Charivari (Gruber)

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Charivari
ein österreichisches Journal für Orchester
by HK Gruber
EnglishCharivari, an Austrian Journal for Orchestra
Composed7 December 1981 (1981-12-07): Vienna
Dedication Barrie Gavin
Performed23 August 1983 (1983-08-23): London
Published1982 (1982): London (Revised version 1988 (1988): London)
Duration12 minutes

Charivari is a composition for orchestra by HK Gruber. It is based on a polka by Johann Strauss II, Perpetuum mobile, Op. 257. Charivari was completed in 1981.

Heinz Karl "Nali" Gruber, who styles himself HK Gruber professionally, is an Austrian composer, conductor, double bass player and singer. He is a leading figure of the so-called Third Viennese School.

The polka is originally a Czech dance and genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. The polka remains a popular folk music genre in many European countries, and is performed by folk artists in the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Poland, Slovenia, Switzerland, Croatia and Finland, and to a lesser extent in Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Hungary, Italy, Ukraine, Romania, Belarus, Russia, and Slovakia. Local varieties of this dance are also found in the Nordic countries, Spain's Basque Country, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Latin America and the United States.

Johann Strauss II Austrian composer

Johann Strauss II, also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger, the Son, son of Johann Strauss I, was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas and a ballet. In his lifetime, he was known as "The Waltz King", and was largely responsible for the popularity of the waltz in Vienna during the 19th century.

Contents

Composition

Charivari was initially thought as an orchestral showpiece based on the main motifs of the polka Perpetuum mobile by Johann Strauss II. Because of this strong association, even though it is not included in the score, the Strauss polka is always played attacca before Charivari, as the composition's first bars are very similar to the Perpetuum mobile's ending. For this reason, the composition is also sometimes known as Perpetuum mobile/Charivari. [1] [2] The composition has been subtitled "An Austrian Journal for Orchestra" (German : Ein österreichisches Journal für Orchester) by Gruber himself. According to the composer: [3]

German language West Germanic language

German is a West Germanic language that is mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, South Tyrol in Italy, the German-speaking Community of Belgium, and Liechtenstein. It is also one of the three official languages of Luxembourg and a co-official language in the Opole Voivodeship in Poland. The languages which are most similar to German are the other members of the West Germanic language branch: Afrikaans, Dutch, English, the Frisian languages, Low German/Low Saxon, Luxembourgish, and Yiddish. There are also strong similarities in vocabulary with Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, although those belong to the North Germanic group. German is the second most widely spoken Germanic language, after English.

But during the course of composition I realised that there was another reason why the "perpetual motion" idea had been nagging my conscience. Strauss himself was already describing an endangered species. But from today's standpoint his motif alarmingly calls to mind that official mask of Gemütlichkeit behind which post-Habsburg Austria has so often hidden its reactions to even the most drastic changes of fortune, and its complicity with some of them.

In music, perpetuum mobile, moto perpetuo (Italian), mouvement perpétuel (French), movimento perpétuo (Portuguese) movimiento perpetuo (Spanish), carries two distinct meanings: first, as pieces or parts of pieces of music characterised by a continuous stream of notes, usually at a rapid tempo; and also as whole pieces, or large parts of pieces, which are to be played in a repititious fashion, often an indefinite number of times.

<i>Gemütlichkeit</i> state or feeling of warmth, friendliness and good cheer

Gemütlichkeit is a German-language word used to convey the idea of a state or feeling of warmth, friendliness, and good cheer. Other qualities encompassed by the term include coziness, peace of mind, and a sense of belonging and well-being springing from social acceptance.

House of Habsburg Austrian dynastic family

The House of Habsburg and alternatively called the House of Austria, was one of the most influential and distinguished royal houses of Europe. The throne of the Holy Roman Empire was continuously occupied by the Habsburgs from 1438 until their extinction in the male line in 1740. The house also produced emperors and kings of Bohemia, Hungary, Croatia, Galicia, Portugal and Spain with their respective colonies, as well as rulers of several principalities in the Netherlands and Italy. From the 16th century, following the reign of Charles V, the dynasty was split between its Austrian and Spanish branches. Although they ruled distinct territories, they nevertheless maintained close relations and frequently intermarried.

— Heinz Karl Gruber, Composer's Note on Charivari

The composition is dedicated to Barrie Gavin and was finished in Vienna on 7 December 1981. It was premiered by the London Sinfonietta conducted by Simon Rattle at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, in London, on 23 August 1983. However, Gruber decided to make a revised version of the composition later that year. The revised version was premiered by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Ivan Fischer in Vienna, on 22 January 1984. The initial version was published by Boosey and Hawkes in 1981, and the revised version followed in 1984. [3]

Barrie Gavin film director

Barrie Gavin is a British film director.

Vienna Capital city and state of Austria

Vienna is the federal capital, largest city and one of nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primate city, with a population of about 1.9 million, and its cultural, economic, and political centre. It is the 7th-largest city by population within city limits in the European Union. Until the beginning of the 20th century, it was the largest German-speaking city in the world, and before the splitting of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in World War I, the city had 2 million inhabitants. Today it is the second largest German-speaking city after Berlin and just before Hamburg. Vienna is host to many major international organizations, including the United Nations and OPEC. The city is located in the eastern part of Austria and is close to the borders of Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary. These regions work together in a European Centrope border region. Along with nearby Bratislava, Vienna forms a metropolitan region with 3 million inhabitants. In 2001, the city centre was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In July 2017 it was moved to the list of World Heritage in Danger.

London Sinfonietta English chamber orchestra based in London

The London Sinfonietta is an English contemporary chamber orchestra founded in 1968 and based in London.

Structure

A Charivari, a silver chain with coins and hunters' trophies, worn in Bavaria and Austria with traditional costumes Charivari (bavaria, late 20.century).JPG
A Charivari, a silver chain with coins and hunters' trophies, worn in Bavaria and Austria with traditional costumes

The title of the composition plays with two meanings of the word "charivari": a garland-like traditional folk costume ornament used primarily in the Bavaria region called a charivari , and to noisy rough "cat" music (Katzenmusik).[ failed verification ] The composition is in one movement and takes 10 to 11 minutes to perform (12 minutes according to the publisher), even though it is generally played together with Strauss II's Perpetuum mobile, making it 14 minutes long. It is scored for a large orchestra, consisting of two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets in B-flat, two bassoons, two horns in F, two trumpets in C, two trombones, one tuba, timpani, a percussion section played by two to three percussionists, harp, and a large string section. [3]

Garland decorative wreath or cord, used at festive occasions

A garland is a decorative wreath of flowers, leaves, or other material. Garlands can be worn on the head or around the neck, hung on an inanimate object, or laid in a place of cultural or religious importance.

Folk costume expression of identity through costume, which is usually associated with a geographic area or a period of time in history

A folk costume expresses an identity through costume, which is usually associated with a geographic area or a period of time in history. It can also indicate social, marital or religious status. If the costume is used to represent the culture or identity of a specific ethnic group, it is usually known as ethnic costume. Such costumes often come in two forms: one for everyday occasions, the other for traditional festivals and formal wear.

Bavaria State in Germany

Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a landlocked federal state of Germany, occupying its southeastern corner. With an area of 70,550.19 square kilometres, Bavaria is the largest German state by land area comprising roughly a fifth of the total land area of Germany. With 13 million inhabitants, it is Germany's second-most-populous state after North Rhine-Westphalia. Bavaria's main cities are Munich, Nuremberg and Augsburg.

Various musical styles are played throughout the compositions, ranging from a typical fast polka, as referencing the composition which it is based on, to a waltz. [4] Gruber begins with a lush Viennese orchestration recalling the late-Romantic musical idiom of Strauss and Gustav Mahler, [2] but builds up to a crisis: [3]

Waltz dance

The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple (help·info) time, performed primarily in closed position.

Gustav Mahler Late-Romantic Austrian composer

Gustav Mahler was an Austro-Bohemian late-Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th century Austro-German tradition and the modernism of the early 20th century. While in his lifetime his status as a conductor was established beyond question, his own music gained wide popularity only after periods of relative neglect, which included a ban on its performance in much of Europe during the Nazi era. After 1945 his compositions were rediscovered by a new generation of listeners; Mahler then became one of the most frequently performed and recorded of all composers, a position he has sustained into the 21st century. In 2016, a BBC Music Magazine survey of 151 conductors ranked three of his symphonies in the top ten symphonies of all time.

In Charivari the 'mask' is gradually allowed to slip, until, in the final crisis, it is torn off. Although the coda hastily restores it, and adds a fleeting reminder of Strauss's 'Wiener Blut', it no longer fulfils its concealing function. The uglier facts of history cannot always be glossed over; and except perhaps for the tourist trade there's nothing to be gained from obsessively harking back to the 'good old days'.

Recordings

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References

  1. ↑ "HK Gruber: Frankenstein!!/Perpetuum mobile/Charivari/Dancing in the Dark - in English (Chandos Audio CD)". Boosey & Hawkes. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "HK GRUBER: FRANKENSTEIN!! ETC - BBC Phil./Gruber (Liner Notes of CHAN 10404)". Chandos. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Gruber, Heinz Karl (1988). Charivari, an Austrian Journal for Orchestra. London: Boosey & Hawkes. p. 3. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
  4. ↑ Gruber, Heinz Karl (2000). Charivari. London: Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd.
  5. ↑ "HK Gruber - Zeitstimmung". BIS Records. Retrieved 22 April 2015.
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