2nd Symphony "Reverenza" (op. 30, 1966)
I. Fanfare, II. Fantasia, III. Finale concertante
3.3.3.3 - 4.3.3.1 - timpani, precussion, harp, strings
Duration: 25 minutes
Orchestra of the Bavarian State Conservatory of Music | Hanns Reinartz
Title: Reverenza for large orchestra - Length: 94 pages - Date: I. 24.Oct.65 II. 28.XII.65 III. 28.Jan.1966 - Location: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek Munich
N. Simrock Hamburg-London (Boosey & Hawkes) (loan material)
Hummel's rousing and skilfully crafted Symphony No. 2 is a huge work of multi-layered proportions.
Hummel's final movement from the Symphony No. 2 "Reverenza" was already convincing, bringing out the whimsical and witty moments of the work, as well as elegant melodies and powerful, chorale-like sections. The richly detailed sound world of Bertold Hummel was allowed to unfold, reverberation effects, colourful and imaginative instrumentation - a modern work, 50 years after its premiere, which is easy to understand even for listeners who reject all modernism.
With the title "Reverenza", Hummel's op. 30 from 1966 does not radically abandon traditional harmonic ties, but nevertheless gains a colourful life of its own and artistic weight through the free use of twelve-tone technique with strong internal tension. The 20-minute symphony is compositionally imaginative, skilfully and formally consistent.
The first movement ("Fanfare") rises from melodious unison chords, realises its thematic material in structurally clear interweavings, brings delicate melodicism into play in the middle movement ("Fantasia") and builds up to the finale in a frequently broken, passionately moving espressivo.
In his second symphony, Bertold Hummel pays homage to the established compositional tradition and the present, but he is independent in every bar. His unisoni with the march-like brass interludes in the first movement have the grand sweep and the original German Romantic spirit of a Mathis or a Harmonie der Welt by Hindemith.
Bertold Hummel's second symphony, with the reverent title"Reverenza", has its share of both halves of the evening, the classical-romantic and the classical-modern. Its atonal language belongs to the 20th century; the orchestration, however, is content with a traditional format. Nevertheless, the gong booms along, the drum rattles - and the vibraphone adds a sensual, wistful resonance.
Boggasch and the orchestra fine-tune Hummel's art of instrumentation with a wealth of nuances. The brass is energetic and effective, sharply juxtaposed with and against the expanses of the strings, which exert plenty of pressure. The third and final movement is even reminiscent of Arthur Honegger's motorik. However, the main and masterpiece, contrasting between the outer movements, is a marvellous "Fantasia", which unfolds like a chamber concerto for flute, then clarinet and finally for string quartet, as sublime as it is unerringly intoned.
In addition to Beethoven's lively and life-affirming 8th Symphony, the programme included Mozart's Piano Concerto K. 466 and a world premiere, Bertold Hummel's lively Reverenza.
Modernism kicked off the evening. Bertold Hummel - one of the teachers at the State Conservatoire who have enhanced its reputation - wrote his Reverenza for a large orchestra, which is probably also a tribute to this institution. The brass reached as far as the tuba, the double bass players lined up in rows deep into the centre of the podium, and in the background three musicians positioned themselves in front of the percussion, including Siegfried Fink, the head of the percussion studio, who is not only well respected in Germany as an avant-gardist in his field. A great deal passed through his hands, as Bertold Hummel gave his percussion a rich and colourful treatment. The first movement, called Fanfare, makes it immediately clear: the music triggers tension, it is as if someone has lit a fire, it sprays from the instruments in turn and then flares up: music that lights up quickly and energetically. Fantasia, the second movement: the flutes introduce it, harp plucking in between, the bold call of the clarinets - Bertold Hummel is not only a spirited composer who desires agility from the instruments, he also responds to them with a fine touch, he takes them by the sound and they entrust themselves to him as one who knows them. Finally, the concertante finale is movingly dance-like, a whirl at times, sensitive and nervous. The orchestra of the Bavarian State Conservatory managed all this with nuance under the direction of Prof. Hanns Reinartz.
The 2nd Symphony "Reverenza" was commissioned for the inauguration of a new concert hall. Perhaps the subtitle "Reverenza" can be interpreted as a tribute to centuries of tradition.
The first movement, Fanfare , begins with a rhythmic and dynamically moulded 12-note melody in slow time. This melody appears four times in the course of the movement, thereby structuring the movement, which is otherwise dominated by a relentlessly forward-pressing fanfare motif.
2nd Fantasia. A sweeping, rhapsodic, seemingly improvised flute solo opens the pastoral slow movement. After a short orchestral tutti, the clarinet takes over and continues the thread, the orchestral tutti leads to a horn quartet, which is followed by a lyrical string quartet episode with a solo cadenza by the 1st violin. The oboe takes up the pastoral atmosphere of the beginning again - in the tutti there is the greatest development of power - solemn trombone transition - sarabande-like intensification over the ostinato of the basses and timpani. A brief resumption of the flute solo concludes the extremely colourful movement.
3rd Finale concertante. The virtuoso and musical final movement has a decidedly dramatic character. In a large-scale field of tension, the Gregorian "Te deum laudamus" is contrasted with a fully chromatic, 12-note theme. Initially contrasting - becoming increasingly interpenetrating and intertwined as the movement progresses - the hymn-like Te deum ultimately dominates. The work comes to an end with a densely contrapuntal final development in which all the themes are present.
The first three notes of the symphony - shaped both melodically and chordally - are permanently present in all movements and can be described as a kind of symphonic bracket.
Since its premiere on 29 March 1966, the work has enjoyed steadily growing popularity at home and abroad. In 1982 alone, it was performed seven times, in Nuremberg, Limoges, Foix, Pau, Tarbes, Biarritz and Ansbach.
Bertold Hummel
(...) Basically, I start from the 12-tone technique, which, however, is not applied in an academically consistent manner. In my 2nd Symphony op. 30, written in 1966, entitled Reverenza - in German: Ehrerbietung - there is also the almost continuous harmony of fourths. Another striking feature of this work is the preference for certain familiar musical formulae, which undoubtedly create a certain sense of familiarity in the listener from the very first encounter with the work. Chorale, march, fanfares, jazz motifs, scales, chord figures. Perhaps the title of the symphony can be explained from here as a tribute to the centuries-long tradition of music.
Bertold Hummel (concert introduction, 24 June 1981, Stuttgart)
(...) Back then, 30 years ago - it was the time when my composing peers in Germany wrote everything else but symphonies - and symphonies for festive occasions. (...) It was my task to write a customised piece for the orchestra of what was then the State Conservatory. The professors were sitting at the first desks and all wanted to be considered in some way. This is how the various solos ended up in this symphony. The piece is also a tribute to an institution where I taught until 1988 and with which I will probably be associated for the rest of my life as Honorary President.
Bertold Hummel (Draft of a speech, 12/13 October 1995)
In his Symphony No. 2, the preference for certain familiar musical formulas is evident alongside an almost continuous harmony of fourths, which creates a feeling of familiarity with the work from the very first hearing: chorale, march, fanfare and jazz motifs, scales and chordal figures. This explains the title of the symphony: a bow to the centuries-old tradition of music.
I. Fanfare: Two essential structural features form the expressive opening movement: a melodic twelve-tone row in the bass, introduced at the beginning in unison in a compelling crescendo, and a fanfare motif in the brass. These two motifs are set in relation to each other in constant alternation, interwoven both vertically and horizontally. This results in an extremely multi-layered, expressive sound. After a quiet episode introduced by harp and \/ibraphone, a powerful sound block of the whole orchestra develops with the altered unison idea in the bass. A phase of calming is followed by an almost mystical section: Fluttering tonguing of flute and piccolo with tremolo of the vibraphone over a ground of string and cymbal trills, plus a "calling" trombone motif. A repeated juxtaposition of the two main ideas is followed by a piercing ostinato figure in the violins and leads to the powerful conclusion.
Fantasia II: A sweeping, rhapsodic, improvised flute solo opens the pastoral slow movement. The clarinet continues this mood in an even more extensive solo (partly on a glittering orchestral background: harmonics in the solo strings, harp runs, cymbal rolls and vibraphone figures). The high woodwinds and strings then take the lead in a rhythmically captivating motif. From the horn quartet, the action moves on to an extended string quartet episode (with a cadenza in the 1st violin). The oboe picks up on the pastoral atmosphere of the beginning, and the tutti once again reaches its most powerful development: a solemn trombone chorale, a sarabande-like build-up over the ostinato of the basses and timpani. A brief resumption of the flute solo concludes this extremely colourful movement.
III Finale Concertante: An incredibly virtuosic, vital and musical finale! The structure and tension arise from the polarity of the two main themes: a 12-note row, which epitomises the diabolic principle, is contrasted with the Gregorian tedeum. Upward-chasing scales introduce the imitative first theme, from which accompanying figures crystallise into a hymn-like trombone solo. A short rest (clarinet, low brass) creates energy for a very accentuated episode in rumba rhythm (woodwinds, bongos), at the end of which a powerful march theme builds up, which, together with the hymn-like motif, is brought to great sonic development. A development-like section is characterised by the sound of the bongos and sharp wind chords. The woodwind idea and the trombone motif appear again. The recapitulation begins with the frenzied scale of the beginning, but continues freely, with the trumpets setting the climax with another hymn-like motif. The slowing of the tempo and the transparent use of solo instruments bring about a calming effect. A broadly conceived build-up then leads to a powerful unison theme in the horns and strings. In the coda, the various elements (bongos, woodwind theme, march idea etc.) are combined very densely. There is another big build-up: horn fanfares once again herald a march motif; a surging upswing in the woodwinds and strings is crowned by a radiant chorale in the trumpets. The traditional 'Reverenza' ends effectively with a cloudy E major chord.
Dieter Wittenbrock