Work of the Week - Karl Amadeus Hartmann: Concerto funebre

From 22 to 24 October, Britten Sinfonia presents its programme “Transfigured Nights” which will include Karl Amadeus Hartmann’s Concerto funebre for violin and strings. Performances will take place at West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge, Norwich Cathedral and the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London with the exceptional violinist Alina Ibragimova, just 22 years old, both performing the solo part and leading the ensemble. In February 2008, Ibragimova will also be performing a work that is very close to Hartmann’s concerto, Hindemith’s Music of Mourning.

Originally entitled "Music of Mourning", the work was created in 1939, during the first months of World War II, being Karl Amadeus Hartmann's only violin concerto and at the same time his most famous piece. 'This time indicates the basic character of my piece and the reason for writing it', wrote the composer. His friend Max See explained Hartmann's horror at the invasion of Poland by the German troops as follows: 'What merely filled us like-minded people with bitterness made him communicate his anger and his abysmal sorrow in sounds.' Merging into one another without a break, the four sections of the piece are related to each other thematically. As for the final chorale, Hartmann wanted it to be seen as an expression of confidence in hard times.

 Karl Amadeus Hartmann - Profile  
 Work information on Concerto funebre
 Britten Sinfonia