Passend zum 3. Monatstag

von LePenseur

 

 

... eine "Dritte", und zwar von Havergal Brian (1876 -1972), einem fast vergessenen britischen Komponisten an der Grenze von Spätromantik zur Moderne, dessen bereits in einem ausführlichen Artikel auf unserem Blog gedacht wurde. Unter den damals aus seinem symphonischen Gesamtwerk (32 Symphonien!) ausgewählten Beispielen befand sich nicht die monumentale Symphonie No. 3 in cis-moll für großes Orchester (inkl. 2 Klaviere) ... eh voilà, hier ist sie:

 

 

Es spielt das New Philharmonia Orchestra unter Stanley Pope, mit Ronald Stevenson und David Wilde als Pianisten. 

 

I - Andante moderato e sempre sostenuto e marcato: 0:00 

II - Lento sempre marcato e rubato: 19:32 

III - Allegro vivace: 33:03 

IV - Lento solenne: 41:18 

 

Unter dem Video befindet sich eine umfangreiche Analyse des wahrlich monumentalen Werks (ca. 54 Minuten Gesamtdauer), die unseren geneigten Lesern (soferne sie des Englischen mächtig sind) nicht vorenthalten sei:

 

Brian's Symphony No.3 was composed between April 12 of 1931 and May 28 of 1932. It seems that at first he had thought of the work as a concerto for two pianos, as expressed in a letter written to Granville Bantock. This would be confirmed by using the two pianos more extensively in the first movement. He was never able to hear this symphony, as it was premiered on January 12, 1974, after his death, during a recording for the BBC, performed by the New Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Stanley Pope. The first public audition was held on May 17, 1987 at Birmingham Town Hall, performed by the Composers’ Platform West Midlands Symphony Orchestra conducted by Paul Venn. 

 

The first movement is the most complex and extensive. Written in a modified sonata form with a widely developed exposition. It begins with a solemn introduction that leads us to the first theme of romantic character. After a transition, dominated by the first piano, the orchestra repeats the first theme. Percussion leads us to the presentation of the second theme with a broad melody. It continues with an episode of a pointillist type with the intervention of the pianos and the glockenspiel. The development contains strong dissonances. The atmosphere becomes more placid with the intervention of the flute and the clarinet in octaves. The strings, in a more expressive way, lead to a crescendo. 

 

The exposition merges with the development. A rhythmic section, based on the introduction and dominated by pianos, xylophone and bass drum, begins the recapitulation. We hear again the first romantic theme, but as is Brian's custom, the themes are also redeveloped. The second theme is heard again. Cascades of notes on the piano prepare us for a peak of romantic force, which is being born on the strings and passes to the whole orchestra. A diminuendo takes us to a rhythmic section marked by bassoons, horns and cellos, stopped by the octaves of the piano. The motive is repeated four times, separated by heavy blows of the timpani. The coda grows in the form of a powerful march accompanied by blows of the percussion, which closes with tension the movement. 

 

The second movement begins with fragments of motifs. A solo from the flute presents a theme of pastoral calm, repeated by the violin. The winds present a contrast with a theme of alpine grandeur. These two contrasted elements form the heart of the movement: the placidness of the meadows in front of the pride of the mountain, motives that are alternating. The middle of the movement is occupied by a violin solo, faced with melodic fragments of the winds which gradually fades away. A blow of the timpani seems to awaken again the orchestra, which leads us towards one of the most magical moments of the work, with some resemblance to the music of Vaughan Williams. Continues towards a climax of Brucknerian force in which pianos reappear. A series of great chords leads us to a pastoral coda, in which we listen to the oboe in an expressive melody. The melody passes to the flute, accompanied by the strings that quietly ends the movement. 

 

The third movement is the scherzo of the symphony. It begins with a brilliant march accompanied by the percussion. A central section for flute and string quartet offers the proper contrast. Then the march continues. The trio is formed by a charming and delicate waltz of Viennese structure, almost taken out of an operetta. The melody is developed in a way that reminds Richard Strauss. The initial march reappears abruptly, harsh and dissonant in its variations. The brass is used with all its force in a powerful coda. 

 

The last movement is of an elegiac nature. According to a letter written to Bantock, he explained that while he was finishing the work, he learned from the Berliner Tageblatt newspaper that Friedrich Gundolf, a German professor at the University of Heidelberg, a friend of him, had died. For this reason it could be a kind of Requiem in his name. The clarinet presents a broad and sad theme, developed when the strings take it in a more comforting way. A complex polyphony takes over the theme, which leads to a climax. 

 

Again we hear the pianos, before the distant calls of the trumpet and the horns. A crescendo of the timpani leads us to the development, with the presentation of the second theme endowed with a calm character. The tension increases, with incursions of the pianos, while the two main themes are developed. The rhythm accelerates with fast entrances of wood and strings. A kind of recapitulation reminds us of the themes and leads us towards a climax. An epilogue of great strength and solemnity closes the work.