Schoenberg Death Anniversary
Wednesday, July 13
Wednesday, July 13 marks the 71st death anniversary of the Austrian American composer Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951). In tribute to the legendary composer, Stingray Classica presents four memorable broadcasts. Firstly, at 21:00 CEST, Claudio Abbado conducts the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester in Schoenberg's symphonic poem 'Pelleas und Melisande', Op. 5. Written in 1902-1903, Pelleas und Melisande follows the tonal conventions of the late Romantic style. Following this concert, Fabio Luisi conducts the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Schoenberg's 'Verklärte Nacht', Op. 4 (“Transfigured Night”). Like Pelleas und Melisande, Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4 is among the composer's early pieces, in which there is no trace of Schoenberg's later use of atonality. Next, enjoy a performance of Schoenberg's virtuoso Phantasy for Violin and Piano, Op. 47 by the Austrian violinist Johanna Pichlmair, recorded at the semi-finals of the 2019 Violin Edition of the Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM). The evening closes with a performance of Luigi Nono's 'Intolleranza 1960', a one-act opera that he dedicated to his father-in-law, Schoenberg. Nono aimed to create a new form of musical theatre, exploring new compositional techniques, and making use of electronic music and pre-recorded tapes. This production is performed by the Orchestra and Choir of Teatro La Fenice under the direction of Lothar Zagrosek.
Schoenberg - Pelleas und Melisande, Op. 5
Wednesday, July 13 | 21:00
Claudio Abbado leads the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra in a performance of Arnold Schönberg’s symphonic poem 'Pelleas und Melisande', Op. 5. With the encouragement of Richard Strauss, Schönberg composed the work during 1902-1903. The piece is inspired by a play about a doomed love by Belgian writer Maurice Maeterlinck. Written in the key of D minor, Pelleas und Melisande is one of the composer’s early tonal works in the late Romantic style. The work is scored for a large orchestra and is in one continuous movement that lasts approximately 38 minutes. This performance was recorded at the Musikverein Vienna, Austria, in 2006.
Schoenberg - Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4
Wednesday, July 13 | 21:40
Fabio Luisi conducts the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Arnold Schönberg’s tone poem 'Verklärte Nacht', Op. 4 (“Transfigured Night”). Written in 1899, the work was originally scored for string sextet, although the composer would arrange the work for string orchestra in 1917. Schönberg wrote Verklärte Nacht early in his career, exploring ways of extending the German Romantic styles of Johannes Brahms and Richard Wagner. The work is based on Richard Dehmel’s poem of the same name, describing a woman and her lover walking through the woods on a moonlit night. During their walk, the woman confesses to her lover that she is pregnant by another man, whom she never loved. This performance was recorded at the DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2017.
Schoenberg - Phantasy for Violin and Piano, Op. 47
Wednesday, July 13 | 22:10
Johanna Pichlmair (Austria, 1990) performs Arnold Schoenberg's virtuoso Phantasy for Violin and Piano, Op. 47 during the semi-finals of the 2019 Violin Edition of the Concours musical international de Montréal (CMIM). Written in 1949, the Phantasy is the composer’s last instrumental piece. This performance was recorded at the Bourgie Hall of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
Nono - Intolleranza 1960
Wednesday, July 13 | 22:20
'Intolleranza 1960' (1961) is a one-act opera in two parts by Italian composer Luigi Nono (1924-1990). The composer dedicated the work to his father-in-law, Arnold Schoenberg. Intolleranza 1960 was Nono’s first work for theatre, intended to be a new form of musical theatre. Describing the piece as an “azione scenica” – a “stage action” – rather than an opera, Nono explored new compositional techniques, using electronic music and pre-recorded tapes. Nono wrote the Italian libretto himself, based on an idea by Angelo Maria Ripellino. The work tells the story of a migrant who returns to his native land. On his journey, he gets caught up in a political protest, is arrested, tortured, and imprisoned in a concentration camp. His longing for home becomes an urge for freedom. Lothar Zagrosek leads the Orchestra and Choir of Teatro la Fenice. Among the soloists are Stefan Vinke (migrant), Cornelia Horak (the migrant’s companion), Julie Mellor (a woman), Alessandro Paliaga (an Algerian), and Michael Leibundgut (a victim of torture). This performance was recorded at Teatro la Fenice in Venice, Italy, on January 28, 2011.