Hindemith considered Das Marienleben to be his best work at the time of its completion, believing no other song cycle of similar scope had been composed recently.
Compositional Technique
Later songs in the cycle show a more distant relationship to the text, with musical expression sublimated into forms like basso ostinato or variation.
Critical Reception
The original 1922-23 version of Das Marienleben is considered by Glenn Gould to be 'the greatest song cycle ever written,' despite a revised version from 1948 being more frequently performed.
Compositional Technique
Early songs in Das Marienleben, like 'Pietà', exemplify Hindemithian Expressionism through extreme frugality of musical resources, such as sustained chords and repeated notes in the piano.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Hindemith's work on Das Marienleben marked a significant stylistic shift from musical Expressionism to New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit).
Composition History
Paul Hindemith began composing Das Marienleben, a song cycle for soprano and piano based on 15 poems by Rainer Maria Rilke, in June 1922, completing it over a year later in July 1923.
Recording & Production
This recording by Juliane Banse and Martin Helmchen presents the original 1922-23 version of Paul Hindemith's Das Marienleben.
