Between the Wars#

Ernst Krenek: Travel Diary from the Austrian Alps, Der Wein#

Ernst Krenek

A trip through Austria turns into a musically nostalgic trip into the past as Ernst Krenek (1890 Vienna - 1991 Palm Springs/USA) chooses a style that uses more easily understood tonality with modulations and singable melodies to convincingly express his immpressions, after he went through a period of using atonality. Schubert's influence can be seen directly after the 100th anniversary of his death in 1928 in the form of a military march and structurally in the song Der Wein. (1929), from Krenek's Reisebuch aus den oesterreichischen Alpen. (Travel Diary from the Austrian Alps). Continuity is created here using the tried and true techniques of melodic and harmonic intertwining; the rhythmic element is dependent on the texts. With all respect for traditions, this is no mere copying, but rather Krenek's own personal confrontation with history and in the later sections, with emigrant's nostalgia for his lost culture. (M. Saary)

Sound Clip#