Symphony No. 4 (Franz Schmidt)

Last updated

Austro-Hungarian cellist and composer Franz Schmidt's Symphony No. 4 was completed in 1933, and received its premiere in 1934 under the direction of Oswald Kabasta at the Wiener Musikverein concert hall in Vienna. The work was composed following the unexpected death in childbirth of Schmidt's daughter, Emma, and conceptualized by the composer as a requiem in her honor. [1] [2] [3] [4] Symphony No. 4 is often considered the finest work in Schmidt's oeuvre.

Contents

Movements and analysis

Symphony No. 4 is in the key of C Major and includes four movements, all performed attacca (without pause). [5] Average performance duration ranges from 41 to 49 minutes.

I. Allegro molto moderato —

II. Adagio —

III. Molto Vivace —

IV. Tempo primo un poco sostenuto

**The movement titles of Symphony No. 4 are often termed slightly differently, but refer to the same music. The above represents a mix of titling interpretations for the four movements of this work.**

The work begins and ends with solos in the 1st trumpet and features prominent cello solos at the beginning of the Adagio, the first of which begins at the end of the first movement and serves as a bridge into the Adagio. This symphony is contemplative and reflective in nature, and it has been suggested that it represents Schmidt coming to terms with his own death in addition to his daughter's since the composer's physical health was in a period of serious decline around the time of composition. This is further evidenced by the lack of Mahlerian drama characteristic of much post-Romantic Austrian classical music. [4] [6]

Instrumentation

Symphony No. 4 is scored for an orchestra consisting of 2 flutes (2nd doubling piccolo), 2 oboes, cor anglais, 2 clarinets in Bb, clarinet in Eb, 2 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 French horns, 3 trumpets in C, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, percussion (3), 2 harps, and strings. [2]

Performances and recordings

This work is not performed often or widely regarded by concertgoers as belonging to the standard repertoire. This may be due to Schmidt's perceived or alleged association with Nazism. However, it has notably been championed by prominent conductors such as Kirill Petrenko, Zubin Mehta, Vassily Sinaisky, Paavo Järvi, Neeme Järvi, Franz Welser-Möst, Simone Young, and Andrew Litton, who have performed and recorded the symphony with the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, and Dallas Symphony Orchestra respectively. Paavo Järvi included the work in a 2020 Deutsche Grammophon album featuring all four of Schmidt's symphonies along with the Intermezzo from the opera Notre Dame. The album is titled Franz Schmidt: Complete Symphonies. [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

Related Research Articles

The Berlin Philharmonic is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zubin Mehta</span> Indian conductor

Zubin Mehta AC is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symphony No. 1 (Beethoven)</span> Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven; premiered in 1800

Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21, was dedicated to Baron Gottfried van Swieten, an early patron of the composer. The piece was published in 1801 by Hoffmeister & Kühnel of Leipzig. It is not known exactly when Beethoven finished writing this work, but sketches of the finale were found to be from 1795.

<i>Adagio for Strings</i> 1938 work by Samuel Barber

Adagio for Strings is a work by Samuel Barber, arguably his best known, arranged for string orchestra from the second movement of his String Quartet, Op. 11.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franz Welser-Möst</span> Austrian conductor

Franz Leopold Maria Möst, known professionally as Franz Welser-Möst, is an Austrian conductor. He is currently music director of the Cleveland Orchestra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arve Tellefsen</span> Norwegian violinist (born 1936)

Arve Tellefsen is a Norwegian violinist who has worked with conductors such as Mariss Jansons, Arvid Jansons, Herbert Blomstedt, Gary Bertini, Evgeny Svetlanov, Bryden Thomson, Neeme Järvi, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Paavo Berglund, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Walter Weller and Zubin Mehta. In the UK, he has appeared with the Royal Philharmonic, the London Philharmonic, The Hallé, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC Welsh Orchestra, the Liverpool Philharmonic and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Symphony No. 4, Op. 29, FS 76, also known as "The Inextinguishable", was completed by Danish composer Carl Nielsen in 1916. Composed against the backdrop of the First World War, this symphony is among the most dramatic that Nielsen wrote, featuring a "battle" between two sets of timpani.

Charles Ives's Symphony No. 1 in D minor, written between 1898 and 1902, is an example of how Ives synthesized ideas from composers who came before him. Many of his later symphonies relied on Protestant hymns as the main theme. However, this symphony is composed in the late-Romantic European tradition, and is believed to contain many paraphrases from famous European pieces such as Tchaikovsky's Pathétique and Schubert's Unfinished symphonies and especially Dvořák's New World Symphony.

The Bavarian State Orchestra is the orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Germany. It has given its own series of concerts, the Akademiekonzerte, since 1811.

The Symphony No. 1 in C minor, B. 9, subtitled The Bells of Zlonice, was composed by Antonín Dvořák during February and March 1865. It is written in the early Romantic style, inspired by the works of Ludwig van Beethoven and Felix Mendelssohn. Dvořák never heard or revised the symphony, because the completed work was lost during his lifetime. It premiered in 1936.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roland Pöntinen</span> Swedish pianist and composer

Roland Peter Pöntinen is a Swedish pianist and composer.

The Symphony in F-sharp, Op. 40, is the only symphony by 20th-century Austrian composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold, although as a teenager in 1912 he had written a Sinfonietta, his Op. 5. Using a theme from the 1939 film The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, the symphony was completed in 1952 and dedicated to the memory of American president Franklin D. Roosevelt, who had died seven years earlier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wiener Singverein</span> Concert choir of the Vienna Musikverein

The Vienna Singverein is the concert choir of the Vienna Musikverein with around 230 members. It is regularly requested by top orchestras and conductors for large and varied projects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khatia Buniatishvili</span> Georgian concert pianist

Khatia Buniatishvili is a Georgian concert pianist.

The Symphony No. 3 in C major of the Swedish composer Franz Berwald, nicknamed the Singulière, was written in 1845. It is scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani and strings. It is about a half-hour in length and is in three movements:

  1. Allegro fuocoso in C major
  2. Adagio - Scherzo - Adagio
  3. Finale: Presto in C minor

The Piano Concerto No. 3 in E minor "Ballade", Op. 60, was one of Nikolai Medtner's last major compositions, completed in 1943, when he was 63.

The Third Essay for Orchestra, Op. 47, is a short orchestral work composed by Samuel Barber in 1978. The score is dedicated to Audrey Sheldon.

Symphony No. 1 in G minor, "Sérieuse", is an orchestral work by Swedish composer Franz Berwald. It was premiered on December 2, 1842 in a concert at the Royal Opera, Stockholm given by the Swedish Royal Court Orchestra conducted by the composer's cousin Johan Fredrik Berwald. This first performance was not a success, leading to this symphony being the only one of Berwald's mature symphonies to be performed during his lifetime;.

Symphony No. 4 in E-flat major is an orchestral work by Swedish composer Franz Berwald written in 1845. Berwald considered naming the symphony "Sinfonie naïve" but the autograph score is simply inscribed "No. 4 in E flat". Berwald attempted to interest French composer/conductor Daniel Auber in premiering the symphony but it had to wait until April 9, 1878 when it was finally given a first performance under Berwald champion Ludvig Norman.

The International Brucknerfest Linz is an annual series of music events held in Linz.

References

  1. ↑ "Franz Schmidt – Symphony No. 4 in C major" – via genius.com.
  2. 1 2 "Universal Edition". www.universaledition.com.
  3. ↑ "Who was Franz Schmidt?". Classical Music. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  4. 1 2 "Schmidt: Symphony No. 4 in C". Classical Music. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  5. 1 2 Schmidt: 4. Sinfonie ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ Paavo Järvi , retrieved 2023-01-14
  6. 1 2 Franz Schmidt "Symphony No 4" Zubin Mehta , retrieved 2023-01-14
  7. ↑ Schmidt: Symphony No. 4 / Petrenko · Berliner Philharmoniker , retrieved 2023-01-14
  8. ↑ Franz Schmidt Symphony No 4 , retrieved 2023-01-14
  9. ↑ "Franz Schmidt: Complete Symphonies - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2023-01-14.
  10. ↑ Franz Welser-Möst, London Philharmonic Orchestra - Schmidt: Symphony No. 4; Variations on a Hussar's Song Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic , retrieved 2023-01-14
  11. ↑ Schmidt Symphony No. 4 / Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra / Simone Young , retrieved 2023-01-14
  12. ↑ Andrew Litton talks about Schmidt's Symphony No. 4 , retrieved 2023-01-14
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.