THE SECRET MEANINGS OF PAUL HINDEMITH’S VIOLA CONCERTO «DER SCHWANENDREHER»

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to reveal the symbolic content of Paul Hindemith’s Concerto for viola and orchestra «Der Schwanendreher» for a deeper understanding of its musical language and hidden meanings. This opus is one of the most prominent viola works in the composer’s oeuvre. It is also one of the most performed viola concertos written in the XX-th century – an integral part of competitive, concert and, ultimately, educational repertoire. Methodology. To achieve this purpose there was applied a set of scientific methods. Among them there are historical and biographical, which is used to study the composer’s life and the circumstances of the creation and author’s performances of the Concerto. The method of structural and intonational analysis has become indispensable in the process of studying the score of the work. Content analysis was necessary to reveal the content of the opus, in particular, on the basis of the author’s program, present in its subtitle. The semiotic method allowed to reveal the hidden meanings of the composer’s text. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the fact that for the first time the mentioned work is presented as a holistic and complete musical message – a reflection of the epoch and the composer personal experience associated with this epoch. In the process of developing the research, it becomes obvious that Paul Hindemith’s Concerto for viola and orches- tra «Der Schwanendreher» is also consonant with our present. Conclusions. As a result of the research, it was established that Paul Hindemith’s Viola Concerto «Der Schwanendreher» became the artist’s personal reaction to the turbulent political events in Nazi Germany in 1935 and his peculiar musical message to his contemporaries and descendants. It is emphasized that this message reflects both Paul Hindemith’s difficult decision: to emigrate and, most importantly, his vision of his creative mission in life outside his homeland.