![]() ![]() “My ballet is not an eye-catcher in the old style,” wrote Hindemith in 1938, “It is not exactly full of sparkling wit, but all the same it makes a fine impression, with all the trappings of success that a composer greedy for recognition could wish. As a staged ballet or as a concert suite, Nobilissima Visione proved to be one of Hindemith’s most popular works. Hindemith originally intended to incorporate melodies by the 14th century French composer Machaut into his ballet but ended up writing original themes in an archaic style. The Hindemiths had visited the Church of Santa Croce in Florence were deeply impressed by its frescoes depicting scenes from the life of St. ![]() The idea may have been suggested by Hindemith’s wife, who had recently converted to Catholicism. The third movement is notable for an awe-inspiring flute solo, while the two outer two movements are vigorous march tunes.In London on today’s date in 1938, the Ballet Russe of Monte Carlo presented a brand-new work by the German composer Paul Hindemith based on the life of Saint Francis of Assisi entitled Nobilissima Visione. At times the percussion instruments take over, and different groups in the orchestra seem to go off in their own tempi, independent of the others. At first it is incessantly cycled in ever-richening instrumental textures, then the process repeats with "jazzy" syncopated rhythms. One of the work's highlights is the second movement, in which a "Chinese" flute theme twice receives the Bolero treatment. Hindemith adapts each of the extracts from Weber to serve as the theme for one of the movements, beginning the process of transformation that continues throughout each. ![]() It's uncertain whether Hindemith preferred the plural or singular form of the word "metamophosis" in the title whichever form of the word he intended, it is the key to the music. ![]() In his Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber (1943), Hindemith pays homage to the important German early Romantic composer by adapting some of his music - works for piano duo and for the stage - as an orchestral suite. ![]()
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