{"id":43985,"date":"2024-06-11T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-11T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/f00375a0-2551-4ce0-8773-773453652aa3"},"modified":"2024-06-11T13:36:06","modified_gmt":"2024-06-11T11:36:06","slug":"schoenberg-expressionist-music-review","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/schoenberg-expressionist-music-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Schoenberg: Expressionist Music (Review)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By <\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 11 June 2024 at 08:00 AM<\/p>

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Schoenberg: Expressionist Music (Choral & Song Choice \u2013 July 2024)<\/h2>

Claire Booth and Christopher Glynn present songs by the composer in a vivid new light, says Erik Levi<\/em> in his review of Schoenberg: Expressionist Music…<\/em><\/p>

Schoenberg<\/a><\/strong>Expressionist Music \u2013 Erwartung, Op. 2 No. 1; M\u00e4dchenlied, Op. 6 No. 3 etcClaire Booth (soprano), Christopher Glynn (piano)Orchid Classics ORC100306\u00a0\u00a0\u00a060:50 mins\u00a0<\/em><\/p>

The neglect of Schoenberg\u2019s substantial output of lieder, in the recital room and on recordings, remains something of a mystery. Perhaps the composer\u2019s reputation as an uncompromising modernist has much to do with it.<\/p>

Although openly acknowledging Schoenberg\u2019s problematic reputation, Claire Booth and Christopher Glynn have come up with an ingenious way of presenting his music in the most accessible and vivid manner. <\/p>

Their solution is to create a kind of songbook focused around eight central themes that are directly related to some of the composer\u2019s paintings. To make the link seem more tangible, illustrations of the relevant works are reproduced in the booklet.<\/p>

‘Booth and Glynn maximise the variety of Schoenberg\u2019s musical expression’<\/p><\/blockquote>

Adopting this approach enables Booth and Glynn to maximise the variety of musical expression explored in each of the themes with performances that respond vividly to all the twists and turns in Schoenberg\u2019s complex and ever-changing musical armoury. <\/p>

Thus, post-Wagnerian songs from the earlier part of Schoenberg\u2019s career rub shoulders with settings which operate on the borderlines of conventional tonality and those, such as the\u00a0Brettl-Lieder<\/em>\u00a0and Folksong arrangements, that are simpler or more ironic in character.<\/p>

Such startling juxtapositions make a far more powerful impression than adopting a conventional chronological survey. They also serve to highlight some particularly powerful works such as the Nietzsche setting \u2018Der Wanderer\u2019, or Heinrich Ammann\u2019s \u2018Jane Grey\u2019.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>

In addition, Glynn provides further contrast with two of the\u00a0Six Pieces for Piano<\/em>, the last of which is a moving conclusion to the album.\u00a0Erik Levi<\/em><\/p>