Herr K. entdeckt Amerika, Opus 101

Composed: 2008

If the First Viennese School includes the classical heavyweights of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven and the Second features Schoenberg, Webern, Berg, and the other serialists, then Austrian composer Kurt Schwertsik can be credited as a founder of the Third School to come out of the city.

BY Kurt Schwertsik

BORN

A student of the iconoclastic 20th-century figure Karlheinz Stockhausen, Schwertsik was also inspired by avant-gardists John Cage and Cornelius Cardew. Schwertsik, controversially, turned toward more conventional forms; he rejected the ideas of serialism preferring to explore the path of tonal music.

June 25, 1935

Vienna

But styles and trends change, and over the past several decades, Schwertsik has established himself as one of the most respected living composers in Austria. He boasts a substantial catalogue of operas, ballets, works for large and chamber ensembles, and many song cycles (a number of which were written for his wife, Christa Schwertsik).

Written in 2008, Herr K. entdeckt Amerika (Mr. K. Discovers America) is based on Franz Kafka’s incomplete novel, Amerika. The story follows Karl Rossman, a young man of few convictions whose parents send him to America as punishment.

The first section, Überfahrt (The Crossing) follows Karl on his journey across the Atlantic and past the Statue of Liberty. A steady, rippling rhythm propels the music forward as some brassy interjections perhaps allude to Karl’s destination.

Once in the US, Karl finds work as a liftboy at an elegant Hotel, described in the second movement. The nervous humming in the strings sets an ominous tone, as Karl is subjected to a series of humiliations. The third movement, Unterwegs (Traveling) is at first menacing, but a wandering flute melody guides the protagonist out of the city and into the wide-open landscape. Coplandesque sonorities describe the expansive prairies of the Midwest that Karl crosses in order to join the Nature Theater of Oklahoma. The lively final section is named for this troupe and offers some of the spectacle and suspense, and as an invention of Kafka, a hearty serving of the absurd.

Duration: about 15 minutes