"An die Hoffnung" (To Hope), Op. 124, is a ''

Lied In Western classical music tradition, (, plural ; , plural , ) is a term for setting poetry to classical music to create a piece of polyphonic music. The term is used for any kind of song in contemporary German, but among English and French s ...

'' for

alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruses by ...

mezzo-soprano A mezzo-soprano or mezzo (; ; meaning "half soprano") is a type of classical female singing voice whose vocal range lies between the soprano and the contralto voice types. The mezzo-soprano's vocal range usually extends from the A below middle C ...

and orchestra by

Max Reger Johann Baptist Joseph Maximilian Reger (19 March 187311 May 1916) was a German composer, pianist, organist, conductor, and academic teacher. He worked as a concert pianist, as a musical director at the Paulinerkirche, Leipzig, Leipzig University ...

, setting a poem by Friedrich Hölderlin. He composed it in

Meiningen Meiningen () is a town in the southern part of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in the region of Franconia and has a population of around 25,000 (2021).

in 1912 and dedicated it to Anna Erler-Schnaudt, the singer of the first performance. It was published by Edition Peters the same year.

History

Reger composed the orchestral song in

Meiningen Meiningen () is a town in the southern part of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in the region of Franconia and has a population of around 25,000 (2021).

in 1912. He had an affinity to the alto voice, collaborating with the singer Anna Erler-Schnaudt whom he met probably in 1906. Reger dedicated the work to her, and she was the soloist in the first performance in Eisenach on 12 October 1912. The composer conducted the Meininger Hofkapelle. The song was published by Edition Peters the same year, the vocal score in September, the parts in November. Reger requested the singer to perform in his memorial service in case of his death. She remained dedicated to him after his death, giving the autograph of the piano version of ''An die Hoffnung'' and several other memorabilia to the Max-Reger-Institute.

Text and music

The poem was published in two versions, the first titled "Bitte" (Request), the second "An die Hoffnung". Reger combined the text of the first, making minor changes to the wording, with the title of the second. Reger scored work for a low female voice (

), and an orchestra of two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three timpani and strings. The music is influenced by Wagner's '' Tristan und Isolde''. Reger made a piano version.

Selected recordings

Carl Schuricht conducted in 1955 the first recording, with

Christa Ludwig Christa Ludwig (16 March 1928 – 24 April 2021) was a German mezzo-soprano and occasional dramatic soprano, distinguished for her performances of opera, lieder, oratorio, and other major religious works like masses, passions, and solos in symp ...

and the NDR Symphony Orchestra, complementing Bruckner's Symphonies No. 7 and 8.

Hermann Scherchen Hermann Scherchen (21 June 1891 – 12 June 1966) was a German conductor. Life Scherchen was born in Berlin. Originally a violist, he played among the violas of the Bluthner Orchestra of Berlin while still in his teens. He conducted in Riga ...

recorded it along with other works by Reger in 1960 with the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie and

Margarethe Bence Margarethe Bence (August 13, 1930 – April 1, 1992) was an American opera singer, who sang both mezzo-soprano and contralto parts and was mostly active in German and Austria, including international festivals such as the Bayreuth Festival and the ...

as the soloist. Leon Botstein conducted in 2001 a recording with Catherine Wyn-Rogers and the

London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symphony ...

, complementing Reger works such as ''

Vier Tondichtungen nach A. Böcklin ''Vier Tondichtungen nach A. Böcklin'' (Four tone poems after Arnold Böcklin), Op. 128, is a composition in four parts for orchestra by Max Reger, based on four paintings by Arnold Böcklin, including ''Die Toteninsel'' ('' ''Isle of the Dead ...

''.

References

Sources

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External links