Gurrelider", taken from Danish novella "A Cactus Blooms" by Peter Jacobsen, tells the story of five friends who gather every nine years to witness the rare blooming of a cactus. To pass time, each friend recites a poem or tells a story, giving form to a series of arias. (Photo/CNTV)
For sheer oomph, there's not much in the classical music world to match Arnold Schoenberg's "Gurrelieder". This orchestral behemoth, led by Maestro Peter Ruzicka, was a fitting choice to close the 18th Beijing Music Festival last weekend.
Grandiose, dramatic, lofty, opulent. Do we even have the adjectives to describe the scale of Schoenberg's 1912 'Gurrelieder'?
75 strings, 25 woodwinds, 25 brass, 4 harps, a celesta, and 16 percussion. And that's just the instruments! Along with that musical multitude, there are 3 men's choruses, and one mixed chorus.
That's a lot of orchestral power to wield, and responsibility, but maestro Peter Ruzicka - back for his fourth appearance at a Beijing Music Festival - manages to make it seem effortless. Thanks, he says, to the professionalism of the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.
"I was really impressed by their sensitivity, their technical ability, their friendliness, their cooperation, concentration. The piece is enormously difficult from a technical point of view. They have solved problems," said Peter Ruzicka, conductor.
"Gurrelider", taken from Danish novella "A Cactus Blooms" by Peter Jacobsen, tells the story of five friends who gather every nine years to witness the rare blooming of a cactus. To pass time, each friend recites a poem or tells a story, giving form to a series of arias.
Schoenberg's compositions draw on the traditions of German composers Richard Wagner and Johannes Brahms, but he is most noted today for his influence on 20th-Century classical music.
The Beijing Music Festival is celebrating its 18th birthday this year with 18 performances including operas and concerts. This romantic opera 'Gurrelieder' celebrates both the pinnacle of classical music development in the 20th century and a new height for the festival.
And "Romanticism" is a central theme of this Beijing Music Festival, now in its 18th year. The festival also features concerts showcasing Chinese compositions, music salons, and a children's concert.
"Eighteen is a very special number. The festival is more independent and more mature. The festival has put on many premieres of classical music. And we've also accomplished a lot in terms of fostering innovation, such as in the case of 'Ping-Pong Concerto,' a crossover between music and sports, and also encouraging local Chinese composers by commissioning them for the festival," said Tu Song, program director.
The Beijing Music Festival has become a major force in the world of classical music over the past 18 years. How fitting, therefore, that it should now conclude with such a powerhouse performance.
