- Asrael (symphony)
Josef Suk´s symphony for large orchestra in C Minor Asrael, Op. 27, (1905-1906), was written in mourning for his teacher and father-in-law
Antonín Dvořák (died 1904), and Suk´s wife and Dvořák´s daughter Otilie (died 1905).Background
The composition was titled after the
Islam angel of deathAsrael , who leads souls of deceased to the land of eternal blissfulness. Suk began to compose his funeral ["Album notes (SU 3830-2), p. 10"] symphony at the beginning of 1905. The work was planned out in five movements, the sketches of three movements were finished less than a half year later. On 6 July, 1906, in the middle of the work, Suk´s wife Otilie died. ["Dopisy o životě hudebním i lidském, p. 60"] Although the composition was to be also a celebration of Dvořák´s life and work, the desolated composer rejected the optimistic tone of the rest of the work. The complete score was finished on 4 October, 1906. The work was dedicated "to the exalted memory of Dvořák and Otilie""Album notes (SU 3864-2), p. 10"] . Suk dedicated the last two movements to Otilie.The symphony was premièred on 3 February, 1907 at the Prague´s National Theatre, conducted by
Karel Kovařovic . Karel Hoffman and Jiří Herold, members of theCzech Quartet , attended the première as theconcertmaster s of the orchestra of the National Theatre. ["Dopisy o životě hudebním i lidském, p. 65"]Norman Lebrecht has singled outVáclav Talich 's 1952 recording of the Asrael Symphony with theCzech Philharmonic Orchestra onSupraphon as #19 in his list of the 100 best recordings of the century. [Norman Lebrecht, "Masterpieces: 100 Milestones of the Recorded Century" "The Life and Death of Classical Music". New York: Anchor Books (2007): 181 - 182]Structure
The composition is in five movements:
# Andante sostenuto
# Andante
# Vivace
# Adagio
# Adagio e maestosoThe influence of Dvořák´s composing style, apparent in previous Suk´s work, is not noticeable in this composition. Suk leads his musical language rather to the modern polyphonic and harmonic techniques. ["Hudební slovník pro každého, p. 518"]
The Asrael Symphony represents a significant milestone in the context of Suk´s oeuvre. The composer´s bright and optimistic character of musical expression shifts to fundamental questions of human existence."Album notes (SU 3864-2), p. 10"]
Notes
References
*cite book |title=Dopisy o životě hudebním i lidském |last=Suk |first=Josef |authorlink=Josef Suk (composer) |coauthors=ed. Jana Vojtěšková |year=2005 |publisher=Editio Bärenreiter |location=Prague |isbn=80-86385-31-0 |pages= |url=
*cite book |title=Hudební slovník pro každého II. |last=Vysloužil |first=Jiří |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2001 |publisher=Lípa |location=Vizovice |isbn=80-86093-23-9 |pages= |url=
*cite album-notes |title=Asrael, A Summer´s Tale, The Ripening, Epilogue, Fairy Tale, Praga (Czech Philharmonic Orchestra , cond.Václav Neumann ,Libor Pešek ) |albumlink= |bandname=Josef Suk |year=2006 |notestitle= |url= |first=Vít |last=Roubíček |authorlink= |coauthors=transl. Ted Whang |pages=p. 8-12 |format=CD |publisher=Supraphon |publisherid=SU 3864-2 |location=Prague |mbid= [http://www.supraphon.cz/cs/katalog/databaze-titulu/detail-titulu/?idtitulu=2008592]
*cite album-notes |title=Stabat Mater (Dvořák), Asrael (Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir,Václav Talich ) |albumlink= |bandname=Josef Suk |year=2005 |notestitle=We Generally Drink Our Pain Alone |url= |first= |last= |authorlink= |coauthors= |pages=p. 8-15 |format=CD |publisher=Supraphon |publisherid=SU 3830-2 |location=Prague |mbid= [http://www.supraphon.cz/cs/katalog/databaze-titulu/detail-titulu/?idtitulu=2007489]
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