Door zoveel muziek te schrijven in zijn carriere heeft Hindemith het zijn publiek niet makkelijk gemaakt,want vele van zijn werken zijn niet zo interessant. Het gaat er echter om de pareltjes die er wel tussen zitten te ontdekken en uit te voeren. "Die Harmonie der Welt" is zo een pareltje. Prachtig begin met die donderende percussie. Ik heb onlangs zijn vioolconcert ontdekt; nog zo een werk dat onder de radar blijft.
Hindemith has been for long neglected since he did not adopt the atonal language (which he knew rather well) and thus was seen as an outsider of the main stream of the modern language. Nowadays, we can consider these issues with a more broad vision and hence recognize the cleverness of Hindemaith's writing. This symphony is a good example of his throughput.
@@jgesselberty If it is "nothingness," it is the creatio ex nihilo nothingness of the Big Bang, meaning the nothing that accounts for everything. Out of the nothingness of a point (location without physicality), two points give us a line; three two dimensions, four points the three dimensions of a tetrahedron - and voila, our normal universe. Thought itself is "nothing," and few composers could think so well as Hindemith.
I own some personal letters of Hindemith given to me as a young man by someone who believed in me. Hindemith has always been a very special composer to me - he's the truly contrapuntal composer of the 20th century (along with Paul Creston) - the first such composer since Haydn. His letters are that of a truly great man. I love his music. It speaks to a beautiful soul.
I would like to argue your contention about H's stature as regards counterpoint. Look into Fartein Valen in Norway and Gerald Finzi in England, among others. Not that that distinction holds much distinction. Counterpoint trends to be what is internalized, while the creative spirit moves away. Do look into Valen. He is one such composer.
I can listen to certain classical pieces and composers any time without really needing to pay attention - great background but not necessarily engrossing. I listen to Hindemith, Webern and certain other when "listening to the music" and becoming engrossed in it is the point. Despite the intensity of concentration music like this requires, it relaxes other areas of my mind that focus on daily work. This often "reboots my brain" and clears mental blocks so that when I return to my work, I do so refreshed. This is indeed an excellent performance.
ross Leo that's interesting to hear.Could you elaborate a bit more because for me harmonic consonant (eg bach) music rather relaxes me and this is something i could only really listen to when i have no other work to do.
Was für eine freudige Überraschung: Endlich eine differenzierte und liebevoll interpretierte Wiedergabe dieses tollen Werks. Eine außergewöhnliche Orchesterleistung! Estupendo!
Hindemith a été longtemps négligé puisqu'il n'a pas adopté la langue atonale (qu'il connaissait plutôt bien) et a donc été considéré comme un étranger au courant principal de la langue moderne. Aujourd'hui, on peut considérer ces questions avec une vision plus large et reconnaître ainsi l'ingéniosité de son l'écriture . Cette symphonie est un bon exemple, de fait, de son débit 🤠
This marvelous symphony, is taken from the 5 act opera, of the same name, about astronomer, Johannes Kepler's search for universal harmony. The opera, and the symphony, ends as the characters in the opera become and represent the celestial bodies, the suns and moons and planets that occupied Kepler's life. It is nothing short of miraculous.
Actually he wrote the symphony before he had a clear idea of the opera's action, so you could say he extracted the opera from the symphony! Same thing with Mathis, by the way.
.. gewiss herber als die berühmtere Mathis-der-Maler-Sinfonie ist dieses Hindemith-Werk (auch inhaltlich) von statuarischer Größe; der spanische Maestro - ein internationaler Spezialist für auch zeitgenössische Musik - und das Spanische RSO überzeugen mit einer intensiven Interpretation.
It should be called the "chaos of the universe." Besides hardly any audience the venue is not a good recording chamber. So many good things happen in bad places. A Hindemith work never fails to get my attention, his harmonic structures thrill me.
Yes, I agree! Hindemith is not a composer most people can relate easily to but with perseverance his music brings many rewards. I noticed the performance was not well attended which is unfortunate as orchestras cannot continue to play only the same standard repertoire - there is so much great music out there to be discovered!
J'avoue que j'ai énormément de mal avec cette symphonie qui, malgré les extraordinaires moyens employés (beaucoup trop à mon goût) ne parvient pas à éveiller chez moi la moindre émotion sinon celle de l'agacement. Et pourtant j'adore Mathis der Mahler, les métamorphoses symphoniques, le Schwanendreher, Nobilissima Visione et les quatuors. A la fin de sa vie, Hindemith devait avoir accès à des sphères qui échappe à mon niveau d'écoute.
Rautavaara must have been a great admirer of this incredible composer and his work, by almost totally copying the grand finally (passacaglia) of this work in his 8th symphony.
La sifonía es genial. Una obra inspiradísima de un gran compositor que todavía , por no sé qué ironías del destino, nos toca reivindicar.Por desgracia, la interpretación no convence demasiado. Y la acústica junto con la realización dejan que desear.
@@knd1940 I don't know. The metaphor for Hindemith's theory of harmony in Kepler's search for universal harmony doesn't resonate as much for me as Matthias's struggle for artistic freedom, mirroring Hindemith's own struggles during the Nazi era.
@@muslit If I knew the operas I might agree with you but I only know the derived symphonies so I listen to them as pure music, and from that point of view I prefer Die Harmonie der Welt. The Mathis der Maler symphony is among Hindemith's best loved music, unlike Die Harmonie der Welt, but personally I get more out of the latter than the former.
@@knd1940 I don't know, but I think the gist of both operas are in the symphonies, hence the popularity of one symphony over the other. That's not to say that Mathis der Mahler as an opera is performed very often.
The triumphant effects come across as overblown because so many of his ideas are bland and uninspired. What a contrast to this earlier works, so full of arresting motives and daring juxtapositions.
Like the late output of many great composers - from Liszt to Stravinsky - Hindemith's works from the last decade or so of his creative life may initially seem to lack the appeal of his best-known earlier pieces. But I've found over the years that works like this symphony, the Madrigals and the Mass gradually reveal their depth and beauty. And the Symphony in B-flat for wind band is extraordinary! :)
@@treesny Nice dialogue with Victor Grauer above. To me, it's not so much early vs late as it is a case of a manically prolific composer who was always very uneven, all the way through. For example, his wind quintet (Kleine Kammermusik Op 24 No 2) is early [1922], while his horn concerto, written for Dennis Brain, is late [1949], but both are hauntingly beautiful (especially the wind quintet, which has yet to be understood as one of THE great compositions of the entire XX century). But in-between? Many many dull and irritating 'compositions' which in Hindemith's own mind were simply exercises (yet foisted on the public as 'compositions' due to his Gargantuan ego -- the utterly ghastly and worthless 'horn sonata' being a case in point).
