Ernö Dohnányi – Postludium (from “Winterreigen”, op. 13 no. 10). Maria-Alexandra Gagnon – piano.
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Class of Zhanna Gumenyuk.
RCM Grade 10, Piano Studies/Etudes

Ernö Dohnányi (1877-1960) – Hungarian composer, pianist and conductor.

Winterreigen Op 13 (subtitled ‘Ten Bagatelles’) was written in 1906. It was Dohnányi’s farewell to Vienna (he moved to Berlin in 1905) and was inspired by a poem (below). The title Winterreigen (Winter Dances) is reminiscent of Schubert’s song cycle Winterreise (Winter Journey). There is a reference to Schumann’s writing technique in the last piece, “Postludium”: Dohnányi spelled out in pitches the word A-D-E, the German version of ‘Adieu’ (farewell).

Winter Dances

Now let, oh let us forget today’s sorrows,
The cold, star-bright night is listening,
And in the sounds’ magic spell
Let us listen for far-away dreams!
Dipped in the gold of memories
Rise in new splendour, you, hours of festivity,
As joyful moods soon chase away the veils of sorrow,
Which shroud the happiness of our existence!
Rise in new splendour, you, joyful city on
Danube’s banks,
A soft, jubilant chord!
Friends, swiftly let us join in the wild carnival dance!
You worried people, do not scold us:
Noble minds make nobility their virtue everywhere.
A beautiful fairy tale dream!
Don’t slip away, you colourful images!
Ha! are you bubbling again, intoxicating,
fragrant potion?
A warm vital part of my youth, my memories
Which soft note signals the end?
"Ade"? ("Farewell"?)
By the piano, deep in thought, my girl friend turns
the pages
Out of a volume of Schumann’s Dance Works
Falls the wilted petal of a dark red rose

Viktor Heindl

Translation: Ilse Weber