Mathis der Maler (symphony)

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The symphony Mathis der Maler (Matthias the Painter) is Paul Hindemith's most famous orchestral work. It is based upon themes from Hindemith's opera Mathis der Maler, about the painter Matthias Grünewald. Hindemith completed the symphony in February 1934. The symphony has three movements:

  1. Engelskonzert (Angelic Concert)
  2. Grablegung (Entombment)
  3. Versuchung des heiligen Antonius (The Temptation of Saint Anthony)

The movements are related to the opera as follows:

  1. Overture.
  2. Orchestral interlude from the last act.
  3. Orchestral reworking of a vision scene in the opera.

The premiere was conducted by Wilhelm Furtwängler on March 12, 1934 with the Berlin Philharmonic. The first American recording of the symphony was released in 1940, conducted by Eugene Ormandy ([1]).

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