TEMPO OF RECOLLECTION - Hosfeld Artist Management

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TEMPO OF RECOLLECTION Music of Erwin Schulhoff in a much more serious tone, however still written in an audience-friendly style, as opposed to the Song from the Funf Gesange heard earlier. This work demonstrates Schulhoff’s experimentation with a popular dance form in a more formalized concert setting. Placing this work at this point in the show begins to give context for Schulhoff’s eclectic tastes and capabilities, ranging from vernacular popular songs to serious concert works. Symphonica Germanica Symphonica Germanica is a short dada-esque work, similar to the Sonata Erotica in that it is categorized as “opus extra” and is designed to be a shocking send-up of “normal” music. Again, like the Sonata Erotica, it is notated, however in a manner purposefully unplayable in any conventional sense as it is scored for right hand, left hand, nose, head, etc. and contains the melody and words to Deutchland Uber Alles, the German National Anthem. At this point in the action, the waiter, who has seen a variety of different performances throughout the evening steps forward and decides he can join in the fun as well by very earnestly presenting this grotesque version of Symphonica Germanica. Dneska kazda modni zena The bourgeois singer, after her triumph with the Sonata Erotica and now fully appreciating the appropriate tone for the room, sings this gently lilting Czech song accompanied by Schulhoff on the piano. The melody is in a style that would be popular for a fashionable woman of the 1930s, very appropriate for a common radio audience for which it was probably originally written. Just like the “Susi. Fox-Song”, Schulhoff writes it using a pseudonym, in this case George Hannel. Several of the musicians in the dancehall, recognizing the tune, gladly join in. This final song before the performance of the string quartet serves to further illustrate the range of Schulhoff’s eclectic taste, from the popular to the serious. visit www.TempoOfRecollection.com Music Descriptions Page 5
TEMPO OF RECOLLECTION Music of Erwin Schulhoff String Quartet #2 The performance of Schulhoff’s String Quartet #2 is the culmination of the entire evening. Everything leading up to this point, the opening speech by the scholar, the dancehall setting, the jazz-inspired piano music, the dances, the Expressionistic song, the popular songs, all serve to create a context for listening to a complete performance of the String Quartet #2. This work is about 20 minutes in length over 4 separate movements. In a normal concert setting, this music would be as accessible and enjoyable to listen to as any quartet by Dvorak, Debussy or Shostakovich, but in this setting, the focus of the audience is heightened. The audience, having heard about Schulhoff’s life, having become immersed in the time and place the music was created, having experienced his emphasis on rhythm and heard the variety of musical styles Schulhoff was interested in, will hear the String Quartet #2 in a way that no normal concert setting could provide. Although the action on the stage for this performance is completely focused in on the quartet, and is in fact very similar to a normal concert performance, it is different because the audience will have had a level of immersion in Schulhoff’s world that would never be normally possible. The String Quartet # 2 is in 4 movements, each dramatic and captivating, which to a discerning listener will contain several of the musical threads presented throughout the evening. For instance, there is a short section in the 2 nd movement titled, “Tempo di Fox”. The 3 rd movement is meant to represent Czech folk music. The outer movements have tastes of Expressionism, Impressionism, Classical structure, driving rhythms, moments of introspection and above all an understanding of the musical times in which they were created and completely engaging to an audience. Alla Tarantella Played as an encore, the Alla Tarantella is from the Funf Stucke fur Stringquartette. It is a virtuosic show piece, fast and exciting, designed as an exciting climax to the evening’s performance. photo credit: Michelle Smith-Lewis Courtesy of Cornish College of the Arts visit www.TempoOfRecollection.com Music Descriptions Page 6
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TEMPO OF RECOLLECTION - Hosfeld Artist Management

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