Symphony 'Mathis der Maler'

Mathis der Maler is a story about how art can triumph in troubled times. Hindemith spent the early 1930s working on an opera about Matthias Grünewald, a German painter caught up in the Peasants’ War (1524-25). He saw parallels between Grünewald’s plight and his own under the Nazi regime. The symphony was composed in 1934, midway through work on the opera. The symphony’s three movements are based on tableaux from Grünewald’s magnum opus, the Isenheim Altarpiece. “Engelkonzert” (“Angelic Concert”) represents the beating of angels’ wings with fluttering woodwind textures, and the bold orchestral colours reflect Grünewald’s striking light effects. “Grablegung” (“Entombment”) is based on a depiction of Christ being laid in the tomb. In the opera, the music also represents Grünewald’s death. The finale, “Versuchung des Heiligen Antonius” (“The Temptation of Saint Anthony”), draws on two paintings. In one, Saint Anthony is tormented by hideous creatures, heard in the turbulent melodic lines and erratic brass. In the other, he is consoled by Saint Paul, and the symphony ends with his joyful hymn of praise.