Download RICHARD STRAUSS Also sprach Zarathustra

RICHARD STRAUSS Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 (“Thus Spake Zarathustra”) Einleitung (“Introduction”)— Von den Hinterweltlern (“Of the Backworldsmen”)— Von der großen Sehnsucht (“Of the Great Longing”)— Von den Freuden und Leidenschaften (“Of Joys and Passions”)— Das Grablied (“The Song of the Grave”)— Von der Wissenschaft (“Of Science and Learning”)— Der Genesende (“The Convalescent”)— Das Tanzlied (“The Dance-­‐Song”)— Nachtwandlerlied (“Song of the Night Wanderer”) Born: June 11, 1864, in Munich Died: September 8, 1949, in Garmish-­‐Partenkirchen, Bavaria W ork composed: 1896 W orld premiere: November 27, 1896, in Frankfurt, conducted by the composer The opening moments of Richard Strauss’ Also sprach Zarathustra are among the most magnificent and most famous in all of music. Surprisingly, perhaps, these memorable sounds were inspired by a philosophical treatise. Friedrich Nietzsche’s allegory of the same title as Strauss’ tone poem would seem an unlikely work on which to base a musical composition. In his book, Nietzsche, speaking through the fictional sage Zarathustra, preaches a “natural aristocracy” of those who, by dint of intellectual effort and a “will to power,” can rise above mediocrity and conformity and lead humanity to a golden age. This era would be marked by the arrival of a superior type of person, to which Nietzsche gave the unfortunate name Übermensch, or “Superman.” The philosopher’s premise, which opposed both traditional Christian morality and the ideals of democracy, scandalized Europe when his book first appeared in 1883, and it has remained the target of impassioned denunciation since then. Yet it also struck a responsive chord in a number of thinkers and artists, among them Richard Strauss. In 1896 the composer wrote a tone poem based on Thus Spake Zarathustra. It has become one of his most famous works. If anyone was equal to the unlikely task of translating Nietzsche’s tract into music, it was Strauss. Early in his career he had adopted the use of literary scenarios, or programs, as the basis for a series of tone poems. These works, composed during the late 1880s and throughout the following decade, demonstrated his mastery at rendering music from dramatic ideas. But the vivid stories underlying Don Juan, Macbeth, Till Eulenspiegel and his other great tone poems were a far cry from Nietzsche’s text. Strauss’ solution was to approach Zarathustra as a dramatic work. “I did not intend to write philosophical music,” he explained. “I meant rather to convey an idea of the evolution of the human race from its origin ... up through Nietzsche’s idea of the Übermensch.” An outline of this program is provided in the headings of the sections that comprise the tone poem’s long single movement. The work’s famous prelude gives way to dark strains in the low strings and woodwinds portraying “Man in a primeval State.” The succeeding sections bring music of varied character. The final section, “Song of the Night Wanderer,” brings a remarkable conclusion whose sonority spans the orchestra’s extreme high and low registers. W hat to Listen For The thrilling opening suggests the dawn when Zarathustra addresses the sun, and by extension, the dawn of human consciousness. (This passage achieved wide renown through its use in the soundtrack of the film 2001: A Space Odyssey.) Its trumpet motif will recur varying guises throughout the tone poem. Following the somber depiction of primeval man, “Of the Great Longing” and “Of Joys and Passions” are filled with Romantic longing and charged emotion in turn. “Of Science and Learning” is represented by that most erudite of musical devices, a fugue, here based on the work’s opening theme. Next comes an evanescent scherzo (“The Convalescent”) and waltz (“The Dance-­‐Song”), with a prominent violin solo. Tolling bells usher in the peaceful final section, “Song of the Night Wanderer,” which ends with a remarkable passage. In it, the basses remain earthbound in C while the high woodwinds and strings ascend in what was, throughout the 19th century, thought of as the “heavenly” key of B major. Scored for piccolo, 3 flutes, the third doubling on second piccolo; 3 oboes and English horn; 2 clarinets, E-­‐flat clarinet and bass clarinet; 3 bassoons and contrabassoon; 6 horns, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones and 2 tubas; timpani and percussion; 2 harps, organ and strings.