Skandalkonzert

The concert scandal of 1913 (also slaps concert ) was a music history unique event, which took place in Vienna on 31 March 1913 at the Musikverein.

There, the orchestra of the Vienna Concert Association, the forerunner of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Arnold Schoenberg. The audience was shocked by the new music of contemporary composers, most of whom belonged to the expressionism and the Second Viennese School. During the concert, there was a commotion, so it was canceled prematurely, as the followers of Schoenberg had this to defend against his opponents.

During these riots the writer Erhard Buschbeck, then a senior member of the " Association for Academic literature and music ", who had organized this concert is said to have slapped a disturbing the performance concertgoers. In the subsequent judicial epilogue presented the operetta composer Oscar Straus, who was at enmity with Arnold Schoenberg since their time together at Ernst von Wolzogen Überbrettl, solid: the clapping of slaps " was still the most melodic that you got to hear this evening ."

Program

Were listed:

• Anton von Webern: Six Pieces for Orchestra, Op 6

This work experienced at this show premiered, on the program, it was referred to as Opus 4.

• Alexander von Zemlinsky: Four Orchestral Songs on poems by Maeterlinck, Soloist: Margarete Bum ( world premiere)
• Arnold Schoenberg: Chamber Symphony, Op 9 in a sentence

The chamber symphony was premiered in 1907, created for the performance of 1913 Schoenberg a version for orchestra with extended strings and winds.

• Alban Berg: Two Orchestra Songs on Postcard Texts by Peter Altenberg ( from a cycle ), op 4, soloist: Alfred J. Boruttau ( world premiere)

The cycle of the Altenberg Lieder consists of five songs; on 31 March 1913, only two songs intended for performance (namely, the numbers 2 and 3). This premiere was so provocative in terms of music, the concert after the second song due to riots had to be canceled.

The planned performance of Gustav Mahler's Kindertotenlieder with Maria friend as a soloist it never came.

History and contemporary echo

The first performance of Schoenberg's Gurrelieder on 23 February 1913 which also took place in the Great Hall of the Musikverein under the direction of Franz Schreker, was an overwhelming success. But the composer, offended by the previous conservative attitude of the Viennese public, refused to accept the applause. For the audience retaliated a few weeks later at the next performance of contemporary works at the Musikverein on 31 March.

Press reports of the time speak of tumultuous riots: the followers of Schoenberg, his students and opponents would have yelled at each other, pelted, disturbed the performance, the furniture destroyed, etc. Several times outraged conservatives in the audience would have cursing climbed the stage to slap Arnold Schoenberg. When he threatened that they would create with the help of the public order of violence, the tumult should be only gone off properly.