It may have seemed politically naive of Paul Hindemith in 1933 to start planning an opera asserting the moral duty of an artist under a repressive regime, but like many intellectuals of the day, he didn’t take the Nazis seriously and hoped they would soon be out of power. Mathis der Maler would be his undoing and force him into exile in 1938.
Hindemith later took themes from the opera and wove them into a large-scale symphony and the harmonic outline of the work brilliantly portrays the internal development of the artist. Christoph Eschenbach’s hyper-romantic way allied with the superb Hamburg orchestra would seem ideal for this reaffirmation of the Germanic symphonic tradition. The opening Concert of Angels promised much with impeccable intonation from blended wind and strings, but as the movement proceeded the conductor’s tendency to underline phrases with modifications of pulse allowed momentum to sag. The Entombment becomes ponderous. The Temptation of St. Anthony is grand and mighty but lacks bite.
The Symphony in E Flat was the first major work Hindemith wrote after arriving in America so is an appropriate coupling. With Stokowski, Bernstein or Tortelier it is a breezy romp of a score. Eschenbach trudges, attempting to give extra significance by broad tempi and weighty balances. This marvellous witty composer comes across here as a pompous, note-spinning bore.
Comments
Log in to join the conversation.