Search - Emil Nikolaus von Reznicek, Michail Jurowski, WDR Sinfonie Orchester Köln :: Emil Nikolaus von Reznicek: Schlemihl; Raskolnikoff

Reznicek's 'Kein Heldenleben'

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 12/11/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I came to this work late, having earlier obtained and reviewed Reznicek's subsequent tone poem, 'Der Sieger' ('The Winner'). For more information about Emil Nikolaus von Reznicek (1860-1945) please see my 'Sieger' review here at Amazon. The two works go together (and there was a third, 'Frieden' ['Peace'] but it has been lost). This earlier (1912) 45-minute work is about one of life's anti-heroes, immortalized in the Yiddish word 'schlemiel.' This is the guy who can't do anything right and whose life goes from bad to worse. Unfortunately this is an apt description of the composer's own life. (Actually he was more of a 'schlimazel', but that's pedantry on my part, I suppose.) What is touching is that not only did he know it, he was able to make ironic fun of it. And what he does here in 'Schlemihl' is to turn Richard Strauss's self-congratulatory 'Ein Heldenleben' and 'Sinfonia domestica' on their heads by writing a satirical 'Anti-hero's Life' that uses what had become the clichés of Strauss's style. But he does such a good job of it that the work itself comes close to being every bit as good as Strauss's. OK, maybe Reznicek is not quite the genius that Strauss was, but he certainly had immense talent. I found myself listening and re-listening to this work and each time identifying new felicities I hadn't noticed before. And even without the detailed program (supplied in the CD's booklet, complete with timings) supplied by the composer--for instance, there is a passage in the 'Orgy' section where the object of the schlemiel's attention is 'eine nackte, dicke Hexe mit Hängebauch' ('a fat naked witch with hanging-down belly')--the music is enjoyable, particularly if one is fond of Strauss's or Mahler's style. Strauss and Wagner are quoted, or hinted at, slyly as are quotes of 'Ach, du lieber Augustin,' the Dresden Amen (is he teasing Bruckner's fondness for that?) and, inevitably, 'Dies Irae.' In a way this piece, in its nose-thumbing, could be considered an extremely expert precursor of Gerard Hoffnung's or P.D.Q. Bach's music; it certainly is as funny as any of their productions. But it is also a work that can stand on its own, without the listener having any awareness of the musical antecedents or the objects of the satire. Quite an accomplishment, I'd say. And, lest you worry about it, there are some extraordinarily lovely 'straight' passages (as in 'The Woman' [Movement III]) and at the very end.



Also included is the much-later (1929)'Raskolnikoff,' a 'fantasy overture' inspired by the main character in 'Crime and Punishment.' A serious piece, with no satire anywhere in sight, it is a moving work infused with a melancholic beauty. It shows what Reznicek could do when he wasn't being ironic.



The performances here, by the WDR Symphony Orchestra of Cologne, under the expert direction of Michail Jurowski, are all one could ask. One hopes that this and 'Der Sieger' are only the beginning of a series of Reznicek's recordings that will come our way. Make no mistake, Reznicek is a major discovery after many years of neglect.



The booklet notes by Eckhardt van den Hoogen, clearly a strong advocate for Reznicek's music and apparently a moving force in getting this music recorded, are convoluted and inelegant in both his German original and in the even clunkier and occasionally incomprehensible English translation. But that shouldn't detract from the worth of this presentation.



Recommended.



Scott Morrison"

A very interesting issue

G.D. | Norway | 10/03/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Well, this is certainly something. CPO has done us a great favor by surveying the orchestral music of Emil von Reznicek (come to think of it, CPO has done us invaluable services with respect to quite a lot of composers; Atterberg, Peterson-Berger, Wetz, Goetz, Pfitzner, Draeseke, Svendsen, Saygun, Wirén, Rangström, Wellesz and Röntgen just to name some), and the music of this disc is definitely worth getting to know. Some reviewers have described the large-scale symphonic poem ("A Symphony Life Story") Schlemihl as a masterpiece worthy of comparison with most other great tone poems of late-romantic music. I'm not quite convinced about that, but it is certainly an effective, enjoyable and impressively scored work.



The music ranges from the twistedly bizarre to the ominously lyrical in what seems to be (and was apparently in part intended to be) something of a parody of the music of Richard Strauss, especially Ein Heldenleben and Sinfonia Domestica. And it is surely effective - parts of it brings to mind Mahler with extra percussion thrown in; hugely colorful and not boring for a second, but not without intense lyricism and beauty (while mostly fun and excitingly over-the-top, the overall message conveyed seems to be a sober and serious one). Fortunately the work secures a splendid performance by the WDR Symphony Orchestra under Michail Jurowski - perhaps lacking the last ounce of tonal weight and opulence, but in general hugely effective and finely shaped.



Raskolnikoff isn't quite on the same level of inspiration (Reznicek apparently wrote two Raskolnikoff overtures and this is the second). The opening is unfortunately too long-winded and a little dull, but when the music gets going in the end, it is certainly a worthwhile listen, skillfully crafted and superbly scored. It's got nothing to do with Dostoyevsky, no identifiable narrative or musical material that seems to reflect the character, but heard as a piece of abstract music it is quite enjoyable. Again the performances are convincing, and the sound quality is overall excellent; this disc, then, is strongly recommended to the adventurous, and while I wouldn't quite place Reznicek in the same league as, say, Schreker or Schoeck or Richard Strauss, he is certainly a composer with an individual voice, well worthy of your acquaintance."