Paul Hindemith: Mathis der Maler (Orchestre de Paris · Daniel Barenboim) (1988)

Hindemith’s Mathis der Maler has come to be regarded as a modern parable about the plight of the artist in the midst of social unrest and political restrictions. In Mathis der Maler, Hindemith violated some of the principles of music composition that the Nazi regime had already legislated for the Reich and thus, by extension, set himself up for the same kind of criticism as the protagonist of the work. Not a roman a clef or any sort of thinly disguised autobiography, the opera serves a dual purpose in portraying the story found in the libretto and also in serving as a kind of socio-political commentary that would not be lost on the censors.

—Opera Today

Tracklist

Symphonie "Mathis der Maler"

1. Engelkonzert (8:30)
2. Grablegung (4:15)
3. Versuchung des heiligen Antonius (13:15)

Konzertmusik für Streichorchester und Blechbläser

Part 1 (8:18)
Part 2 (7:58)

Boston Symphony Orchestra, William Steinberg

Der Schwanendreher - Concerto for viola & small orchestra

1. "Zwischen Berg und tiefem Tal" (8:31)
2. "Nun laube, Lindlein laube!" (4:07)
3. "Der Gutzgauch auf dem Zaune saß" (5:23)
4. Variationen "Seid ihr nicht der Schwanendreher?" (8:51)

Daniel Benyamini, Orchestre de Paris, Daniel Barenboim