1:25 You're right about twilight at the beginning, and dawn at the end. The piece is like a big, fervent dream. The slowly-descending three note motif at the beginning is inverted triumphantly at the end. Sunset and sunrise.
I think Gurrelieder is Schoenberg's masterpiece, period. In whatever style he chose to write. Part 1, for me, equals the 2nd act of Tristan-- and without King Marke droning on for 20 minutes, thank goodness. Ozawa's is wonderful, certainly, but the Decca/Chailly is the one I always thought supplanted it as the reference set when it appeared six years later.
I have both and I marginally prefer the Chailly. According to some sources it did supplant Ozawa. Personally I don't really care, they can duel it out and I am happy to have two reference recordings.
I was able to find this and listen. Loved it. I'm not really very familiar with Schoenberg but this makes me want to listen to more. Now I need to watch this video again and listen to the whole thing again.
I was in the audience for the Saturday morning open rehearsal and the Sunday afternoon performance at Tanglewood. Yes the loud parts were certainly overwhelming, but one of the most memorable things was the quiet passage for penny- whistles just before the big finish.
Oh I love this piece, because as a Czech person, I have a sense of a specific type of humour.... IMHO, Schoenberg demostrated his very special, somewhat wicked and partially dark and very bitter, sense of humour in many ways in his piece. It was so intelligent, complex and musically funny, even in the tragic moments... I believe this your review reflects it wonderfully :) :) :) despite Schoenberg having no sense of humour at all :):):) Just my 5 cents, as you Americans say... I do not have this recording, so I have to get it...
So many of Ozawa’s performances of large scale repertoire, during his BSO years, were successful. Fortunately many of them were issues on DG and Phillips.
I love "Gurrelieder" because it's such a big work about absolutely nothing. It's just there! What's it about? . . . . I don't have the slightest idea. I just like the 'wild ride of the headless horsemen' routine, as well as the rising Sun at the end. I can't argue with your chose of Ozawa and his terrific cast either. I also like the Markus Stenz on Hyperion.
Many thanks!!! I sang along to it! I also had the honor of singing in Cinncinati in 2000 (just 7 days after Mahler's 8th.)! By the way, of all the composed sunrises, the one at the end of the "Gurre-Lieder" is probably the most impressive and beautiful!
The Gurrelieder is Wagner, Mahler and Strauss in one gigantic piece of music.
A true work of genius IMHO.
1:25 You're right about twilight at the beginning, and dawn at the end. The piece is like a big, fervent dream. The slowly-descending three note motif at the beginning is inverted triumphantly at the end. Sunset and sunrise.
Yeah, that's the recording that sprang immediately to mind for me.
Me, too, I didn't really like the piece until I heard this recording.
I think Gurrelieder is Schoenberg's masterpiece, period. In whatever style he chose to write. Part 1, for me, equals the 2nd act of Tristan-- and without King Marke droning on for 20 minutes, thank goodness.
Ozawa's is wonderful, certainly, but the Decca/Chailly is the one I always thought supplanted it as the reference set when it appeared six years later.
It did not.
I have both and I marginally prefer the Chailly. According to some sources it did supplant Ozawa. Personally I don't really care, they can duel it out and I am happy to have two reference recordings.
I was able to find this and listen. Loved it.
I'm not really very familiar with Schoenberg but this makes me want to listen to more.
Now I need to watch this video again and listen to the whole thing again.
I was in the audience for the Saturday morning open rehearsal and the Sunday afternoon performance at Tanglewood. Yes the loud parts were certainly overwhelming, but one of the most memorable things was the quiet passage for penny- whistles just before the big finish.
Oh I love this piece, because as a Czech person, I have a sense of a specific type of humour.... IMHO, Schoenberg demostrated his very special, somewhat wicked and partially dark and very bitter, sense of humour in many ways in his piece. It was so intelligent, complex and musically funny, even in the tragic moments... I believe this your review reflects it wonderfully :) :) :) despite Schoenberg having no sense of humour at all :):):) Just my 5 cents, as you Americans say... I do not have this recording, so I have to get it...
Um, OK.
So many of Ozawa’s performances of large scale repertoire, during his BSO years, were successful. Fortunately many of them were issues on DG and Phillips.
In my opinion Schoenberg shows a lot of humor in his Serenade. And maybe some of the songs from Pierrot.
@@alwa6954 No "maybe" about Pierrot. Especially "Raub," with the staccato clarinet evoking the thief Pierrot scampering on tip-toes.
I love "Gurrelieder" because it's such a big work about absolutely nothing. It's just there! What's it about? . . . . I don't have the slightest idea. I just like the 'wild ride of the headless horsemen' routine, as well as the rising Sun at the end. I can't argue with your chose of Ozawa and his terrific cast either. I also like the Markus Stenz on Hyperion.
Many thanks!!! I sang along to it! I also had the honor of singing in Cinncinati in 2000 (just 7 days after Mahler's 8th.)!
By the way, of all the composed sunrises, the one at the end of the "Gurre-Lieder" is probably the most impressive and beautiful!