Album insights
"Where are you, my beloved country?" asks Georg Philipp Schmidt of Lübeck in "The Stranger's Evening Song." This poem, set to music by Schubert in October 1816 ("The Wanderer"), evokes the common theme in romantic poetry of the perpetual quest for a homeland, inspiring a significant body of songs. Such thoughts permeate the songs of the 19th century and extend well into the 20th century, as seen in Ernst Krenek's song cycle from 1929, "Travel Book from the Austrian Alps."
Before completing his innovative work, Krenek witnessed the centennial of Franz Schubert's death. Commemorations included a memorial coin by the Austrian National Bank, a competition to finish Schubert's "Unfinished Symphony," and global performances of Schubert's works. Krenek, a versatile figure in musical modernism, drew surprising inspiration from Schubert's works, merging post-romanticism, serial music, and time opera with its jazz-like elements and an Americana allure. Reflecting on his predecessor's vast song catalog, Krenek chronicled his own "unusual musical experiences" in the travel book, celebrating Schubert's sonic world and adding his own commentary.
The idea for a musical travelogue struck Krenek during a holiday in the Alps in June 1929, which he described as a "pilgrimage to the sanctuaries of Austrian landscape and history." Within a month, the twenty songs were completed, capturing his experiences. Krenek reflected later in his memoirs that this work marked a unique instance where inspiration directly stemmed from lived experiences. Prompted by this, he composed the "Travel Book from the Austrian Alps," encapsulating the journey in twenty songs within twenty days of his return.
Krenek didn't just recount his recent journey with journalistic clarity but also harked back to his childhood summers spent in the Alps. While reminiscing, the composer also revealed that the idyll had evolved—now with automobiles, trains, buses, and hordes of tourists altering the landscape. These songs trace the evolution from Schubert's poetic contemporaries' "Land of Songs" to the New Objectivity of the 1920s. Despite the prevailing detachment of the interwar years, Krenek revisits subjective themes like homelessness, nostalgia, and lost innocence in his revisionist journey, emphasizing the ongoing quest for a homeland, both personally and philosophically.
This sense of belonging threads through the musical language of the cycle, primarily tonal but often drifting from diatonic norms. For Krenek, the Travel Book wasn't just a pinnacle in his return to Schubert but also proved his enduring interest in tonality. The songs act as both a rediscovery and a celebration, embodying a broader musico-journey with resonant explorations.
Starting with "Motive," the cycle echoes Schubert with tinkling accompaniments and longing melodies, invoking travel, nature, and self-discovery. While these tropes nod to the past, the 20th century soon emerges, with modern transportation introducing a bitter undertone.
The monks in the Alpine monastery embody a balanced life, unshaken by modern inconveniences, where weather serves as both meteorological symbolism and human emotion. Songs like "Sad Hour" gradually shift from diatonic to chromatic, hinting at the traveler's diminishing sense of belonging. Themes of transience prevail at the mountain village graveyard, concluding the first part of the travel book.
The second part opens with "Rainy Day," where weather no longer poses a significant challenge, depicted by the chromatic piano droplets. Celebrating Austrian wine culture, "Our Wine" is a spirited drinking song gradually departing from diatonic norms. The cycle progresses through introspective reflections and satirical nuances, exploring a dynamic musical landscape.
Spanning themes of politics, nostalgia, and nature, the cycle navigates through various moods. Krenek's longing for Vienna amid Alpine beauty segues into a final contemplation before journeying back, reflecting on the transient nature of place and identity.
In the epilogue, Krenek's unresolved question on homeland resilience foreshadows his eventual exile post-Hitler's rise to power. Similarly, Zemlinsky, a fellow composer, faced a similar exodus due to his Jewish background, adding a somber note to this musical era.
Zemlinsky's early songs, steeped in romantic influences, hint at the rich tonal world he would later explore. He, like other composers of the time, found inspiration in Heinrich Heine's poems, crafting emotionally charged musical settings that stand as a testament to his evolving musical language.
In conclusion, Zemlinsky's early songs and compositions, alongside insightful analyses into Krenek's pivotal work, offer a compelling glimpse into the musical landscape of the time, nuanced by individual experiences and historical tumult.