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Schönberg's Erwartung in Hamburg and Gurre-Lieder in Prague

Jun. 23, 2023

Soprano Anne Schwanewilms and the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Sylvain Cambreling, performed Arnold Schönberg's dramatic monodrama Erwartung at the Laeiszhalle, Großer Saal in Hamburg on June 18. The work was paired with Hector Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique.

Erwartung is a musical tour de force, as Alexander Zemlinsky described when giving a practical and detailed multi-step introduction to the way he rehearsed the opera (excerpted from Pult und Taktstock, March/April 1927 issue). Zemlinsky noted:

"In my experience, the most difficult work is past when two artists, a singer and a conductor, convinced of the great value of this piece, devote themselves entirely to learning it until it is completely successful: the conductor, not burdened by any interests his boss might have, jokes along with the orchestra during rehearsals, and the singer, who – apart from having a beautiful voice (and the role absolutely must be sung beautifully) – must be capable of strong dramatic presentation. The most difficult hurdle is overcome when these requirements are met well enough. The orchestra part is not much more difficult than other modern works, and it has the advantage of virtually sounding “by itself,” so wonderfully is it scored.

I rehearsed the orchestra like this. I divided the players into very small groups, which I rehearsed separately; flutes and oboes: clarinet and bassoons: the horns alone: trumpets, trombones and percussion: first and second violins: violas, celli and contrabasses. Then all the strings and the harp: all the winds and percussion: and finally the whole orchestra without the singer. At that point, only two Sitzproben (rehearsals with the singer and orchestra) were sufficient before the actual stage rehearsals with orchestra began. Since the work lasts only a half an hour, much was accomplished during the usual three-hour rehearsals; it turned out that three such stage rehearsals were enough to achieve a thoroughly clear and impressive performance. 

To alleviate certain intonation difficulties in the singing, I had a harmonium installed in a trapdoor located at a place onstage chiefly occupied by the singer, which occasionally cued her notes without disturbing the listeners in any way. Thus we managed a performance which betrayed not an iota of all its difficulties."


Arnold Schönberg/Excerpts from Erwartung/De Nederlandse Opera/Oliver Knussen, conductor/
Pierre Audi, stage director/Iannis Kounellis, concept

On June 20, the State Opera performed Schönberg's Gurre-Lieder at the National Theatre in Prague. The perfomance was broadcast live by Czech Radio Vltava and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, and recorded by Czech Television. Schönberg worked on his Gurre-Lieder for soloists, chorus and orchestra from 1900-1911, a period in which he left the work’s style far behind. For him its completion represented the documentation of a compositional style and spiritual attitude no longer his own. At its 1913 premiere at the Vienna Musikverein, the piece enjoyed overwhelming success; Schönberg’s pupil Anton Webern wrote: "What a moment of my life! Unforgettable… The sensation of this tumultuous noise thrills me to the point where I swoon…"


Arnold Schönberg/Gurre-Lieder/Rundfunkchor Berlin/Rundfunkchor Leipzig/Prager Mannerchor/
Dresdner Philharmonie/Herbert Kegel, conductor

To learn more about Arnold Schönberg, visit universaledition.com.

Arnold Schönberg
Erwartung (1909)
monodrama in one act
4.4.5.4-4.3.4.1-timp-3perc-hp-cel-str
30'

Gurre-Lieder (1900-1911)
for soloists, chorus, and orchestra
text (Ger) by Jens Peter Jacobsen
8.5.7.5-10.6.btpt.6.btbn.1-timp-perc-4hp-cel-str
130'

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