Ballade des äusseren Lebens

The poetry on which this composition is based is the Ballad of External Life (the Ballade des äußeren Lebens) from the pen of Viennese author Hugo von Hofmansthal (1874-1929). He is known for, amongst other things, his libretti for the works of Richard Strauss (Der Rosenkavalier, Ariadne auf Naxos, Elektra) and as founder of the Salzburg Festival. Von Hofmansthal was one of the last of the German Symbolists. Central to this literary movement was the unification of the internal and external worlds. The search for meaning was a cornerstone of this fin-de-siècle movement.In the Ballade des äußeren Lebens (Ballad of External Life), the meaninglessness ofexistence is expressed in restricting, oppressive metaphors—an ambience that is reflected in the music. Ultimately, man is capable of establishing order from seeming chaos. The poet expresses this powerfully in a non-rhyming line of poetry: ‘And yet, he who says “evening” says much, A word, from which profundity and sorrow flow’.This composition follows the overall structure of the ballad, which is written in terza rima—interlocking three-line rhymes.The choral work can be performed by a chamber choir, but also by a much larger ensemble. The parts are mainly in four voices (SATB), although there are also six parts (SAATBB). One chord is arranged for eight voices.The composer conducted this work at its première, to open the 2013 International Choir Biennial in Aachen. The choir was comprised of four chamber choirs: Aachen Youth Choir, Carmina Mundi, Aachen Chamber Choir and Aachen Madrigal Choir.