Ruth Leon recommends… Gurre-Lieder – BR-Klassik
Ruth Leon recommendsGurre-Lieder – BR-Klassik
BR-Klassik Index – Click here to browse
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My friend Hazel has found us a new platform for online classical music concerts. It’s called Br-Klassik, check its Index, and it has a splendid roster of videos including this superb,”Gurre-Lieder”.
“Gurre-Lieder“ is an oratorio in three parts for soloists, speaker, choir and orchestra by Arnold Schoenberg, performed here at the Isarphilharmonie by the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra with the Bavarian Radio Choir and international singing soloists including Simon O’Neill, Dorothea Röschmann, Jamie Barton, including Thomas Quasthoff as speaker.
Conductor Simon Rattle describes it as “the wildest, most beautiful, most romantic work imaginable.” And he describes why the performance of the Gurre-Lieder has special meaning for him: “As an eleven-year-old in Liverpool, I was fascinated by the largest orchestral score that was in the music library – Schönberg’s Gurre-Lieder. The volume was almost as big as me and it was really difficult to bring it home! And now, many years later, I am here to celebrate the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra’s 75th birthday with this piece by Arnold Schönberg!”
With their gigantic effort of musicians and singers, Schönberg’s Gurre songs push almost every concert venue to its capacity limits. A border crossing that is, however, rewarded with an unforgettable music and sound experience, beyond the usual concert experience. The Bavarian Radio Choir and Symphony Orchestra are reinforced by the MDR Broadcasting Choir.
I envisage that we’ll be dipping into the BR-Klassik catalogue often in the future.
The generic descriptor for Gurre-Lieder is orchestral “songs” or “song-cycle” or “cantata.”
There is no authority for “oratorio.”
I would not have argued with you if you told me this was by Delius. Quite delightful.
Leon Botstein conducted it recently in Carnegie Hall.
The forces in this video were slated to play this at Carnegie Hall when the original subscription brochure came out for this season. By the time the general public one came out a couple months later, it was replaced by the Wagner/Ades/Beethoven program they played a couple nights ago.
The spread of Gurrelieder is amazing, given the enormous costs and the olympic efforts required by the immense number of participants. Who could have anticipated that the last gigantic gasp of Wagnerian late romanticism would get its breath in the 21st century??
The correct title is Gorilla-lieder, as it is best to be one, to be able to sing the thing! The BRSO Sir Simon are amazing, as are Dorothea, Jamie, Peter, Josef, the Chor and of course the great Quasthoff. I hope you enjoy the performance.