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Mathilde , whom Schoenberg would marry two years later .
Its premiere was delayed until March 18 , 1902 , when the Rosé Quartet ( Arnold Rosé was Mahler ’ s brother-in-law ) performed it in Vienna . It was poorly received , though anti-Semitism may have fueled the booing . But like The Rite of Spring , Transfigured Night soon won an appreciative audience , and today it is by far Schoenberg ’ s best-loved work . In 1917 , the composer created the version for string orchestra we ’ ll hear this evening .
The sheer sound of this work is utterly original and compelling . By expanding the usual four voices to six with added viola and cello parts , Schoenberg was able to create a sonority of great richness and variety . The added parts also suited the work ’ s thematic lavishness , with many brief , yet emotionally evocative themes presented and combined in dense counterpoint . Yet just when the music seems in danger of smothering us with complexity , Schoenberg instinctively knows to thin his textures , unite his instruments and drive straight to the heart with a disarmingly simple statement .
Following the five stanzas of Demel ’ s poem , Transfigured Night breaks down into five sections : a slow introduction with a “ walking theme ” setting the scene ; a lengthy , emotionally anguished section corresponding to the woman ’ s confession ; a transitional return to the walking music ; another extended section for the man ’ s response ; and a concluding coda , in which the miracle of transfiguration takes place . The tonal progression is from D minor for the tragic beginning to D major for the exalted conclusion .
Midway through , after the woman ’ s tormented confession , the voices of the cellos eloquently and simply represent the man ’ s speech absolving the woman of her burden of guilt . For the first time , we hear the starry-night transfiguration music with its glittering arpeggios and plucked strings .
In the work ’ s coda , the walking theme returns yet again , now calm and flowing in the violins and accompanied by a warm countermelody in the cellos . The music closes with the radiance of the transfiguration music — in the composer ’ s words , “ to glorify the miracles of nature that have changed this night of tragedy into a transfigured night .”
Instrumentation : String orchestra .
SYMPHONY NO . 2 IN D MAJOR
Ludwig van Beethoven
Born in Bonn , Germany , December 16 , 1770 ; died in Vienna , Austria , March 26 , 1827
By 1802 , Beethoven ’ s deafness was beginning to trouble him greatly , even though it was not yet noticed by most around him . His doctor suggested that a summer in the country , in the village of Heiligenstadt outside Vienna , might prove to be helpful . It was helpful for his creativity , but not for his deafness . By October , Beethoven was pouring out his anguish at the ailment he feared would destroy all his musical hopes in a letter ostensibly written to his two brothers , but never sent ( it was found among his papers after his death ): the famous Heiligenstadt Testament . “ Yes , that fond hope — which I brought here with me , to be cured to a degree at least — this I must now wholly abandon . As the leaves of autumn fall and are withered — so likewise has my hope been blighted — I leave here — almost as I came — even the high courage — which often inspired me in the beautiful days of summer — has disappeared .”
A significant advance over his First Symphony , which strongly showed the influence of Haydn , Symphony No . 2 was composed during those “ beautiful days of summer ” in 1802 and shines not only with “ high courage ” but with high spirits , daring and wit . Now the virile , bold voice was unmistakably Beethoven ’ s throughout , and the scope and ambition of this symphony were beginning to expand toward the revolutionary “ Eroica ” Symphony , written just one year later . But unlike the “ Eroica ,” the Second is a predominantly light-hearted work , rich in musical humor . Yet at its premiere in Vienna on April 5 , 1803 , it was
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