The departure point for tonight’s programme is Hanns Eisler’s song-cycle Zeitungausschnitte (Newspaper Cuttings Songs), composed in 1925-1926. Eisler (born in 1898) was a member of Schoenberg’s circle and his early works display a clear debt to his teacher’s chromaticism and serial techniques, although there are also hints of jazz and the concise nature of his later works. By the mid-1920s Eisler had, however, become a convinced Marxist and was beginning to express dissatisfaction with the directions that new music was taking, which he described as boring and clearly felt was out-of-touch with the everyday lives of common people. Although the piece pre-dates his productive relationship with Brecht, there is a sense of zeitgeist that in turning to factual reports of everyday events (although the songs are not exclusively based on press cuttings) the artist is better able to express topical concerns by stripping out overtly emotional writing.
Eisler’s music is complemented by two of his contemporaries; the Russian-born composer Mischa Spoliansky (1898-1985), who had a successful theatre career in Berlin and later composing for film, and Stefan Wolpe (1902-1972) who was also an active socialist and whose songs rivalled those of Eisler in popularity. All three were vocal in their opposition to Hitler’s rise and were later forced to flee Germany.
Eisler’s approach finds a modern counterpart in the new sequence of songs receiving their premieres tonight by composers from the Royal Opera House’s OperaGenesis VOX course. In searching for texts for their work the composers have been encouraged by Dominic Muldowney to use newspapers rather than poetry books as their source; this approach is similar to that of Muldowney’s own commission to be premiered tomorrow evening. OperaGenesis is an initiative for the development of new opera of all kinds. A key element of the Royal Opera House's innovative ROH2 programme, it is funded by the Genesis Foundation. OperaGenesis will act as the home of an international information and contact network, the base for a continuous rolling programme of workshops and mentoring activities, and the catalyst for the creation of new opera performances for the 21st century.
In the second of our nightly Poetry Platforms Nathan Penlington hosts an evening of cutting-edge poetry with virtuosic interventions from London Sinfonietta musicians.
