We continue in the same decade with Schnittke’s Requiem in the ’70s, but a little further west geographically. We go to Austria, to an artist who defines himself as a composer, conductor, and singer-songwriter (chansonnier). I am referring to Heinz Karl Gruber (*1943) – or commonly HK Gruber – who became famous with the work Frankenstein!!* a pan-demonium for baritone chansonnier and ensemble, based on children’s verses by Hans Carl Artmann^ (1977).
Gruber has composed works for orchestras such as the Vienna and Los Angeles Philharmonics, the Lucerne Festival, the Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Boston Symphony, and the London Sinfonietta. He also composed concertos for soloists like cellist Yo-Yo Ma (Cello Concerto, 1989), trumpeter Håkan Hardenberger (Busking, 2007), and pianist Emanuel Ax (Piano Concerto, 2016). Notable among his compositions are the symphonic poem Dancing in the Dark (2002) and the symphonic scenes Short Stories from the Vienna Woods (2019) from the opera of the same name. As a conductor, he has led, among others, the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Philharmonia, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and the BBC Philharmonic.
Furthermore, Gruber has appeared extensively as a chansonnier, primarily in Frankenstein!!, which he first performed with Sir Simon Rattle and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic in 1978, in the version with symphony orchestra. Since then, this work has been performed more than 600 times worldwide. Its Greek premiere – in the version with musical ensemble – was given in 2017 by the Ergon Ensemble, conducted by Kasper de Roo with soloist Tasis Christogiannopoulos at the Athens Concert Hall, in Greek, in a translation by the soloist. So, as you understand, the work exists in two orchestration versions: one for full symphony orchestra and one for instrumental ensemble, both meticulously crafted to support the soloist.
In both of the above cases, some of the musicians play children’s instruments, or if you prefer instruments for children, and other objects: these include kazoos, plastic tubes, melodicas, lotus flutes (slide whistles), bicycle horns, toy pianos. As picturesque or amusing as the visual result of these toys may be, their primary role is musical and not playful – even the plastic horses that whinny have their motivic/harmonic function.
The result is often chaotic, hence the designation “pan-demonium” in the work’s official title. The names of the parts come from all of mythology – mainly modern – but are not addressed only to children: Mrs. Dracula, John Wayne, Goldfinger and Bond, Robinson Crusoe’s Song, Batman and Robin, Werewolf Serenade, Frankenstein of course, and so on. As the composer states: “Artmann himself described the poems as, among other things, ‘covert political statements.’ Typically, he refused to explain what he meant. But his reticence is eloquent: the monsters of political life have always tried to hide their true face and very often succeeded.” Regarding the title, Gruber considers that among the controversial figures in this pandemonium is the unfortunate scientist who makes such a sudden entrance in the middle of the work. “Frankenstein – or whoever else we choose to identify with that name – is not the protagonist, but the figure behind the scenes, whom we forget at our own peril.”
Moving further into the connection between music and poetry, the composer states that “my goal was to create a broad palette combining traditional musical expressions with newer and more popular ones, in order to remain faithful to the deceptive simplicity of the texts, whose form at first glance suggests a naive, innocently cheerful atmosphere.” The “traditional” musical elements range from Mozart and the Viennese tradition to Prokofiev and the cabaret music of Arnold Schönberg and Hanns Eisler. The contemporary ones are the soloist’s “spoken” song (Sprechgesang), with frequent stretching (prolongation) of consonants; the use of children’s instruments and objects as a source of effects and music, sometimes in unison with certain instruments or even as the carrier of the melody (!); the abrupt changes of mood and dynamics; and also, the singing of the musicians as a chorus in the background.
With a duration of less than half an hour, and many short parts – the longest of which is 4′ – the work is an excellent introduction to contemporary creation. Very entertaining, even though the message of the lyrics is serious and, it seems, timeless. Also polystylistic, like Schnittke’s Requiem, but in a different way, with more stylistic cohesion and without breaks between the parts.
*This is the original writing of the title: with two exclamation marks.
^ Austrian writer, poet, and translator (1921-2000).
Studio recording of the orchestral version: BBC Philharmonic, HK Gruber, vocalist-conductor
(Link for the first part of the recording, click on the next ones to continue).
Live recording of the ensemble version: Ensemble Q, Jason Barry Smith, vocalist-conductor:
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
