Also sprach Zarathustra op. 30 by Richard Strauss, performed by the WDR Sinfonieorchester under the baton of its chief conductor Cristian Măcelaru on Oct. 30, 2021 at the Kölner Philharmonie.
Richard Strauss - Also sprach Zarathustra op. 30 (Thus spoke Zarathustra)
tone poem (freely adapted from Friedrich Nietzsche) for large orchestra
00:00:00 Einleitung (Introduction, or Sunrise)
00:01:35 Von den Hinterweltlern (Of the Backworldsmen)
00:05:35 Von der großen Sehnsucht (Of the Great Longing)
00:07:30 Von den Freuden und Leidenschaften (Of Joys and Passions)
00:09:33 Das Grablied (The Song of the Grave)
00:12:07 Von der Wissenschaft (Of Science and Learning)
00:16:21 Der Genesende (The Convalescent)
00:21:22 Das Tanzlied (The Dance Song)
00:29:14 Das Nachtwandlerlied (Song of the Night Wanderer)
WDR Symphony Orchestra
Cristian Măcelaru, conductor
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○ Introduction to the work
Not exactly immodestly, Richard Strauss processes the main work of the philosopher and philologist Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900) in his tone poem "Also sprach Zarathustra". Nietzsche reinterpreted Greek mythology and created a doctrine emphasizing this side of the world. Not the world-denying philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer, but a proud, Dionysian man should become the model of our culture. This one rises above all "backworlders" fleeing into meaning-seeking religions. Nietzsche's writing "Also sprach Zarathustra" (1883) uses a hymnic language. The words are put into the mouth of the ancient Iranian prophet Zoraster (Zarathustra), who lived in the first or second millennium before Christ.
It was actually impossible to set Nietzsche to music, many protested at the time. Strauss proved the opposite. He filtered out the visionary language and the monstrousness of Scripture as an acoustic essence. Even the slow introduction, interpreted by Strauss as a sunrise, with its natural-tone trumpet fanfare lightened from minor to major, has an almost futuristic effect. The composition's nine parts are based on Nietzsche's chapter headings. Strauss makes "Das Tanzlied," a Viennese waltz with an extended violin solo, the work's pinnacle. Despite the pensive ending of this tone poem, the message seems clear: the world belongs not to the doubter, but to man dancing in the here and now. Strauss originally described his "Zarathustra" as "symphonic optimism in fin de siècle form" and dedicated it, with foresight, to "the 20th century." The furious orchestral treatment and the dynamically open form are progressive. "After all, I am a whole fellow," the composer wrote confidently to his wife after the Frankfurt premiere on November 27, 1896. Apparently, he also felt a bit like a Bavarian expression of Nietzsche's image of man.
(Text: Matthias Corvin)
30 июн 2024
