The Lyric Symphony (), Op. 18, is a musical work for soprano and baritone soloists and large orchestra composed between 1922 and 1923 by Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinsky.
Composition and performance history
The work was begun in April 1922. In a letter to his publishers of 19 September 1922, Zemlinsky described the work-in-progress as "...something along the lines of [Mahler's] Das Lied von der Erde". The orchestration was completed in August 1923.Antony Beaumont: Introduction to published score, UE32730. The sung texts are taken from The Gardener by Rabindranath Tagore in a German translation by Hans Effenberger.
The work received its premiere in Prague at the New German Theatre on June 4, 1924, under the composer's direction. The vocal solos were sung by Tilly de Garmo and Joseph Schwarz.Signale für die musikalische Welt No. 28, July 9, 1924, p. 1106
Structure
The work is in seven connected movements, sung alternately by the two soloists: ("I am restless. I am athirst for far-away things") ("O mother, the young Prince") ("You are the evening cloud") ("Speak to me, my love") ("Release me from the bonds of your sweetness, Love") ("Then finish the last song") ("Peace, my heart")
The performance duration is approximately 45 minutes.
Alban Berg quoted the third movement in his Lyric Suite for string quartet.
Instrumentation
Woodwinds 4 flutes (3rd and 4th doubling piccolos) 3 oboes (3rd doubling cor anglais) 3 clarinets in A/B (3rd doubling E clarinet) bass clarinet 3 bassoons (3rd doubling contrabassoon)
Brass 4 horns 3 trumpets in C 3 trombones bass tuba
Percussion timpani bass drum side drum tam-tam cymbals tambourine triangle xylophone
Keyboards harmonium celesta
Voices soprano solo baritone solo
Strings harp
1st violins 2nd violins violas cellos double basses
Discography
Dorothy Dorow, Siegmund Nimsgern, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Gabriele Ferro - Fonit Cetra 1978 Julia Varady, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Berliner Philharmoniker, Lorin Maazel - Deutsche Grammophon 1982 Karan Armstrong, Roland Hermann, ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, Michael Gielen - Orfeo 2021 (live recording, 1989) Karan Armstrong, Ivan Kusnjer, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Bohumil Gregor - Supraphon 1990 Alessandra Marc, Håkan Hagegård, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly - Decca 1994 Deborah Voigt, Bryn Terfel, Wiener Philharmoniker, Giuseppe Sinopoli - Deutsche Grammophon 1996 Soile Isokoski, Bo Skovhus, Gürzenich-Orchester Kölner Philharmoniker, James Conlon - EMI Classics 2002 Christine Schäfer, Matthias Goerne, Orchestre de Paris, Christoph Eschenbach - Capriccio 2006
References
Text of the symphony Text of the symphony with translations Program notes to American Symphony Orchestra concert