Alto Rhapsody

The Alto Rhapsody, Op 53, is a work for contralto, male chorus, and orchestra by Johannes Brahms. It was written as a wedding gift for Robert and Clara Schumann's daughter, Julie. Brahms scholars have long speculated that the composer may have had romantic feelings for Julie, which he may have sublimated into the text and music of the Alto Rhapsody. The text, with its metaphysical portrayal of a misanthropic soul who is urged to find spiritual sustenance and throw off the shackles of his suffering, has powerful parallels in Brahms's life and character.

The Rhapsody is a setting of verses from Goethe's Harzreise im Winter. It was written in 1869, one year after the German Requiem, with which the third part of the Rhapsody has similarities of vocal and choral style. The work is in three sections: the first two, in a chromatically dense and wandering C minor, are for the soloist and orchestra and describe the pain of the misanthropic wanderer. The second section is an aria in all but name. The third section, in a nominal C major, brings in the male chorus, which joins the soloist in a plea to a celestial spirit for an abatement of the wanderer’s pain.

The work typically takes between twelve and fifteen minutes in performance. See recordings, below, for indicative timings.

The work was first "tried out" on 6 October 1869, at the dress rehearsal for the Karlsruhe season's first orchestral subscription concert. Amalia Boni sang the solo role; the conductor Hermann Levi was on hand, but there was no male voice chorus, and it is unclear whether Boni was accompanied by orchestra or simply on piano. Brahms and Clara Schumann were present, but there was certainly no other audience. It received its first public performance, and its first definitely known proper performance, on 3 March 1870, at Jena. The soloist at the first performance was Pauline Viardot and the conductor was Ernst Naumann.

The text Brahms set is:

German original	English translation
Aber abseits wer ist's? Im Gebüsch verliert sich sein Pfad; hinter ihm schlagen die Sträuche zusammen, das Gras steht wieder auf, die Öde verschlingt ihn.	But who is that apart? His path disappears in the bushes; behind him the branches spring together; the grass stands up again; the wasteland engulfs him.
Ach, wer heilet die Schmerzen dess, dem Balsam zu Gift ward? Der sich Menschenhaß aus der Fülle der Liebe trank! Erst verachtet, nun ein Verächter, zehrt er heimlich auf seinen eigenen Wert In ungenugender Selbstsucht.	Ah, who heals the pains of him for whom balsam turned to poison? Who drank hatred of man from the abundance of love? First scorned, now a scorner, he secretly feeds on his own merit, in unsatisfying egotism.
Ist auf deinem Psalter, Vater der Liebe, ein Ton seinem Ohre vernehmlich, so erquicke sein Herz! Öffne den umwölkten Blick über die tausend Quellen neben dem Durstenden in der Wüste!	If there is on your psaltery Father of love, one note his ear can hear then refresh his heart! Open his clouded gaze to the thousand springs next to him who thirsts in the wilderness!

Recordings

The Alto Rhapsody is not frequently performed in concert, perhaps because of the expense of hiring a soloist and chorus for a short piece, but it has been recorded many times. A selection of recordings available at June 2007 illustrates the wide range of tempi adopted by different interpreters of the Rhapsody, with playing times ranging from 11 minutes 45 seconds to 16 minutes 10 seconds.

• Soloist: Dame Janet Baker

John Aldis Choir

London Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor: Sir Adrian Boult

Duration: 11:45

• Soloist: Stephanie Blythe

Ensemble a sei voci

Ensemble Orchestral de Paris

Conductor: John Nelson

Duration: 12:14

• Soloist: Christa Ludwig

Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra

Conductor: Otto Klemperer

Duration 12:27

• Soloist: Aafje Heynis

Royal Concertgebouw Chorus and Orchestra

Conductor: Eduard Van Beinum

Duration: 12:43

• Soloist: Marjana Lipovšek

Ernst Senff Chamber Choir

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor: Claudio Abbado

Duration: 13:04

• Soloist: Dunja Vejzovic

Houston Symphony Chorus & Orchestra

Conductor: Christoph Eschenbach

Duration: 13:55

• Soloist: Marilyn Horne

Atlanta Symphony Chorus & Orchestra

Conductor: Robert Shaw

Duration: 14:01

• Soloist: Brigitte Fassbaender

Prague Philharmonic Chorus

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor: Giuseppe Sinopoli

Duration: 14:28

• Soloist: Kathleen Ferrier

London Philharmonic Chorus & Orchestra

Conductor: Clemens Krauss

Duration: 15:53

• Soloist: Christa Ludwig

Vienna Singverein

Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor: Karl Böhm

Duration 16:10

• Soloist: Marian Anderson

Philadelphia Orchestra

Conductor: Eugene Ormandy

Duration: 13:10

References

• West, Ewan: Notes to EMI CD CDM 7 69650 2
• Stone, John: Notes to HMV CD 5 68014 2