Erwartung

Performance history#

had its British premiere on 9 January 1931, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by the composer. It was the first live opera shown on Times Square in New York City in a production by Robin Rhode in November 2015 (2 performances).

Roles#

• The Woman (soprano)

Synopsis#

:Time: Night :Place: A forest A woman is in an apprehensive state as she searches for her lover. In the darkness, she comes across what she first thinks is a body, but then realises is a tree-trunk. She is frightened and becomes more anxious as she cannot find the man she is looking for. She then finds a dead body, and sees that it is her lover. She calls out for assistance, but there is no response. She tries to revive him, and addresses him as if he were still alive, angrily charging him with being unfaithful to her. She then asks herself what she is to do with her life, as her lover is now dead. Finally, she wanders off alone into the night.

Instrumentation#

’s score calls for an orchestra with the following instrumentation. ;Woodwind : 3 Flutes (3rd doubling on 2nd piccolo) : Piccolo : 4 Oboes (4th doubling on English horn) : 4 Clarinets: 1 in D, 1 in B, 2 in A : Bass clarinet in B : 3 Bassoons : Contrabassoon ;Brass : 4 Horns in F : 3 Trumpets in B : 4 Trombones : Tuba ;Percussion : Timpani : Xylophone : Glockenspiel : Cymbals : Bass drum : Side drum : Triangle : Tam-tam : Rattle ;Keyboard : Celesta ;Strings : Harp : Violins I and II : Violas : Cellos : Double basses

Recordings (selection)#

• Columbia: Dorothy Dow; New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra; Dimitri Mitropoulos, conductor (1951)
• Orfeo: Magda László; Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks; Hermann Scherchen, conductor (1955)
• Wergo: Helga Pilarczyk; North West German Philharmonic; Hermann Scherchen, conductor (1960)
• Columbia: Helga Pilarczyk; Washington Opera Society Orchestra; Robert Craft, conductor (p. 1963)
• Q Disc: Dorothy Dorow; Concertgebouw Orchestra; Sir Bernard Haitink, conductor (1975)
• CRI: Susan Davenny-Wyner; Orchestra of the 20th Century; Arthur Weisberg, conductor (1975)
• CBS: Janis Martin; BBC Symphony Orchestra; Pierre Boulez, conductor (1977)
• Decca: Anja Silja; Wiener Philharmoniker; Christoph von Dohnányi, conductor (1979)
• Philips: Jessye Norman; Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; James Levine, conductor (1989)
• EMI Classics: Phyllis Bryn-Julson; City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra; Sir Simon Rattle, conductor (1993)
• Teldec: Alessandra Marc; Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden; Giuseppe Sinopoli, conductor (1996)
• Hungaroton: Éva Marton; Budapest Symphony Orchestra; John Carewe, conductor (1998)
• KOCH International Classics: Anja Silja; Philharmonia Orchestra; Robert Craft, conductor (2000)
• Hänssler/PROFIL: Jeanne-Michèle Charbonnet; WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln; Jukka-Pekka Saraste, conductor (2012)
• Chandos: ; Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra; Edward Gardner, conductor (2020)

External links#

• *Erwartung, Arnold Schönberg Centre