Gurre-Lieder

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The Gurre-Lieder form a massive oratorio for 5 soloists, reciter, chorus and orchestra, composed by Arnold Schoenberg, on poem texts by Danish novelist Jens Peter Jacobsen (translated from Danish to German by Robert Franz Arnold).

Written in lush, late romantic style, and heavily influenced by Mahler, the composition was finished in short score in 1901 and orchestrated in 1911. Franz Schreker premiered the oratorio in Vienna on February 23, 1913. Leopold Stokowski gave the work its first recording in 1932.

In early 1911 Schoenberg took some time out from his orchestration of Gurre-Lieder to compose his radically different Sechs Kleine Klavierstücke for solo piano.

Contents 1 Movements 1.1 Part One 1.2 Part Two 1.3 Part Three 1.4 Des Sommerwindes wilde Jagd (The Wild Hunt of the Summer Wind) 2 Instrumentation 3 Discography 4 External links

[edit] Movements

[edit] Part One

1. Orchestral Prelude
2. Nun daempft die Daemm'rung
3. O, wenn des mondes Strahlen
4. Ross! Mein Ross!
5. Sterne jubeln
6. So tanzen die Engel vor Gottes Thron nicht
7. Nun sag ich dir zum ersten Mal
8. Es ist Mitternachtszeit
9. Du sendest mir einen Liebesblick
10. Du wunderliche Tove!
11. Tauben von Gurre!

[edit] Part Two

Herrgott, weisst du, was du tatest

[edit] Part Three

1. Erwacht, Konig Waldemars Mannen wert!
2. Deckel des Sarges klappert
3. Gegrusst, o Konig
4. Mit Toves Stimme flustert der Wald
5. Ein seltsamer Vogel ist so'n Aal
6. Du strenger Richter droben
7. Der Hahn erhebt den Kopf zur Kraht

[edit] Des Sommerwindes wilde Jagd (The Wild Hunt of the Summer Wind)

1. Prelude
2. Herr Gaensefuss, Frau Gaensekraut
3. Seht die Sonne!

[edit] Instrumentation

Gurre-Lieder is scored for an unusually large ensemble including: narrator, soprano, mezzo-soprano, two tenors, and bass-baritone soloists, three part male choruses, eight part mixed choir, four piccolos, four flutes, three oboes, two English horns, three clarinets in A & B-flat, two E-flat clarinets, two bass clarinets, three bassoons, two contrabassoons, ten horns (four doubling Wagner tubas), six trumpets in F, B-flat, & C, bass trumpet in E-flat, alto trombone, four tenor trombones, bass trombone, contrabass trombone, tuba, four harps, celesta, six timpani, tenor drum, cymbals, triangle, glockenspiel, small bass drum, large bass drum, xylophone, ratchet, large iron chains, tam-tam, and strings.

[edit] Discography

• Seiji Ozawa, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Schoenberg: Gurre-Lieder, James McCracken, Jessye Norman, Tatiana Troyanos. Philips 412 511-2 (1979).
• Zubin Mehta, New York Philharmonic, Schoenberg: Gurre-Lieder, Gary Lakes, Eva Marton. Sony Classical 48077 (1992).
• Pierre Boulez, Schoenberg: Gurre-Lieder, 4 Songs Op.22, Jess Thomas, Yvonne Minton. Sony Classical 48459 (1993).
• Simon Rattle, Berliner Philharmoniker, Karita Mattila, Anne Sofie von Otter, Thomas Moser, Philip Langridge, Thomas Quasthoff. EMI 5 5730302 (2002)

[edit] External links

• Brief account of Stokowski's recording of the Gurrelieder
• Full German translation text by Robert Franz Arnold
• Original liner notes with full German and English translation from Vox VBX204 recording