Orf Vienna Rso/Alsop - Paul Hindemith: Symphony 'Mathis der Maler', Nusch-Nuschi-Tanze, Sancta Susanna

Paul Hindemith�s life was dominated by the events of the two world wars. In 1917, his discovery of contemporary Expressionist poetry and drama transformed him from a talented student to Germany�s leading new composer. His one-act operas Sancta Susanna and Das Nusch-Nuschi date from this period. Sancta Susanna � Hindemith�s first masterpiece � combines religious and erotic symbolism into an eerie narrative that was shocking for its time, whereas the dance suite from Das Nusch-Nuschi emphasises the plot�s origin as a Burmese comedy. The three symphonic movements from the opera Mathis der Maler refer to the three panels of the Isenheim Altarpiece by Renaissance painter Matthias Gr�newald, but also graphically reflect Hindemith�s own artistic struggles in Nazi Germany.