Rihm is professor of composition at the Hochschule für Musik,
Karlsruhe www.hit-karlsruhe.de/hfm-ka/hfm/index.htm
. He also sits on a number of influential committees in Germany and has a say
in decisions affecting the working conditions of his fellow musicians. Rihm’s compositions
now exceed 400 works and by combining contemporary techniques with the
emotional volatility of Mahler and of Schoenberg's early expressionist period,
his music has been regarded by many as a revolt against the avant-garde
generation of Boulez and Stockhausen, with whom he studied in 1972–73.
At the age of 25 he composed a chamber opera Jakob Lenz that has since become, probably,
the most frequently produced piece of contemporary music theatre in Germany. This
was followed by a series of large-scale operas, Die Hamletmaschine, Die
Eroberung von Mexico and Das Gehege
as well as a work of experimental music theatre Séraphin. In the late 1970s and early 1980s his name was associated
with the movement called New Simplicity. His work still continues in an expressionist
vein, though the influence of Luigi Nono, Helmut Lachenmann and Morton Feldman,
amongst others, has affected his style significantly.
In addition to his staged works, Rihm has written vocal and
choral works, orchestral works including symphonies and concertos, chamber
works including string quartets and works for piano.
In March 2010 the BBC Symphony Orchestra www.bbc.co.uk/orchestras/symphonyorchestra
featured the music of Rihm in one of
their 'total immersion' weekends at the Barbican Centre, London www.barbican.org.uk . Recordings from
this weekend were used for three 'Hear and Now' programmes on BBC Radio 3 www.bbc.co.uk/radio3 dedicated to his
work. Anne-Sophie Mutter www.anne-sophie-mutter.de
premiered his violin concerto Lichtes
Spiel (Light Games) in Avery Fisher Hall http://lc.lincolncenter.org with the New
York Philharmonic http://nyphil.org on 18
November 2010.
Of significance are
the compositions which take their cue from music of past centuries such as Bach,
Schumann and Brahms. Harmonia Mundi www.harmoniamundi.com
have released a live recording of Rihm’s
Symphonie ‘Nähe Fern’ where the composer again demonstrates his affinity with Brahms.
The title is from a poem by Goethe which Brahms also set to music. It was
written at the suggestion of Numa Bischof Ullman, the director of the Luzerner
Sinfonieorchester and the Lucerne Festival, who asked Rihm to compose four
orchestral works, one of which could be played before each of Brahms’
symphonies. These were premiered over the course of a year between June 2011
and June 2012 and, on 20th August 2012, performed with the
orchestration of Rihm’s setting for voice and piano of Geothe’s Dammrung senke sich von oben, to form a
complete symphony. The performers on that occasion are the same as those on
this new release, the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester www.sinfonieorchester.ch conducted by James Gaffigan
with the baritone, Hans Christoph Begemann.
HMC 902153 |
The title of the symphony, Nähe fern, or proximate
distance, indicates that, whilst Rihm allows us to hear the harmonies,
motifs and characters associated with Brahms, this is very much his own
composition.
The opening movement of
Symphony ‘Nähe fern’, Nähe fern 1 starts with a ruminating
sound in the cellos and basses, but slowly broadens into a melody, still dark,
as the rest of the orchestra joins, reaching an anguished small climax. It very
much has the feel of Schoenberg’s early expressionist music filtered through a
new tonally free style. Throughout this movement the music heaves and shifts
tonally as well as dynamically. As the movement progresses through more
climaxes there is a well-known sound in the orchestra that is difficult to
define. It is the ghost of Brahms just hidden in the texture. There is a return
to the opening motif in the cellos and basses as timpani strokes bring the
movement quietly to an end.
The second movement, Dämmrung
senkte sich von oben (Dusk has Fallen from Above) has a brief orchestral
opening before the baritone Hans Christoph Begemann joins in this short setting
of Goethe. It has a twilight feel again with Schoenberg’s atonal nature, with
some lovely woodwind moments. Begemann has a lovely rich tone, so very flexible
in this music.
Nähe fern 2 starts
with a growl from the basses before the most distinctive sound of a Brahmsian
melodic motif emerges. This is glorious, no pastiche, as it is entirely Rihm’s
own distinctive creation, Schoenberg filtered through Brahms’ melodic quality
in the style of Rihm. Rhythmically it touches on Brahms as it speeds up then
slows before a great climax. There is a rich tapestry of sounds, fascinating to
listen to, with the various lines weaving their way through this intoxicating
music. There are mysterious brass sounds
before a string phrase brings the movement to an end.
The dynamic opening of the third movement Nähe fern 3 has a beautifully luminous
orchestration with the subtle Brahmsian intervals and motifs appearing. This is
the nearest to a scherzo of any of the movements, with numerous outbursts in
this volatile music. Halfway through, the music becomes even more volatile,
with brass interventions. However, it soon quietens as a lovely string passage
emerges with lovely woodwind sounds. There are further outbursts but still the calm
manages to prevail as the music falls to lower strings and a quiet transition
to the final movement, Nähe fern 4
where there are more outbursts before the calm prevails.
There is a quiet and gentle rising and falling melody and
the music has little forward surges with some beautiful textures weaving
through. The tempo increases in a Brahmsian rhythm before a climax with
percussion. It soon calms but individual brass and woodwind herald a short
climax. Midway through the movement there is a mysterious section with
percussion sounds leading to a flowing section. Brahms still lurks and, despite
outbursts and percussion, there is a sense of mystery with some atmospheric sounds
from the orchestra as the movement works its way towards its end, which arrives
on a quiet brass chord.
This symphony is an outstanding success, one of those works that
sounds as though it has always existed. It never loses its flow and sense of
forward motion. The performance by the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester, conducted by James Gaffigan, couldn't be bettered. This new release is highly recommended coming as it does with
excellent sound, informative booklet notes and full texts and translations.
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