Composer

:

Arnold Schoenberg

Genre

:

Opera

Style

:

Monodrama

Compose Date

:

1909

Average_duration

:

29:55

Movement_count

:

10

Movement ....

Erwartung is a one-act monodrama composed by Arnold Schoenberg in 1909. The opera tells the story of a woman who is searching for her lover in a forest at night. As she wanders through the woods, she becomes increasingly agitated and paranoid, imagining that she sees her lover's dead body and that she is being followed by a mysterious figure. The woman's inner turmoil is reflected in the music, which is characterized by Schoenberg's innovative use of atonality and dissonance. The premiere of Erwartung took place on June 6, 1924, at the Stadttheater in Prague. The opera was part of a double bill with Bartók's Bluebeard's Castle, and the two works were performed together under the title "Two Monodramas." The production was directed by Alexander von Zemlinsky, who was Schoenberg's brother-in-law and a fellow composer. Erwartung is divided into five sections, or "movements," each of which corresponds to a different stage in the woman's emotional journey. The first movement, "Scene of the Forest," sets the scene and establishes the woman's sense of unease. The second movement, "The Finds," is the most dramatic, as the woman discovers what she believes to be her lover's dead body. The third movement, "The Recognition," is a moment of clarity for the woman, as she realizes that her lover is truly gone. The fourth movement, "The Flight," is a frenzied and disorienting section in which the woman imagines that she is being pursued by a mysterious figure. The final movement, "The Farewell," is a quiet and introspective section in which the woman reflects on her loss and comes to terms with her grief. Erwartung is notable for its innovative use of atonality and dissonance, which were relatively new concepts in music at the time of its composition. Schoenberg's use of these techniques reflects the woman's emotional state, as her sense of disorientation and paranoia is mirrored in the music. The opera is also notable for its use of a single character, which was a departure from the traditional operatic format of multiple characters and a complex plot. Overall, Erwartung is a powerful and emotionally charged work that showcases Schoenberg's innovative approach to music. Its premiere in 1924 was a significant moment in the history of modernist music, and the opera continues to be performed and studied today.

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