' is a large

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning o ...

for five vocal soloists, narrator, chorus and large orchestra, composed by

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (, ; ; 13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian-American composer, music theorist, teacher, writer, and painter. He is widely considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century. He was as ...

, on poems by the Danish novelist Jens Peter Jacobsen (translated from Danish to German by ). The title means "songs of Gurre", referring to Gurre Castle in Denmark, scene of the medieval love-tragedy (related in Jacobsen's poems) revolving around the Danish national legend of the love of the Danish king

Valdemar Atterdag Valdemar IV Atterdag (the epithet meaning "Return of the Day"), or Waldemar (132024 October 1375) was King of Denmark from 1340 to 1375. He is mostly known for his reunion of Denmark after the bankruptcy and mortgaging of the country to finance w ...

(Valdemar IV, 1320–1375, spelled Waldemar by Schoenberg) for his mistress Tove, and her subsequent murder by Valdemar's jealous wife Queen Helvig (a legend which is historically more likely connected with his ancestor Valdemar I).

Composition

In 1900, Schoenberg began composing the work as a

song cycle A song cycle (german: Liederkreis or Liederzyklus) is a group, or cycle, of individually complete songs designed to be performed in a sequence as a unit.Susan Youens, ''Grove online'' The songs are either for solo voice or an ensemble, or rare ...

for

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880& ...

tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

and piano for a competition run by the ''Wiener Tonkünstler-Verein'' (Vienna Composers' Association). It was written in a lush, late-romantic style heavily influenced by

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most op ...

and

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer, conductor, pianist, and violinist. Considered a leading composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras, he has been described as a successor of Richard Wag ...

. According to Schoenberg, however, he "finished them half a week too late for the contest, and this decided the fate of the work." Later that year, he radically expanded his original conception, composing links between the first nine songs as well as adding a prelude, the ''Wood Dove's Song'', and the whole of Parts Two and Three. He worked on this version sporadically until around 1903, when he abandoned the mammoth task of orchestrating the work and moved on to other projects. By the time he returned to the piece in 1910, he had already written his first acknowledged

atonal Atonality in its broadest sense is music that lacks a tonal center, or key. ''Atonality'', in this sense, usually describes compositions written from about the early 20th-century to the present day, where a hierarchy of harmonies focusing on a s ...

works, such as the '' Three Pieces for Piano'', Op. 11, '' Five Pieces for Orchestra'', Op. 16 and '' Erwartung'', Op. 17. He had also come under the spell of

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the modernism ...

, whom he had met in 1903 and whose influence may be discernible in the orchestration of the latter parts of the ''Gurre-Lieder''. Whereas Parts One and Two are clearly Wagnerian in conception and execution, Part Three features the pared-down orchestral textures and kaleidoscopic shifts between small groups of instruments favoured by Mahler in his later symphonies. In ''Des Sommerwindes wilde Jagd'', Schoenberg also introduced the first use of

Sprechgesang (, "spoken singing") and (, "spoken voice") are expressionist vocal techniques between singing and speaking. Though sometimes used interchangeably, ''Sprechgesang'' is directly related to the operatic ''recitative'' manner of singing (in which p ...

(or Sprechstimme), a technique he would explore more fully in '' Pierrot Lunaire'' of 1912. The orchestration was finally completed in November 1911.

Premieres

Franz Schreker Franz Schreker (originally ''Schrecker''; 23 March 1878 – 21 March 1934) was an Austrian composer, conductor, teacher and administrator. Primarily a composer of operas, Schreker developed a style characterized by aesthetic plurality (a mixture ...

conducted the premiere of the work in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

on 23 February 1913. By this time, Schoenberg was disenchanted with the style and character of the piece and was even dismissive of its positive reception, saying "I was rather indifferent, if not even a little angry. I foresaw that this success would have no influence on the fate of my later works. I had, during these thirteen years, developed my style in such a manner that to the ordinary concertgoer, it would seem to bear no relation to all preceding music. I had to fight for every new work; I had been offended in the most outrageous manner by criticism; I had lost friends and I had completely lost any belief in the judgement of friends. And I stood alone against a world of enemies." At the premiere, Schoenberg did not even face the members of the audience, many of whom were fierce critics of his who were newly won over by the work; instead, he bowed to the musicians, but kept his back turned to the cheering crowd. Violinist Francis Aranyi called it "the strangest thing that a man in front of that kind of a hysterical, worshipping mob has ever done." It would be wrong to assume that Schoenberg considered ''Gurre-Lieder'' a composition of no merit, however. A few months after the premiere he wrote to Wassily Kandinsky, "I certainly do not look down on this work, as the journalists always suppose. For although I have certainly developed very much since those days, I have ''not improved'', but my style has simply got better ... I consider it important that people give credence to the elements in this work which I retained later." The first Dutch performance, directed by Schoenberg himself, was in March 1921 in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. Schoenberg's champion and former pupil, the BBC programme planner Edward Clark, invited the composer to London to conduct the first British performance on 27 January 1928, in a translation by

David Millar Craig David Millar Craig (10 September 1878 – 1965) was the BBC's first Controller for Scotland, in charge of all the Corporation's Scottish radio stations between 1924 and 1926. Background Craig was born in Edinburgh. His father, John Millar Craig, ...

. Clark had tried to have the premiere the previous year, on 14 April 1927, but these plans fell through. Leopold Stokowski conducted the American premiere on 8 April 1932, with the

Philadelphia Orchestra The Philadelphia Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One of the " Big Five" American orchestras, the orchestra is based at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, where it performs its subscriptio ...

, soloists and chorus.

First recording

Stokowski's performances on 9 and 11 April 1932 were recorded 'live' by RCA (see below). The company issued the 11 April performance on twenty-seven 78rpm sides, and this remained the only recording of the work in the catalogue until the advent of LP; it was eventually reissued on LP and CD. Bell Laboratories had been experimentally recording the Philadelphia Orchestra in high fidelity and

stereophonic sound Stereophonic sound, or more commonly stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configuration ...

; RCA reportedly used the new technology to record the performances on 33 1/3 rpm masters.

Other performances

A performance of ''Gurre-Lieder'' without intermission runs over an hour and a half. Riccardo Chailly's 1990

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in We ...

recording, for example, lasts more than 100 minutes and takes two compact discs. In 2014 the

Dutch National Opera The Dutch National Opera (DNO; formerly De Nederlandse Opera, now De Nationale Opera in Dutch) is a Dutch opera company based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its present home base is the Dutch National Opera & Ballet housed in the Stopera building, ...

in Amsterdam was the first company to perform the ''Gurre-Lieder'' as a stage presentation, in a production directed by Pierre Audi.

Structure

The cantata is divided into three parts. Whereas the first two parts are scored for solo voices and orchestra only, the third part introduces a further two soloists, a narrator, three four-part male choruses as well as a full mixed chorus. In the first part of the work (approx. 1 hour), the love of Waldemar for Tove and the theme of misfortune and impending death are recounted in nine songs for soprano and tenor with orchestral accompaniment. A long orchestral interlude leads to the ''Wood Dove's Song'' which tells of Tove's death and Waldemar's grief. The brief second part (5 mins) consists of just one song in which the bereft and distraught Waldemar accuses God of cruelty. In the third part (approx. 45 mins), Waldemar calls his dead vassals from their graves. The undead's restless roaming and savage hunt around the castle at night is thunderously depicted by the male chorus, until the horde, driven by the radiance of the sunrise, recedes back into death's sleep. During this, a peasant sings of his fear of the eerie army and there is a humorous interlude in the grotesque song of the fool Klaus who is forced to ride with the macabre host when he would rather rest in his grave. A gentle orchestral interlude depicting the light of dawn leads into the melodrama ''The Summer Wind's Wild Hunt'', a narration about the morning wind, which flows into the mixed-choral conclusion ''Seht die Sonne!'' ("See the Sun!").

Part one

# Orchestral Prelude # ''Nun dämpft die Dämm'rung'' (tenor = Waldemar) # ''O, wenn des Mondes Strahlen '' (soprano = Tove) # ''Ross! Mein Ross!'' (Waldemar) # ''Sterne jubeln'' (Tove) # ''So tanzen die Engel vor Gottes Thron nicht'' (Waldemar) # ''Nun sag ich dir zum ersten Mal'' (Tove) # ''Es ist Mitternachtszeit'' (Waldemar) # ''Du sendest mir einen Liebesblick'' (Tove) # ''Du wunderliche Tove!'' (Waldemar) # Orchestral Interlude # ''Tauben von Gurre!'' (mezzo-soprano = Wood Dove)

Part two

:''Herrgott, weißt du, was du tatest'' (Waldemar)

Part three

# ''Erwacht, König Waldemars Mannen wert!'' (Waldemar) # ''Deckel des Sarges klappert'' (bass-baritone = Peasant, men's chorus) # ''Gegrüsst, o König'' (men's chorus = Waldemar's men) # ''Mit Toves Stimme flüstert der Wald'' (Waldemar) # ''Ein seltsamer Vogel ist so'n Aal'' (Klaus the Jester) # ''Du strenger Richter droben'' (Waldemar) # ''Der Hahn erhebt den Kopf zur Kraht'' (men's chorus) Des Sommerwindes wilde Jagd / The Summer Wind's Wild Hunt

Instrumentation

''Gurre-Lieder'' calls for exceptionally large orchestral and choral forces (approximately 150 instrumentalists and 200 singers): ; Woodwinds :4

Piccolo The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the s ...

s (doubling Fl. 5–8) :4

Flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedles ...

s :3

Oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. ...

s :2

English Horn The cor anglais (, or original ; plural: ''cors anglais''), or English horn in North America, is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family. It is approximately one and a half times the length of an oboe, making it essentially an alt ...

s (doubling Ob. 4, 5) :3

Clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitch ...

s in B & A :2 E clarinets (doubling A Cl. 4, 5) :2

Bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave ...

s (doubling A Cl. 6, 7) :3

Bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuos ...

s :2

Contrabassoon The contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower. Its technique is similar to its smaller cousin, with a few notable differences. Differences from the bassoon The reed is consi ...

s ;

Brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wi ...

:10 Horns (Hns. 7-10 doubling Wagner tubas in B and F) :6

Trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

s in F, B & C : Bass trumpet in E : Alto trombone :4

Tenor trombone A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

s :

Bass trombone The bass trombone (german: Bassposaune, it, trombone basso) is the bass instrument in the trombone family of brass instruments. Modern instruments are pitched in the same B♭ as the tenor trombone but with a larger bore, bell and mouthpiece to ...

: Contrabass trombone : Tuba ;

Percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

Timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionall ...

: Tenor drum :

Snare drum The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used ...

Bass drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. Th ...

Cymbal A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs soun ...

s :

Triangle A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non- colline ...

: Ratchet :Large Iron

Chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. ...

s : Tam-tam :

Glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( or , : bells and : set) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the vibraphone. The gloc ...

Xylophone The xylophone (; ) is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists of wooden bars struck by mallets. Like the glockenspiel (which uses metal bars), the xylophone essentially consists of a set of tuned wooden keys arranged in ...

; Keyboards :

Celesta The celesta or celeste , also called a bell-piano, is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. It looks similar to an upright piano (four- or five- octave), albeit with smaller keys and a much smaller cabinet, or a large wooden music box ...

;Voices : Narrator :

Soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880& ...

(Tove) :

Mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middl ...

(Waldtaube) :2

Tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is wide ...

s ( Waldemar & Klaus-Narr) :

Bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three ...

(

Peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasa ...

) :3 4-part male choruses :8-part mixed

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

; Strings :4

Harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orc ...

s :

Violin The violin, sometimes known as a '' fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone ( string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument ( soprano) in the family in regu ...

s I, II (20 for each section) :

Viola ; german: Bratsche , alt=Viola shown from the front and the side , image=Bratsche.jpg , caption= , background=string , hornbostel_sachs=321.322-71 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded by a bow , range= , related= *Violin family ...

(16) : Violoncello (16) :

Double bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

(12)

Recordings

* Leopold Stokowski (1932), with soloists Paul Althouse (Waldemar), Jeanette Vreeland (Tove), Rose Bampton (Wood Dove), Robert Betts (Klaus the Jester), Benjamin de Loache (Peasant), Abrasha Robofsky (Narrator) and choirs Princeton Glee Club, Fortnightly Club, Mendelssohn Club, Philadelphia Orchestra Chorus. Recordings were made during live performances at the Metropolitan Opera Philadelphia, in two distinct versions with the same personnel, on 9 and 11 April 1932. :Stokowski (1949) recorded the ''Song of the Wood-Dove'' in Erwin Stein's edition in 1949, with Martha Lipton, mezzo-soprano, and the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

(Columbia Records; reissued on Cala Records). :Stokowski (1961) returned to ''Gurre-Lieder'' in 1961 for performances in Philadelphia and again in Scotland, where he and the

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

opened that year's Edinburgh International Festival with the work. Recordings of the Philadelphia and Edinburgh radio broadcasts have survived, with the 1961 Edinburgh Festival performance having been issued in 2012 on the Guild Historical label. The soloists in that performance were James McCracken (Waldemar), Gré Brouwenstijn (Tove), Nell Rankin (Wood Dove),

Forbes Robinson Peter Forbes Robinson (21 May 192613 May 1987) was a British bass, born in Macclesfield, best known for his performances in works by Mozart, Verdi, and Britten. Career He created the title role in Michael Tippett's '' King Priam''. His recor ...

(Peasant), John Lanigan (Klaus the Jester) and Alvar Lidell (Narrator) and chorus was Edinburg Royal Choral Union. (GHCD 2388/89). *

René Leibowitz René Leibowitz (; 17 February 1913 – 29 August 1972) was a Polish, later naturalised French, composer, conductor, music theorist and teacher. He was historically significant in promoting the music of the Second Viennese School in Paris after ...

, Chorus and Orchestra of the New Symphony Society, Paris, Richard Lewis (Waldemar), Ethel Semser (Tove), Nell Tangeman (Wood Dove), John Riley (Peasant),

Ferry Gruber Ferry Gruber (28 September 1926 – 23 July 2004) was an Austrian-German tenor in opera and operetta. A member of both the Bavarian State Opera and Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich for half a century, he focused on roles of the buffo gen ...

(Klaus the Jester), Morris Gesell (Narrator). Vox Records 222943-311 (rec. 1953, CD issue 2005, mp3 issue August 2011). * Rafael Kubelík, Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Herbert Schachtschneider (Waldemar),

Inge Borkh Inge Borkh (born Ingeborg Simon, 26 May 1921 – 26 August 2018) was a German operatic dramatic soprano. She was first based in Switzerland, where she received international attention when she appeared in the first performance in German of Meno ...

(Tove),

Hertha Töpper Hertha Töpper (; 19 April 1924 – 28 March 2020) was an Austrian contralto in opera and concert, and an academic voice teacher. A member of the Bavarian State Opera, she appeared in leading roles at major international opera houses and festivals ...

(Wood Dove), Kieth Engen (Peasant), Lorenz Fehenberger (Klaus the Jester), Hans Herbert Fiedler (narrator), Bavarian Radio Chorus. DGG 431 744-2 (1965). * János Ferencsik, Danish State Radio Symphony and Concert Orchestra, with Alexander Young (Waldemar), Martina Arroyo (Tove), Janet Baker (Wood Dove), Odd Wolstad (Peasant), Niels Møller (Klaus the Jeaster),

Julius Patzak Julius Patzak (9 April 189826 January 1974) was an Austrian tenor distinguished in operatic and concert work. He was particularly noted in Mozart, Beethoven and in early 20th-century German repertoire. Biography Julius Patzak was born in Vie ...

(Narrator), Chorus of Danish Radio. EMI 7243 5 74194 2 (1968; CD issue 2000). *

Pierre Boulez Pierre Louis Joseph Boulez (; 26 March 1925 – 5 January 2016) was a French composer, conductor and writer, and the founder of several musical institutions. He was one of the dominant figures of post-war Western classical music. Born in Mo ...

, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Jess Thomas (Waldemar), Marieta Napier (Tove), Yvonne Minton (Wood Dove),

Siegmund Nimsgern Siegmund Nimsgern (born 14 January 1940) is a German bass-baritone, born in Sankt Wendel, Saarland, Germany. After leaving school in 1960 he studied singing and musical education at the Hochschule für Musik Saar with Sibylle Fuchs, Jakob St� ...

(Peasant), Kenneth Bowen (Klaus the Jester),

Günter Reich Günter Reich (22 November 1921 – 15 January 1989), also spelled Günther Reich and Gunther Reich, was an Israeli baritone of German birth. He was a member of the Staatsoper Stuttgart for more than 20 years and is known for interpreting the wor ...

(Narrator),

BBC Symphony Chorus The BBC Symphony Chorus is a British amateur chorus based in London. It is the dedicated chorus for the BBC Symphony Orchestra, though it performs with other national and international orchestras. Brief history Background In its early years, th ...

. Columbia M2 33303 (1975). * Gunther Schuller,

New England Conservatory The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a Private college, private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music Music school, conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The ...

Orchestra, Henry Grossman (Waldemar), Phyllis Bryn-Julson (Tove),

D'Anna Fortunato D'Anna Fortunato (born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on February 21, 1945) is an American mezzo-soprano. She has long been an admired favorite on the American orchestral-concert scene, while establishing herself as a respected operatic artist as we ...

(Wood Dove), Keith Kibler (Peasant), Kim Scown (Klaus the Jester), Michael Steinberg (Narrator), New England Conservatory Chorus. GM Recordings GM2078 (rec. 1977). *

Seiji Ozawa Seiji (written: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , or in hiragana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, Japanese ski jumper *, Japanese racing driver *, Japanese politician *, Japanese film directo ...

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the " Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in 18 ...

, James McCracken (Waldemar), Jessye Norman (Tove), Tatiana Troyanos (Wood Dove), David Arnold (Peasant), Kim Scown (Klaus the Jester), Werner Klemperer (Narrator), Tanglewood Festival Chorus. Philips 412 511-2 (1979). *

Herbert Kegel Herbert Kegel (29 July 1920 – 20 November 1990) was a German conductor. Kegel was born in Dresden. He studied conducting with Karl Böhm and composition with Boris Blacher at the Dresden Conservatory from 1935 to 1940. In 1946 he began co ...

Dresden Philharmonic The Dresdner Philharmonie (Dresden Philharmonic) is a German symphony orchestra based in Dresden. Its principal concert venue is the ''Kulturpalast''. The orchestra also performs at the Kreuzkirche, the Hochschule für Musik Dresden, and the ...

augmented by members of the Leipzig Radio Symphony,

Manfred Jung Manfred Jung (9 July 1940 – 14 April 2017) was a German operatic tenor, who performed Wagner's heldentenor roles internationally, including the Metropolitan Opera and the Bayreuth Festival where he was Siegfried in the ''Jahrhundertring'', but ...

(Waldemar), Eva-Maria Bundschuh (Tove),

Rosemarie Lang Rosemarie Lang (21 May 1947 – 12 January 2017) was a German operatic mezzo-soprano. Life Born in Grünstädtel, Lang studied at the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig with Elisabeth Breul, Eva Schubert-Hoffmann and Helga Forner. At the 1 ...

(Wood Dove), Ulrik Cold (Peasant), Wolf Appel (Klaus the Jester),

Gert Westphal Curt Gerhard Westphal, stage name Gert Westphal, (5 October 1920 – 10 November 2002) was a German-Swiss actor, audiobook narrator, recitator and director, one of the best-known audiobook narrators and speakers in German, described as "König der ...

(Narrator), Berlin Radio Chorus, Leipzig Radio Chorus and Prague Male Chorus (rec. Berlin 1986: Berlin Classics 0090172BC, 1986; CD issue 1997). *

Eliahu Inbal Eliahu Inbal (born 16 February 1936, Jerusalem) is an Israeli conductor. Inbal studied violin at the Israeli Academy of Music and took composition lessons with Paul Ben-Haim. Upon hearing him there, Leonard Bernstein endorsed a scholarship for ...

, Radio-Sinfonie-Orchester Frankfurt am Main, Paul Frey (Waldemar),

Elizabeth Connell Frances Elizabeth Connell (22 October 194618 February 2012) was a South African-born operatic mezzo-soprano, and later soprano, whose career took place mainly in the United Kingdom and Australia. Connell was born in Port Elizabeth, South Afri ...

(Tove), Jard van Nes (Wood Dove), Walton Grönroos (Peasant), Volker Vogel (Klaus the Jester), Hans Franzen (Narrator), NDR Chor, Bavarian Radio Chorus,

Frankfurt Opera The Oper Frankfurt (Frankfurt Opera) is a German opera company based in Frankfurt. Opera in Frankfurt am Main has a long tradition, with many world premieres such as Franz Shrek's ''Der ferne Klang'' in 1912, '' Fennimore und Gerda'' by Frede ...

Chorus. Denon CO 77066-67 (1990). *

Riccardo Chailly Riccardo Chailly (, ; born 20 February 1953) is an Italian conductor. He is currently music director of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, since 2016, and music director of La Scala, since 2017. Prior to this, he held chief conducting positio ...

, Radio Symphonie-Orchester Berlin,

Siegfried Jerusalem Siegfried Jerusalem (born 17 April 1940) is a German operatic tenor. Closely identified with the heldentenor roles of Richard Wagner, he has performed Siegfried, Siegmund, Lohengrin, Parsifal, and Tristan to wide acclaim. Since the 1990s, he ha ...

(Waldemar),

Susan Dunn Susan Dunn (born July 23, 1954) is a Grammy Award-winning American spinto soprano who has performed in many of the world's finest opera houses, concert halls, and theaters in operas, oratorios, and concert performances. Dunn is particularly admire ...

(Tove), Brigitte Fassbaender (Wood Dove),

Hermann Becht Hermann Becht (19 March 1939, Karlsruhe – 12 February 2009, Marxzell) was a German operatic bass-baritone. He notably portrayed the role of Alberich in the 1983 recording of Richard Wagner's ''The Ring Cycle'' which won a Grammy Award for ...

(Peasant), Peter Haage (Klaus the Jester), Hans Hotter (Narrator), Chor der St. Hedwigs-Kathedrale Berlin, Städtischer Musikverein, Düsseldorf. Decca 473 728-2 (1985). *

Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father was the fou ...

Gary Lakes Gary Lakes (born September 26, 1950) is an American opera heldentenor. Lakes was born in Woodward, Oklahoma, and raised in Irving, Texas. He made his professional debut with the Seattle Opera in the role of Froh in 1981 in Wagner's ''Das Rhe ...

(Waldemar),

Éva Marton Éva Marton (born 18 June 1943) is a Hungarian dramatic soprano, particularly known for her operatic portrayals of Puccini's '' Turandot'' and '' Tosca'', and Wagnerian roles. Vocal training and early years Marton was born in Budapest, wher ...

(Tove),

Florence Quivar Florence Quivar (born March 3, 1944 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American operatic mezzo-soprano who is considered to be "one of the most prominent singers of her generation." She has variously been described as having a "rich, earthy sound ...

(Wood Dove), John Cheek (Peasant),

Jon Garrison Jon Garrison (né Jon Long; born December 11, 1944 in Higginsville, Missouri) is a successful American operatic tenor who has been performing in locations around the world since 1965. He first appeared at the Metropolitan Opera in 1974, in a seco ...

(Klaus the Jester), Hans Hotter (Narrator), New York Choral Artists. Sony Classical 48077 (1992). * Claudio Abbado, Vienne Philharmonic,

(Waldemar), Sharon Sweet (Tove), Marjana Lipovšek (Wood Dove), Hartmut Welker (Peasant), Philip Langridge (Klaus the Jester), Barbara Sukowa (Narrator), Vienna State Opera Chorus, Arnold Schoenberg Chorus, Slovak Philharmonic Choir Bratislava. DG 439 9442 (1995) *

Giuseppe Sinopoli Giuseppe Sinopoli (; 2 November 1946 – 21 April 2001) was an Italian conductor and composer. Biography Sinopoli was born in Venice, Italy, and later studied at the Benedetto Marcello Conservatory in Venice under Ernesto Rubin de Cervin ...

Staatskapelle Dresden The Staatskapelle Dresden (known formally as the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden) is a German orchestra based in Dresden, the capital of Saxony. Founded in 1548 by Maurice, Elector of Saxony, it is one of the world's oldest and most highly r ...

, Thomas Moser (Waldemar), Deborah Voigt (Tove), Jennifer Larmore (Wood Dove), Bernd Weikl (Peasant), Kenneth Riegel (Klaus the Jester), Klaus Maria Brandauer (Narrator), Dresden State Opera Chorus, MDR Radio Chorus of Leipzig, Prague Men's Chorus. Teldec 4509-98424-2 (1995). * Robert Craft,

Philharmonia Orchestra The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Richard Strauss, ...

, Stephen O'Mara (Waldemar),

Melanie Diener Melanie Diener (born in 1967) is a German operatic and concert soprano who appeared at major European opera houses and festivals. She appeared as Elsa in Wagner's ''Lohengrin'' at the Bayreuth Festival, among others Career Diener was born in S ...

(Tove), Jennifer Lane (Wood Dove), David Wilson-Johnson (Peasant), Martyn Hill (Klaus the Jester), Ernst Haefliger (Narrator), Simon Joly Chorale. Naxos 8.557518-19 (2001). *

Simon Rattle Sir Simon Denis Rattle (born 19 January 1955) is a British-German conductor. He rose to international prominence during the 1980s and 1990s, while music director of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (1980–1998). Rattle was principa ...

, Berliner Philharmoniker, Thomas Moser (Waldemar), Karita Mattila (Tove), Anne Sofie von Otter (Wood Dove), Thomas Quasthoff (Peasant & Narrator), Philip Langridge (Klaus the Jester), Berlin Radio Chorus, MDR Radio Chorus of Leipzig, Ernst Senff Choir. EMI 5 5730302 (2002) * Michael Gielen, SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, Robert Dean Smith (Waldemar), Melanie Diener (Tove), Yvonne Naef (Wood Dove) Ralf Lukas (Peasant), Gerhard Siegel (Klaus the Jester), Andreas Schmidt (Narrator), Bavarian Radio Chorus, MDR Radio Chorus of Leipzig. Hänssler, Art.-Nr.: 093.198.000, 2 SACDs (rec. 2006, released 2007.A. Achenbach
"Michael Gielen conducts Schoenberg's ''Gurrelieder''"
''classicalsource.com''). *

Esa-Pekka Salonen Esa-Pekka Salonen (; born 30 June 1958) is a Finnish orchestral conductor and composer. He is principal conductor and artistic advisor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London, conductor laureate of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and music di ...

, Stig Andersen (Waldemar),

Soile Isokoski Soile Marja Isokoski (born 14 February 1957) is a Finnish lyric soprano. She is an opera singer as well as a concert and lieder singer. Career Isokoski was born in Posio, Finland. She graduated from the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki (a cantor-o ...

(Tove), Monica Groop (Wood Dove), Ralf Lukas (Peasant), Andreas Conrad (Klaus the Jester), Barbara Sukowa (Narrator), Philharmonia Voices- City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus. Sigmund Records SIGCD173, 2 SACDs (Live recording 2009) *

Josep Pons Josep Pons (born Josep Pons i Viladomat; 1957) is a Spanish conductor. Biography Pons was born in Puig-reig, Berguedà. He received his musical training at L'Escolania de Montserrat and continued his musical studies in Barcelona with such teac ...

, and Spanish National Youth Orchestra, Nikolai Schukoff (Waldemar),

(Tove), Charlotte Hellekant (Wood Dove), José Antonio López (Peasant), (Klaus the Jester), Barbara Sukowa (Narrator), Cor Lieder Càmera, Cor Madrigal de Barcelona, Orfeó Català, Polifònica de Puig-Reig. Deutsche Grammophon 0044007627891, 2 DVDs (rec. 2008, released 2011) * Mariss Jansons, Symphonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Stig Andersen (Waldemar), Deborah Voigt (Tove), Mihoko Fujimura (Wood Dove), Michael Volle (Peasant), Herwig Pecoraro (Klaus the Jester), Bavarian Radio Chorus, NDR Chorus, MDR Radio Chorus of Leipzig, BR-KLASSIK DVD 900110 DVD (rec. 2009, released 2010) * Markus Stenz, Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Brandon Jovanovich (Waldemar), Barbara Haveman (Tove),

Claudia Mahnke Claudia Mahnke is a German operatic mezzo-soprano, a member of the Oper Frankfurt, with guest appearances at leading opera houses and the Bayreuth Festival. Career Mahnke was born in Meerane in Saxony, Germany. While she attended school she was ...

(Wood Dove), Thomas Bauer (Peasant), Gerhard Siegel (Klaus the Jester), Johannes Martin Kränzle (Narrator), Domkantorei Köln, Männerstimmen des Kölner Domchores, Vokalensemble Kölner Dom, Chor des Bach-Vereins Köln, Kartäuserkantorei Köln. Hyperion Records CDA68081/2 (2015). * Marc Albrecht, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, Burkhard Fritz (Waldemar), Emily Magee (Tove), Anna Larsson (Wood Dove), Markus Marquardt (Peasant), Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke (Klaus the Jester), Sunnyi Melles (Narrator), Chorus of the Dutch National Opera, Pierre Audi (Director). Opus Arte OA1227D DVD & Blu-ray (2016). * Edward Gardner,

Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra The Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra is a Norwegian orchestra based in Bergen. Its principal concert venue is the Grieg Hall. History Established in 1765 under the name ''Det Musicalske Selskab'' (The Musical Society), it later changed its name ...

and members of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Stuart Skelton (Waldemar), Alwyn Mellor (Tove), Anna Larsson (Wood Dove), James Creswell (Peasant), Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke (Klaus the Jester), Sir Thomas Allen (Narrator), Bergen Philharmonic Choir, Choir of Collegiûm Mûsicûm Bergen, Edvard Grieg Kor, Orphei Drängar, and Students from the

Royal Northern College of Music The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is a conservatoire located in Manchester, England. It is one of four conservatoires associated with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. In addition to being a centre of music education ...

, Håkon Matti Skrede (Director). Chandos 5172(2) Hybrid SA-CD (2016) * Christian Thielemann,

and members of the Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra, Stephen Gould (Waldemar),

Camilla Nylund Camilla Nylund (born 11 June 1968) is a Finnish operatic soprano. She appears internationally in lyric-dramatic roles such as Beethoven's Leonore, Verdi's Elisabetta, and Wagner's Elisabeth and Sieglinde. She is especially known for portrayin ...

(Tove), Christa Mayer (Wood Dove), Markus Marquardt (Peasant), Wolfgang Ablinger-Sperrhacke (Klaus the Jester),

Franz Grundheber Franz Grundheber (born 27 September 1937) is a German operatic baritone. At the Hamburg State Opera, he performed over 150 roles from 1966. His voice is flexible enough to sing Italian opera as well as Wagner roles and contemporary opera; he is a ...

(Narrator), MDR Radio Chorus of Leipzig, Dresden State Opera Chorus. Profil PH20052 (2020)

References

External links

*
German text and translations
* ,

Arnold Schönberg: ''Gurrelieder''

Universal Edition Universal Edition (UE) is a classical music publishing firm. Founded in 1901 in Vienna, they originally intended to provide the core classical works and educational works to the Austrian market (which had until then been dominated by Leipzig-bas ...

Nr. 5275, Vienna (1913), guide by

Alban Berg Alban Maria Johannes Berg ( , ; 9 February 1885 – 24 December 1935) was an Austrian composer of the Second Viennese School. His compositional style combined Romantic lyricism with the twelve-tone technique. Although he left a relatively sm ...

{{Italic title 1911 compositions Cantatas Classical song cycles in German Compositions by Arnold Schoenberg Compositions that use extended techniques Compositions with a narrator Song cycles by Arnold Schoenberg