Opera Scotland

Gurrelieder

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Music

Arnold Schoenberg (born Vienna, 13 September 1874; died Los Angeles, 13 July 1951)

 

Premieres

First Performance: Vienna (), 23 February 1913.

First Performance in UK: tbc.

First Performance in Scotland: Edinburgh (Usher Hall), 4 September 1983.

 

Background

The Songs of Gurre is a massive cantata composed by Schoenberg over a number of years. The setting is the Danish castle of Gurre - the plot concerning the 14th Century King Waldemar iV and his ill-fated love for Tove. Begun as a song cycle it gradually expanded to form a large-scale late romantic work for soloists, chorus and huge orchestra that ends by introducing a far more modern style of narrative.

 

Characters

Waldemar iV (tenor)

Tove (soprano)

Klaus the jester (tenor)

Wood Dove (mezzo-soprano)

Peasant (bass)

Speaker (reciter)