Luca Ranieri, Orchestra Ico Suoni Del Sud & Marco Moresco - Hindemith: Der Schwanendreher (2025) [Official Digital Download]

Paul Hindemith’s Der Schwanendreher (literally ‘the swan turner’) is a viola concerto based on medieval German folk songs. While the ‘swan turner’ was literally someone who turned the spit of a roasting swan, metaphorically it referred to an itinerant minstrel whose street organ or hurdy-gurdy was cranked via a swan’s-neck handle. He composed the work between September and October 1935, and it was premiered at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, with the composer (a virtuoso violist who did much to elevate the instrument’s status) serving as soloist. In it, Hindemith creates a musical ‘structure’ that enhances the solo viola by contrasting it with a uniquely scored tutti ensemble of winds with four cellos and three double basses. After the slow introduction to the first movement comes a section in classic sonata form with orchestration evoking the world and art of minstrelsy. The second movement opens with a sad dialogue between the viola and harp, inspired by an ancient song on lost love; this is followed by a contrasting fugato in which the sadness of the cuckoo (an omen of doom) is alleviated by the musical writing. The third movement features seven variations on the titular ‘Schwanendreher’ song, whose jovial, light character is skilfully rendered with iridescent rhythmic articulation.

A prolific and versatile composer, Hindemith was initially drawn to expressionism and atonal harmony before embracing a neo-Baroque style along his journey towards abstract objectivism. By the end of the first quarter of the 20th century, Hindemith had become one of the leading exponents of Gebrauchsmusik (‘Utility Music’), a musical approach designed to respond to societal needs as opposed to individual abstract aesthetic feelings. It saw the creation of much music aimed at amateurs, though with no compromise on quality. It was in this context that Hindemith composed the set of Schulwerk für Instrumental-Zusammenspiel (Educational Music for Instrumental Ensembles) between March and April 1927. Designed for a youth orchestra, the music is by no means uninteresting or technically simple. Its fourth section is made up of the Fünf Stücke (Five Pieces) scored for a five-part string orchestra with an additional solo violin introduced in the fifth piece. While the writing remains within certain technical bounds, the score is brimming with expressive variety, rhythmic dynamism, harmonic freedom and timbral sensitivity, all of which can be recognized as hallmarks of this period in Hindemith’s compositional career. They showcase the composer’s contrapuntal expertise, a quality particularly pronounced in the third piece, Lebhaft, with its direct connection to Johann Sebastian Bach. In these ‘teaching works’ Hindemith’s meticulous attention to detail reveals a distinctly German penchant for musical craftsmanship meeting the expectations of even ‘professional’ musicians.

Tracklist:
01. Hindemith- Der Schwanendreher, IPH 125- I. -Zwischen Berg und tiefem Tal- (Langsam - Mäßig bewegt, mit Kraft)
02. Hindemith- Der Schwanendreher, IPH 125- II. -Nun laube, Lindlein, laube!- (Sehr ruhig) Fugato. -Der Gutzgauch auf dem Zaune saß-
03. Hindemith- Der Schwanendreher, IPH 125- III. Variationen -Seid ihr nicht der Schwanendreher- (Mäßig schnell)
04. Hindemith- 5 Stücke, Op. 44 No. 4- I. Langsam
05. Hindemith- 5 Stücke, Op. 44 No. 4- II. Langsam - Schnell
06. Hindemith- 5 Stücke, Op. 44 No. 4- III. Lebhaft
07. Hindemith- 5 Stücke, Op. 44 No. 4- IV. Sehr langsam
08. Hindemith- 5 Stücke, Op. 44 No. 4- V. Lebhaft


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