| Also Sprach Zarathustra, op. 30 is a tone poem by Richard Strauss, composed in 1896 and inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche's book Also sprach Zarathustra. The composer conducted its first performance in Frankfurt. Its introduction is one of the most recognisable pieces of music ever written, mainly because Stanley Kubrick used it as the key musical motif repeated three times during his 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. A typical performance lasts half an hour, and is divided into nine sections played with only three clear breaks. Strauss named the sections after selected chapters in the book: 1. Einleitung (Introduction) The brass fanfare of the Introduction introduces the "dawn" motif (from "Zarathustra's Prologue", the text of which is included in the printed score) that permeates the structure of the entire work. "Of the Backworldsmen" begins in the low strings before opening up into a lyrical passage for the entire section. The following two sections, "Of the Great Yearning" and "Of Joys and Passions", both introduce motifs that are more chromatic in nature. "Of Science" features an unusual fugue beginning in the basses and cellos, which consists of all twelve notes of the chromatic scale. It is one of the very few sections in the orchestral literature where the basses must play a contra-b (lowest b on a piano). "The Convalescent" acts as a reprise of the original motif, and climaxes with a massive chord in the entire orchestra. "The Dance Song" features a very prominent violin solo throughout the section. The end of the "Song of the Night Wanderer" leaves the piece half resolved, with high flutes and violins playing a B major chord, while the lower strings pluck a C. One of the major compositional themes of the piece is the contrast between the keys of B major (representing humanity) and C major (representing the universe). These keys are adjacent to each other, yet tonally they are opposites (B major's key signature having five sharps, C major's having none). |
Also Sprach Zarathustra conducted by Semyon Bychkov - part 1 Also Sprach Zarathustra - part 2 |
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