The Way to Expressionism

What happens when music doesn’t aim to impress, but dares to feel? The great traditions fracture, making room for something rawer and deeply personal.

In Erwartung, Arnold Schönberg abandons all form. A woman alone at night encounters the lifeless body of her beloved. What follows is an uninterrupted stream of emotions: confusion, fear, grief, and rage. Schönberg stretches this single moment into a miniature novel of pure tension. Sung by soprano Ingela Brimberg, this monologue gives a voice to a profoundly unsettled inner world.

By contrast, Richard Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll is an intimate love gift, written for Cosima and their newborn. The notes bathe in tenderness and domestic bliss, a rare moment of warmth.

With the Adagio from his Tenth Symphony, Gustav Mahler reaches a fragile conclusion. Farewell, doubt, and stillness unfold here without compromise. Conductor Alpesh Chauhan adds subtle visual touches, giving the evening an extra layer of depth.

Thanks to the players of the National Lottery and to the Tax Shelter of the Federal Government of Belgium through Casa Kafka Pictures.