”the Method of composing with twelve tones which will safeguard the German musical hegemony a hundred years ahead”. Got it seemingly so confident Arnold Schoenberg right? Yes, at least halfway. After 1968 began the strict modernist serialismen finally release their grip over the contemporary art music.
But the German musical hegemony persists. In any case, is Indeed the repertoire under Daniel Hardings management. To the cherished Schumann, Mahler, Bruckner, and Brahms was now Schoenberg and Mendelssohn with the rarely performed works.
that dominates the season in the berwald hall, here also for the recording session. This is the second time the Swedish radio symphony orchestra puts Arnold Schoenberg svårtacklade violin concerto on the disc; the first one was with Hilary Hahn and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Then I admired Hahn absolutely spotless, stensäkra performance – even if it’s not got me to appreciate the work.
But Faust and Hardings dedicated interpretation made me constantly fascinated. Mainly for their ability to uncover a wealth of expressive gestures out of this awkward tolvtonsskapelse, highlight the implied dance moves and trudelutter. Simply populate the music to an easy twisted tidsskildring with the features of George Grosz and Otto Dix.
It kicks Schoenberg was exposed with the Swedish radio choir and ”Friede auf Erden”. Harding painted the tender and voluptuously until the harmonious grandeur, something at the expense of the expression. But in Mendelssohn’s funny cantata on the pagan druids valborgsblot came the singers and musicians loss in the playful and inspired musicianship.
”Die erste Walpurgisnacht” experimented Mendelssohn with the ystert slamming stråkträ to the women’s choir and angrily drillande woodwinds to the choir. All of that with Goethe’s words, ”proudly outwit the stupid prästrockarna”.
