreographer George Ballanchine did design a ballet for the work in 1952, where it did meet with a fair amount of success; however, the main bulk of the work’s popularity is found on recordings and in traditional concert venues, where it remains a significant staple of the repertoire.



San Francisco Symphony Orchestra/HERBERT BLOMSTEDT (London/Decca)

Included:
MATHIS DER MALER (SYMPHONY IN FOUR MOVEMENTS)
TRAUERMUSIK (Viola: GERALDINE WALTHER)

[egoodstein]

I have this recording, & have enjoyed. But I admit it's been a long time since I heard it! I like Hindemith quite a bit (including his chamber music like the sonatas & string quartets, as well as larger, very different sounding works like Mathis Der Maler), and it's interesting to compare/contrast his work of adapting earlier composers/forms to say, his contemporary Schoenberg's transcriptions, etc. of earlier composers. I recall this one as being intriguing in its use of 'Romantic' ideas for novel ends, and nice, rather lush orchestration. And thanks for reminding of connection to the original play of 'Turandot.' I definitely need to hear again to contrast with Puccini if nothing else.

[erik]

Weber's original orchestration conforms more to what was typical for that period of the early 19th century, along the lines of the Viennese giants (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert); and Hindemith expanded upon that in a way that conformed to what both Richard Strauss and Arnold Schoenberg were doing in terms of orchestral size and inventiveness. There is a sort of ironic humor to it as well, which also seems to conform to what Shostakovich was doing in the symphonies he was creating at that time.

It can be argued, quite convincingly, that Blomstedt's San Francisco recordings of Hindemith's orchestral works are perhaps the best that have ever been available on record because he seems to have a way with this particular composer that is on the same level as that of his affinity with those of Richard Strauss.