Franz Schreker - Chamber Symphony (1916)

[@cellosean]

Listened to this piece randomly after listening to some Schoenberg, and was really pleasantly surprised at how lush and gorgeous this is! I'm going to suggest it for my orchestras.

[@oboist3]

I love this work, it is so passionate and joyous. I never fail to moved by it every time I hear it. A marvellous performance that captures the essence.

[@robertwilkscomposer3726]

Absolutely gorgeous. Colorful, effective writing for the orchestra. It sounds like the ensemble is larger than chamber-size, but maybe it's just the way it was recorded.

[@KrystofDreamJourney]

I think the ensemble is a slightly larger orchestra when it comes down to strings. I've analyzed this score. I also hear alternate woodwinds - some passages are certainly performed on alto flute (especially all those ones in lower register) with or without dove tailing with regular flute. So there must be two flute players. I hear very often E.H. instead of oboe especially in solo parts, so definitely two oboists. And so on...

[@MaxLuetgendorff]

This should be played way more often…!

[@nostalgicmodernist1399]

This is uncommonly lush and beautiful. I think I always am subconsciously worried that Schreker is going to be schrecklich, and then he turns out to be a gorgeous master-craftsman.

[@cinematiccrisis]

Well he was born as Schrecker, actually. But his music is schrecklich schön.

[@lovettboston]

@@cinematiccrisis Yes, you would hardly describe the beginning of the symphony (in Rilke's words) as a "schrecklichen Anfang."

[@bernardkobyleski5400]

schreker est un magicien de la musique

[@DanielHernandez-fn8tx]

0:00 mvmt 1 10:27 mvmt 2 17:02 mvmt 3 18:49 mvmt 4

[@nicholasfox966]

Why on earth is this not performed more often? It is one of the most beautiful pieces of music written in the 20th century.

[@JohnBorstlap]

True. But in the thirties, and after the war, Schreker was condemned and written-out of music history because of his still 'romantic' aesthetics. It is sickening. Only over the last years his music experiences something of a come-back.

[@kevinsimpson5178]

Nicholas Fox ---- There's also a fine one by Francis Poulenc that you won't get to hear - because he suppressed it. Go figure.

[@robb6560]

Did you heard also Schreker Prelude to a drama? Beautiful!! It's such a shame for classic orchestras and music industry.

[@1UShawn]

This piece is amazing! The counterpoint highly chromatic, the theme development really late romantic German, the form is innovative, and what about the orchestration, splendid.

[@SpaghettiToaster]

Schreker is love, Schreker is life

[@zalba5710]

This might be my favorite comment on the internet

[@jacobtapianieto9655]

Such a real Masterpiece!!

[@aurambros]

Surreal beginning, mahlerian development - very rich of colors.

[@pats2942]

I didn't know this live recording by De Waart. Absolutely stunning. Thanks so much to Bartje Bartmans. Nothing more to tell about the Kammersymphonie: just an extraordinary masterpiece

[@ernestoferreri]

You have to admire the flexibility, technically fabulous voice leading. Were it a minor work of the masters it would be well represented in performances.

[@Medtnaculuss]

My favourite! Thanks for uploading this!

[@BalbirSingh-tt8rv]

Thanks to Austria.Today is the birthday of Franz Schreker.It's a memorable chamber symphony.

[@stevegibb1406]

The Riverside Symphony Orch will be performing this piece at the Alice Tully Hall in NYC on Nov. 16, this year (2018). Wonderful piece!

[@Chesterton7]

Wow! Thanks for posting this amazing piece.

[@MrGer2295]

Beautiful! Thanks for sharing!

[@xanaduduo741]

First became aware of Schreker through his lush opera 'the branded', but this was unknown to me, many thanks for posting - what a beautiful piece. Very much to be preferred to Schoenberg's two chamber symphonies (that's just my taste, although they were of course groundbreaking) - reminds me a little of that composer's Gurrelieder, which is another of my favourite works. Also has a Franz-Schmidt sound sometimes. This piece has a unique feel though in terms of some of its orchestration innovations. Thoroughly enjoyable. A composer sidelined by the Nazis (he was Jewish) , which is why his music was included in the 'Entartete Musik' series from Decca some time ago, alongside Korngold, Schulhoff, Ullman and a number of other interesting figures who either died early in the Nazi period, like Schreker, emigrated like Korngold... or died in the gas chambers, like Ullman.

[@KrystofDreamJourney]

There was a great Polish composer Leon Borunski. He was Jewish, and the Nazis murdered him in the concentration camp in 1942,. They also burned in the fire all his compositions - piano concertos, a symphony, songs etc. Nothing survived...

[@1bateleur]

you're a blessing

[@gerardbegni2806]

This kammersymphonie is incredibly subtle. It is quite different from op.9 of Schoenberg. The two scores would deserve to be best known and loved by musicians.Of course, the two scores are in compettition. The Schoenbreg score will always be preferred because it is a major step before a major revolution. But I would like not to see this delicate score disappear because of this competition. We maust acknowledge the importance of the revolution made by Schoenberg, but please don't let us forget 20 years of incredible Viennese music.

[@JohnBorstlap]

That revolution by Schoenberg was a catastrophe, and only important if music history were merely one single line of development where moments of change define its direction. But the reality of history is quite different: individual composers reacting to other music, from the past or of their time. Thinking that the Schoenberg opus 9 'is more important' is plain ridiculous, the only thing that counts is artistic quality and then, there is no competition between the two, they merely exist next to each other. Post WW II ideology has been projected backwards to defend modernism, it is pure propaganda and NOT music history.

[@lucasa4301]

John Borstalp, while I agree with your overall conception of music history, I think you're also backing yourself into a corner. As you say, the reality of history is individual composer's reacting to each others music, but surely Schoenberg's music was reacted to more than any other composer of the time. By that standard he is more 'important' but of course everyone's allowed to have their own personal standard.

[@polenc7167]

The importance of revolution? In the scientific sense or the political sense? I doubt the Schoenberg had in mind any political revolutionary desires. Rather I think he was trying to exemplify what he thought was the scientific method which at that time was coming into exceptionally high public regard. But he misses the point. In science we postulate a theory, test it through experimentation and observation. If the result is positive the hypothesis is sustained. Yes, Schoenberg experimented with atonal music. Nice idea. But are audience flocking to hear this music? No. This disproves his theory or hypothesis. In science, a disproved hypothesis is discarded. And they don't wait over 100 years for audiences to catch up with the new idea.

[@gerardbegni2806]

But dear friend, Why by Jove do you want to considrr Schoenberg's ar tonal language as a scientific experiment. Was the Tristan's chord (by the way a simple seventh on the minor submediant with crromatic apogiaturas) a scientifi experiment? Were the domùinant substitutes in 'La Prélude à l'arès-midi d'un faune' scienyific experiment? Were the unsolved bass apagiatras in 'The rite od spring' scientific experiments? By no way. Look for instance at the second quartet by Schoenberg, which gently shifts from a clear extended F# minor tonality to atonality wih some F# major pillars. By no ways it is a scientifi theory or experiment. It is a convincing masterpiec e, which I often liten waith a feeling of extreme satisfaction. In addition. Many décades later, whan Xenakis makes use of mathematical (statistical) theories to better structure clouds of sonorities, he lakes use of a tool, he does not ptrpose a mathematical/statistical theory. Even the traditional PerFect chord is based upon simple mathematical theories: Pythagoras alerady knew that. It happened to me to attend atonal and serial rnderings in concert halls, in France and abroad (Schoenberg, Berg, Webern, Dallapiccola, Henze, ,Berio, Xenakis, Boulez, Carter, Saariaho and others); the audience Always warmly applauded, so threre are no reasons to consider that Something failed ni that evolution , Which by the way has Nothing to do with scientific theory or experiment; it is silmply the natural evolution of the music. Other composers followed other paths (Messiaen, Dutilleux, Rautavaara, Lutoslawski, Ligeti, Takemitsu, Carter, Ferneyhaugh) they are excellent and applauded, too, . In France more tan one century ago, we had Debussy and saint Saens, and in Vienna Mahler, Schrecker, Korngold, Zemlinsky and Schoenberg and we have masterpieces of all of them. By no ways we can consider that 'Pierrot Lunaire', Wozzeck or Berg's violin concerto failed; they are XXth century music favorites. Recently, I attended Wozzeck in the opera (and two years ago 'Il Prigionerio' by Dallapiccola); it was very firmely applauded.

[@MaxLuetgendorff]

I like Schönberg before he made a revolution… after that I am not fond of what came then.

[@_rstcm]

Wow! The chamber orchestra is sounding so huge and lush! This Schreker guy must be a genius orchestrator like Ravel or Respighi or something.....

[@franckmousset4022]

Une œuvre magnifique, injustement ignorée dans les salles de concert en France.

[@twanswagten]

What a masterpiece!!

[@Wandelbart]

Sometimes it's hard to assign classical music to a certain period. In German we call the period between Romanticism and New Music "Nachromantik" (around 1890 - 1930) where different styles (e.g. Late Romanticism, Impressionism, Expressionism) existed at the same time. Translated "Nachromantik" means "Post-Romanticism" although Post-Romanticism refers to a later period according to Wikipedia ... Schreker's chamber symphony from 1916 was composed long after Romanticism and a few years before Neue Sachlichkeit (Neoclassicism), which started after WW I. As far as I know there are no musical trends/movements of Symbolism and Naturalism in music. I'd be happy to get some thoughts of Symb. and Natur. in music! To me this piece is mainly a mix of Late Romanticism and Impressionism, blending in some ideas of New Music, which had started around 1910. This chamber symphony reminds me a little of the Rudi Stephan's style, Mahler's 10th symphony (IVth movement) and Karol Szymanowski's 2nd symphony. O, I almost forgot: This symphony is uhmazin'!

[@murmurmerman]

Debussy (and many of his imitators) were deeply influenced by Symbolism, and indeed most of Debussy's lyrics come from Symbolist poets... also see Bartok's opera "Bluebeard's Castle", Schoenberg's "Verklarte Nacht", etc. Symbolist poets were themselves strongly influenced by Richard Wagner's idea of Gesamtkunstwerk, so the movement is more closely tied with music than one might think. Other composers I have seen connected to Symbolism are Scriabin, Satie, Strauss, etc.

[@KomissarLohmann]

@@murmurmerman That's all very true, but when you compare the music of Scriabin and Debussy, or Satie and Strauss, you'll find a huge difference - the only similar ones are Satie and Debussy. So, although you can speak of literary and artistic Symbolism and it's influence in so many composers, such as the ones you mentioned, it is not possible to say that there's a "symbolist movement" in music and that it's clearly exemplified by the composers you suggested, because they're so musically distinct.

[@henrygingercat]

Love it.

[@Rupe51]

There are comments here that this should be performed more often. Happily for us in Thunder Bay, Ontario, it will be performed tonight Jan. 27/23 by the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra, Paul Haas conductor.

[@donmigueldecuenca]

It's a masterpiece. Who knew?

[@SihyeonChoe]

9:39 I'm in the Heaven

[@DavidA-ps1qr]

Fabulous early 20th century masterpiece.

[@dskinner6263]

I'm very fortunate to have heard this performed live, in the version for 23 instruments (with an electronic keyboard in place of the harmonium). I can't tell for sure, but it sounds like the strings in this recording might be doubled.

[@BertoldBR74Roux]

Great music!

[@jesbernal]

Unbelievable!!!

[@antoneeshukov7791]

Beginning reminds me some colours from Scriabin's Poem of Ecstasy

[@stephenjablonsky1941]

It is interesting to ponder why and how music history relegates the composer of this wonderful piece to undeserved obscurity. This may not be the most advanced compositional practice for its time but it works beautifully from beginning to end. Perhaps Western culture has a preference for the most modern among us and everyone else takes a backseat.

[@julianrmunds]

Because older musicology is still too routed in German conservatism and Shreker who was eaten by the rise of German Fascism (and anti-semitism) was erased. Thanks that modern Germans are beginning to wrestle with those problems and a whole number of composers are finally being recognized for their input. Shreker was cutting edge for his time. Der Schied von Gent was wild and was like Wagner on acid.

[@socraticgadfly]

@@julianrmunds Actually, his reputation started fading during the Weimar years, but he was well-received earlier.

[@theahughes703]

Im ascending

[@ks8622]

9:43

[@nicolassantiagoortega5474]

17:02 3° movement

[@nicolassantiagoortega5474]

10:25 2° movement

[@timotheuspeter734]

Is this recording available? I haven't heard a better one, but I cannot find this one on disc..

[@indigo5601]

thanks! v much, for this offering. what a super composer (just finished 'consuming' the gezeichneten) and a great performance here. pls pls, maybe a (successful), attempt @ making the score appearing less fuzzy, pls?

[@bartjebartmans]

It is the print causing that. You assume I am doing that on purpose, how strange! Also if the streaming is done with poor wifi bandwith you get the same fuzzy effect.

[@indigo5601]

@@bartjebartmans how strange!? to have the idea that one thought it was done on purpose - ludicrous, bordering on give one a break. was actually optimistic about thy ability to provide a remedie. thanks v much again for the music offering

[@bartjebartmans]

You are confusing me. What was your remedy?

[@newaccounter]

@@bartjebartmans They're right. My internet is at 200 mbps; I have the video set to its highest possible quality (1080p), and the quality is extremely crisp on the 2009 upload of the score on IMSLP. Perhaps it has something to do with the way you're saving the file or editing the pages together?

[@bartjebartmans]

@@newaccounter if you look at my other 1600 videos you see that I have little problems with that in general. I figured out what went wrong, it has to do with ratios. I will re-upload it.

[@ilyaibrahimovic9842]

10:23 huge page turn :P

[@TomasPolonec]

Why on earth are there bars? :) The time signature changes like every 5 bars.

[@bryanstarkweather]

what is the instrumentation? I'm on my phone, but it looks like one of each ww?

[@SpaghettiToaster]

Canvas Music check the first page at the beginning of the video

[@SpaghettiToaster]

One of each, yes

[@Rhythmmical]

*pieces ends* *clap clap* *"BRAVO!" at top of lungs* *clap clap clap* :P Neat piece. But I always thought "chamber" meant small groups and things. This sounds anything but chamber to me!

[@1996Mrkeks]

ahh well if u look at the instruments that are required its not a lot actually only 7 windplayers, 11 strings, harp, celesta, harmonium, piano, tampani, and percussion soo that makes 24 players over all. So compared to a "normal" symphony thats nothing :D

[@nicholasfox966]

"Chamber" is really a catch-all general term for any instrumental ensemble larger than a soloist and smaller than a full symphony orchestra. So, for examples, there are string quartets and piano duets, which are on the smaller side of "chamber", and there is an actual "chamber orchestra" which can be quite luxuriantly scored, although still short of the full symphony orchestra complement (doubled-tripled winds and brass, full string section).

[@rogerknox9147]

"Chamber Symphony" in 1916 is also a symphony written in time of war, when resources and players are scarce. But I think Schreker got the most he could from this instrumentation, and the overall sound is fuller than most other chamber symphonies I can think of.

[@SpaghettiToaster]

It's a chamber symphony because there's only one of each instrument (except in the strings), instead of full sections.

[@alysemartin1849]

1:57 Langsam in Tempo

[@JohnSpawn1]

0:00 10:26 17:02

[@RedZed1974]

All this exposure to late romantic/early 1900s music has shown me where all the silver screen composers got their ideas a few decades later. How many different ways has Saint-Seans "The Aquarium" been repackaged for soundtracks?

[@SpaghettiToaster]

Zed O'Haughy just once I believe

[@Silver-pianist]

10:30

[@mr.hashundredsofprivatepla3711]

1:40

[@2906nico]

Extraordinarily beautiful orchestration, but ultimately, it left me feeling as though I had been covered in whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

[@JohnBorstlap]

Yes, that is the problem with this style: everything is in the surface, underneath there is not much substance.

[@stephenjablonsky1941]

When I finished listening to this piece it reminded me of going to Tiffany's and being very impressed by all the exquisitely crafted, expensive stuff that didn't interest me one bit and I walked out having made no purchase. I don't buy any of what Schreker has to sell because I keep wanting it to be Strauss or Mahler and it continually falls short. The music business has very high standards. If you cannot achieve a score of 100 you go to the back of the line. Schreker gets a 98 from this judge.

[@bartjebartmans]

Music needs to be judged? Why? Schreker is Schreker. His music will be around when we are long gone. That should be enough of a judgment. There is a reason why this music has been performed and why I uploaded it with score. The least you can do is to respect that instead of coming with a lame comparison.

[@stephenjablonsky1941]

@@bartjebartmans We have been judging beauty since the beginning of time.

[@SpaghettiToaster]

What a load of nonsense.

[@Will170392]

Wanting Schreker to be Strauss or Mahler would be your mistake. . .

[@stephenjablonsky1941]

@@Will170392 A mistake I make all the time. I am imperfect.