Ein Heldenleben (literally A Heroic Life, but usually more loosely translated as A Hero's Life), op.40, is a tone poem by Richard Strauss. The work was completed in 1898, and heralds the composer’s more mature period in this genre. A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music in one movement in which some extra-musical programme provides a narrative or illustrative element. ... This article is about the German composer of tone-poems and operas. ...

Instrumentation

The work is scored for piccolo, 3 flutes, 3 oboes, English horn (also doubling oboe), 3 clarinets in E-flat and B-flat, bass clarinet in B-flat, 3 bassoons, contrabassoon, 8 horns in F and E, 5 trumpets in B-flat and E-flat, 3 trombones, tenor tuba in B-flat, tuba, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, snare drum, tenor drum, tam-tam, 2 harps and strings. The piccolo is a small flute. ... The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... Cor anglais The cor anglais or English horn is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... Two soprano clarinets: a Bâ™­ clarinet (left, with capped mouthpiece) and an A clarinet (right, with no mouthpiece). ... The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. ... The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers and occasionally even higher. ... This is a contrabassoon. ... The horn (popularly known also as the French horn) is a brass instrument decended from the natural horn that consists of tubing wrapped into a coiled form. ... The trumpet is the highest brass instrument in register, above the French horn, trombone, baritone, euphonium, and tuba. ... The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. ... The tuba is the largest and lowest pitched of brass instruments. ... The tuba is the largest and lowest pitched of brass instruments. ... A timpanist in the United States Air Forces in Europe Band. ... A bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. ... It is also possible that you want to know about the Cymbalum instrument. ... The snare drum or side drum is a tubular drum made of wood or metal with skins, or heads, stretched over the top and bottom openings, and with a set of snares (cords) strethced across the bottom head. ... A tenor drum is a low-pitched cylindrical drum, but slightly higher pitched than a bass drum. ... A tam tam is also a kind of Gong A tam is also kind of Jamaican hat, probably from the Irish tam-o-shanter. ... The harp is a stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicular to the soundboard. ...

Structure

Ein Heldenleben is a through-composed work (played without pauses) with six distinct episodes or sections. Their titles are as follows (some editions of the score may not show these titles):

1. Der Held (The Hero)
2. Des Helden Widersacher (The Hero's Adversaries)
3. Des Helden Gefährtin (The Hero's female Companion)
4. Des Helden Walstatt (The Hero's Battlefield)
5. Des Helden Friedenswerke (The Hero's Works of Peace)
6. Des Helden Weltflucht und Vollendung(The Hero's Retreat from the World and Consummation)

The duration of the work is approximately 43 minutes.

Analysis

1. The Hero - The Hero has a soaring quality that evokes the theme from Beethoven's Eroica. Blazing trumpets sound a herald as the hero rides off into the adventure to the sound of a dominant seventh chord.

2. The Hero's Adversaries - The Adversaries are announced with squeaks and snarls from the woodwinds and have a sound of pettiness difficult to ignore. The hero's theme is all that can silence them, if only for a moment.

3. The Hero's Companion - A tender melody played by a solo violin depicts the wife of our Hero. Her precious moment with her husband is broken by the Adversaries as they snarl and goad the Hero into battle. Fanfares sound the beginning of the battle.

4. The Hero's Battlefield - The percussion section sounds the advancement of the troops and the solo trumpet blares a call of war. A calamity of motives and themes ensues as the battle wages. The sweet sound of the violins remind the Hero that his beloved is waiting for his return. The clamorous (and extremely challenging) trumpet work brings the calamity of battle to the listener. In the end, the Hero's theme prevails over the hastily retreating adversaries. Strauss had created a chaotic scene of battle not depicted before.

5. The Hero's Works of Peace - The Hero's victory is celebrated via themes of other previous works such as Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks, Macbeth, Also sprach Zarathustra, Don Juan and Don Quixote. The peaceful and soaring melodies lead into the final section, assuaging the unrest building in our Hero. Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche (Till Eulenspiegels Merry Pranks, 1894-95), Op. ... Macbeth and Banquo meeting the witches on the heath by Théodore Chassériau. ... Also sprach Zarathustra, op. ... Don Juan with his sword in Don Giovanni, by Mozart Don Juan is a legendary fictional libertine, whose story has been told many times by different authors. ... (IPA: , but see spelling and pronunciation below), fully titled (The Ingenious Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha) is an early novel written by Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. ...

6. The Hero's Retreat from the World and Consummation - Shirking off worldly ideas and motives, the Hero envisions larger and more extravagant adventures and searches for a release from his fears. The violin theme of his beloved consoles the unrest of his soul while the solo French horn fuels the melancholy felt by the Hero as he renounces his life of adventure. The trumpets sound one final fanfare for the Hero as he retreats from his life, building the beginnings of another tone poem (Also Sprach Zarathustra) which is frequently coupled with Ein Heldenleben.

In Ein Heldenleben Strauss employs the technique of leitmotif that Richard Wagner used so liberally. Each character has a pronounced theme that gives insight to the character. The solo violin theme evokes the warm loving feeling of the Hero's wife, while the capricious snarling of woodwinds labels the Adversaries. 19th century Viennese music critic Eduard Hanslick is memorably written into the score with an ominous four note leitmotif played by the tuba. This culminates in the battle when all the themes play together in a seemingly chaotic fashion. This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (22 May 1813 – 13 February 1883) was a German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or music dramas as he later came to call them). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

The key of the outer sections, E-flat major, was deliberately chosen by Strauss as a reference to Ludwig van Beethoven's Third Symphony, the "Eroica." E-flat major is a major scale based on E-flat, consisting of the pitches E-flat, F, G, A-flat, B-flat, C, D, and E-flat. ... A portrait by Joseph Karl Stieler, 1820 Ludwig van Beethoven (IPA: ), (baptized December 17, 1770[1] – March 26, 1827) was a German composer. ... Eroica Symphony Title Page The Symphony No. ...

The solo violin heard in the third section is representative of the hero's female companion. In "Des Helden Friedenswerke", Strauss quotes from his own earlier tone poems, including Don Juan, Tod und Verklarung, Don Quixote, etc.

It was also his last tone poem that he ever composed and is considered his autobiography.

Criticism

Many critics have labeled Ein Heldenleben as shameless self promotion on Strauss's part. They argue that Strauss was an egotist because he wrote himself as the hero, his wife as his faithful companion, and wrote sniping and crude music to depict his critics. Strauss did say after all that he found himself as interesting a subject for study as Nero or Napoleon.

It should be noted that Strauss' self-portrayal wasn't meant to be taken seriously as he himself admitted that he had tongue placed firmly in cheek when he composed this self-portrait. As Strauss admitted to his friend Romain Rolland, "I am not a hero. I haven't got the necessary strength; I am not cut out for battle; I prefer to withdraw, to be quiet, to have peace..." Many critics have taken the work's program at face value.

To introduce his own Bach Portrait, Professor Peter Schickele explained he wanted to do for Bach "what Copland did for Lincoln, what Tchaikovsky did for little Russians, and what Richard Strauss did for himself." Peter Schickele (born Johann Peter Schickele, July 17, 1935) is an American composer, musical educator and parodist, perhaps best known for his comedy music albums featuring music he wrote as P. D. Q. Bach. ...

Recordings

There are many recordings of this work. Among the best are:

• New York Philharmonic/Willem Mengelberg (Rec. 1928, Pearl Records)
• Bavarian State Orchestra/Richard Strauss (Rec. 1941, Deutsche Grammophon; Dutton Labs)
• Concertgebouw Orchestra/Willem Mengelberg (Rec. 1942, Teldec; Naxos Historical)
• Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Thomas Beecham (Rec. 1947, Testament; Biddulph)
• Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Fritz Reiner (Rec. 1954, RCA Living Stereo)
• Staatskapelle Dresden/Karl Böhm (Rec. 1957, Deutsche Grammophon)
• Royal Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Thomas Beecham (Rec. 1959, EMI [STEREO])
• London Symphony Orchestra/Sir John Barbirolli (Rec. 1969, EMI)
• Concertgebouw Orchestra/Bernard Haitink (Rec. 1970, Philips)
• London Symphony Orchestra/Sir John Barbirolli (Rec. 1970, BBC Classics [IN CONCERT])
• Staatskapelle Dresden/Rudolf Kempe (Rec. 1972, EMI)
• Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Herbert von Karajan (Rec. 1974, EMI)
• Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Andre Previn (Rec. 1988, Telarc)
• Staatskapelle Dresden/Giuseppe Sinopoli (Rec. 1992, Deutsche Grammophon)
• WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne/Semyon Bychkov (Rec. 2001, Avie)
• New England Conservatory Youth Philharmonic Orchestra/Benjamin Zander (Rec. 2001, New England Conservatory Direct)
• Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/Christian Thielemann (Rec. 2003, Deutsche Grammophon)
• Concertgebouw Orchestra/Mariss Jansons (Rec. 2004, RCO Live)
• Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Sir Simon Rattle (Rec. 2005, EMI)
• Staatskapelle Dresden/Fabio Luisi (Rec. 2007, Sony)

The New York Philharmonic is the oldest active symphony orchestra in the United States, organized during 1842. ... Willem Mengelberg (Utrecht, Netherlands on March 28, 1871 – Zuort, Switzerland on March 21, 1951) was a Dutch conductor. ... Munich, National Theatre The Bayerische Staatsoper or Bavarian State Opera is an opera company in Munich and is one of the leading opera companies in Germany and the world and has existed since 1653. ... This article is about the German composer of tone-poems and operas. ... The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest in Dutch) is the best known and most respected orchestra in the Netherlands, and is generally considered to be among the worlds finest. ... Willem Mengelberg (Utrecht, Netherlands on March 28, 1871 – Zuort, Switzerland on March 21, 1951) was a Dutch conductor. ... The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is an English orchestra based in London. ... Thomas Beecham (April 29, 1879 - March 8, 1961) was a British conductor. ... The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, based in Chicago, Illinois, is one of the leading orchestras in the world. ... This article contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... The Dresden Staatskapelle is an orchestra based in Dresden. ... Karl Böhm (August 28, 1894 – August 14, 1981) was a prominent Austrian conductor. ... The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is an English orchestra based in London. ... Thomas Beecham (April 29, 1879 - March 8, 1961) was a British conductor. ... The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom. ... Sir John (Giovanni Battista) Barbirolli (December 2, 1899 - July 29, 1970), was a British conductor and cellist who led the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, among many others. ... The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest in Dutch) is the best known and most respected orchestra in the Netherlands, and is generally considered to be among the worlds finest. ... Bernard Johan Herman Haitink CH KBE (born March 4, 1929) is a Dutch conductor. ... The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom. ... Sir John (Giovanni Battista) Barbirolli (December 2, 1899 - July 29, 1970), was a British conductor and cellist who led the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, among many others. ... The Dresden Staatskapelle is an orchestra based in Dresden. ... Rudolf Kempe (June 14, 1910 – May 12, 1976) was a German conductor. ... The Berlin Philharmonic rehearsing in the Berliner Philharmonie. ... Herbert von Karajan (April 5, 1908 – July 16, 1989) was an Austrian conductor. ... The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (in German: Wiener Philharmoniker) is the best known orchestra in Austria and one of Europes major ensembles. ... Andr Previn (born April 6, 1929) is a prominent pianist, orchestral conductor, and composer. ... The Dresden Staatskapelle is an orchestra based in Dresden. ... Giuseppe Sinopoli (November 2, 1946 - April 20, 2001) was a conductor and composer. ... Semyon Bychkov (born November 30, 1952 in Leningrad (now St Petersburg)) is a Russian conductor. ... The Greater Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra performing in Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory of Music. ... Benjamin Zander (born March 9, 1939, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England) is an English-American conductor. ... The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (in German: Wiener Philharmoniker) is the best known orchestra in Austria and one of Europes major ensembles. ... Christian Thielemann (born 1959 in Berlin) is a German conductor. ... The Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest in Dutch) is the best known and most respected orchestra in the Netherlands, and is generally considered to be among the worlds finest. ... Mariss Jansons (born 1943) is a prominent Latvian conductor. ... The Berlin Philharmonic rehearsing in the Berliner Philharmonie. ... Simon Rattle recording Porgy and Bess with the London Symphony Orchestra at Abbey Road in 1988 Sir Simon Denis Rattle, CBE (born January 19, 1955) is an English conductor. ... The Dresden Staatskapelle is an orchestra based in Dresden. ... Fabio Luisi (born Genoa 1959) is an Italian conductor. ...

External links

• http://www.benjaminzander.com/ypo/einhelden.asp