Theodor Berger
Malinconia
Two Pieces (1933)
for string orchestra
Duration: 16'
Berger - Malinconia for string orchestra
Work introduction
Malinconia is one of the most beautiful works in the string orchestra
literature. Distantly related to the Adagietto
of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, it has an endless, emotionally charged melody,
unceasing (except for short interruptions) from the outset to the conclusion.
Unlike the Mahler, it features a solo violin, sometimes painting arabesques
against the ensemble’s dark background, then hovering above like a ray of light
until an abrupt flash cuts off the sound. Then the melody continues, initially
without the solo violin – but it returns to illuminate the dark sound, again
like a ray of light, toward the end. A version for
48 strings appeared in 1949.