Franz Schubert - Tragic Symphony

What is so tragic about the "Tragic"? Schubert himself retrospectively titled his C minor symphony (D 417) as such, raising questions about its meaning and classification. Schubert's own attribution has repeatedly provoked skeptical comments, from Schumann to more recent music journalists—and perhaps cynically, but perhaps also accurately, one might want to confirm the adjective "tragic" less as programmatically apt for the work than as biographically relevant to the composer: namely, that Schubert failed magnificently in his attempt to emulate Beethoven's symphonies. What is certain is that he finds his own stylistic characteristics here and derives his distinctive personal sound signature from them. In the first movement, for example, the same weaving sixteenth-note figures pour out over long stretches, with a dramatic gesture, but at the same time strangely treading water, in ultimately quite monotonous blocks of form, often strung together in rigid sequences rather than developed. Are these compositional weaknesses, or do they reveal new qualities and potential? In any case, such elements clearly point to Bruckner, among others. Our soirée aims to make some of this tangible and invites discussion of our own listening experiences.

Soirées – exciting introductory evenings with analysis of the works and background information for interested music lovers. Every Tuesday evening during the concert week at the Winterthur Conservatory, Tössertobelstrasse 1, concert hall, duration approx. 2 hours.