Composer

:

Wolfgang Rihm

Genre

:

Vocal

Style

:

Vocal Music

Compose Date

:

2000

First Performance

:

Feb 2, 2002

Average_duration

:

21:19

Movement_count

:

4

Movement ....

Wolfgang Rihm's 'Rilke: 4 Gedichte' is a song cycle composed in 1975 for baritone and piano. The work is based on four poems by the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke, and each movement explores a different aspect of the poet's themes and style. The premiere of 'Rilke: 4 Gedichte' took place on May 17, 1975, in Freiburg, Germany, with baritone Roland Hermann and pianist Christoph Eschenbach performing. The work has since become a staple of the contemporary art song repertoire. The first movement, 'Herbsttag' (Autumn Day), is a contemplative meditation on the passing of time and the inevitability of death. Rihm's setting is spare and introspective, with the piano providing a gentle, flowing accompaniment to the baritone's mournful melody. The second movement, 'Der Panther' (The Panther), is a vivid depiction of a captive animal pacing back and forth in its cage. Rihm's music is tense and restless, with jagged rhythms and dissonant harmonies evoking the panther's frustration and despair. The third movement, 'Abend' (Evening), is a serene and atmospheric meditation on the beauty of nature. Rihm's music is lush and impressionistic, with the piano providing a shimmering backdrop to the baritone's rhapsodic musings. The final movement, 'Der Tod' (Death), is a haunting meditation on the finality of death and the mystery of what lies beyond. Rihm's music is spare and austere, with the piano providing a stark, dissonant accompaniment to the baritone's stark, declamatory melody. Overall, 'Rilke: 4 Gedichte' is a powerful and evocative work that showcases Rihm's mastery of the art song form. Through his settings of Rilke's poetry, Rihm explores themes of mortality, captivity, and the beauty of nature, creating a work that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.

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