Jan van Gilse's 3rd Symphony from cpo

[M. Henriksen]

Finally it's here, or at least it's scheduled for release 27.03 2012! This disc was part of the 2010 cpo catalogue, so it took some time. Nevertheless it's good too see thing materializing. David Porcelijn is conducting the Netherlands SO with Aile Asszonyi as soloist.

http://www.jpc.de/jpcng/cpo/detail/-/art/Jan-van-Gilse-1881-1944-Symphonie-Nr-3/hnum/7550354


Morten

[Dundonnell]

Hurrah

[M. Henriksen]

Hurrah indeed! I must say that I have big expectations to this work, but as with the first van Gilse disc from cpo I think this is music that requires more than one listen before it starts to open up. We'll see!


Morten

[M. Henriksen]

Well, I ordered this disc today tempted by the excerpts that now are available at jpc.


Morten

[Peter1953]

What a wonderful, great and majestic symphony! Strong and sensitive, very well developed music, with a soprano in the 3rd and 5th movements of this 63:02 minutes lasting symphony, called Erhebung (=Elevation). IMO this is one of the best Dutch 20th century symphonies, if not the best, ever written (sorry, Röntgen).
Very strongly recommended!

[Alan Howe]

My copy's somewhere between Germany and the UK....

[Peter1953]

But it's worth waiting for, Alan.

[Alan Howe]

I see what you mean, Peter! I'm hooked virtually from the word go! More when I've got my head round the piece...

By the way: I'm sure that "Erhebung" should be translated as "Exaltation" rather than "Elevation"! Another case of cpo mis-translation?

[Alan Howe]

To start with very Wagnerian (think Parsifal). Then, as soon as the soprano enters, we're in (scorching hot) Strauss/Rosenkavalier territory (oops, that hadn't been written yet!) Anyone else agree?

[Christo]

IBy the way: I'm sure that "Erhebung" should be translated as "Exaltation" rather than "Elevation"!

Looks correct to me.

[Alan Howe]

Which looks correct, Christo? And what does "Erhebung" suggest anyway in connection with van Gilse's 3rd??

[Christo]

Sorry, was too quick.  Van Gilse was an early admirer of Nietzsche and 'Erhebung' will be a Nietzschean term for him. I don't know the symphony yet, and perhaps the booklet explains it all, but my guess would be, that it translates as elevation, revival, revolt even.

[Alan Howe]

Judging by the verses used in the symphony for the soprano solo, the correct translation would be "Exaltation".

[Christo]

The verses, if I recall correctly, are taken from the Song of Songs. Are you sure that they contain Van Gilse's "message"? In other words: isn't here a wordplay at hand?

At the one hand, one would expect 'exaltation', because of the Song of Songs. At the other hand: I cannot believe that Van Gilse hadn't first and for all Nietzsche in mind when he called his Third 'Erhebung' - Erhebung being far more a Nietzschean term than one that one would use (in German) in connection with the Song of Songs. To read it as 'exaltation' only will not do, as far as I understand the meaning of the German word c. 1900 and especially as it was used by Nietzsche himself. Perhaps one of our German friends can help us out, here. 

[Alan Howe]

Until we can establish that there is indeed a Nietzsche connection in respect of the symphony - and the cpo notes are completely silent on the matter - then all speculation as to the relevance of a Nietzschean understanding of the term "Erhebung" is just that - speculation...

However, it is true that the term "Erhebung" is found across the whole of the 19th-century German philosophical tradition; my problem with cpo's translation is that "Elevation" has other, unwelcome associations, such as "geographical height", "façade of a building", "raising of the host in the Roman Catholic mass", etc.  Of course, "Exaltation" also has theological connotations, but the use by van Gilse of verses from the Song of Songs might actually render this translation more appropriate.

We clearly need more info. Help!!