Ich Fühle Luft Von Anderem Planeten, Essay Example

For this assignment, I attended a performance entitled “Ich fühle Luft von anderem Planeten”, which is German for “I feel the air from another planet”. In particular, the pieces that were performed were a showcase of the second Viennese school and German expressionism. Although the actual meaning of the compositions were difficult to follow because I lack knowledge of the German language, I believe that I was able to interpret the meaning of the music based on its various elements, such as speed, volume, and tone.

One of the pieces that stood out to me during the performance was “Pierrot lunaire” by Arnold Schönberg. In the beginning section, “Mondestrunken”, the violin, piano, and vocals contrast each other in a way that makes the music sound dark and creepy. As the song continues, it keeps this same creepy feeling, but does so by making use of different patterns. About seventeen minutes into the piece, I felt the music get slower, which reinforced a feeling of uneasiness. Overall, it is difficult to identify the story that was being told, but it is reminiscent of something that would be included in a horror film.

Interestingly, “Pierrot lunaire” continues the theme of the piece before it, “Variations for Piano op.27”, composed by Anton Webern. Since this piece was written 24 years after Schönberg’s work, it is possible that Schönberg served as an inspiration for this piece. Unlike “Pierrot lunaire”, “Variations for Piano op. 27” seems more discontinuous and makes use of pauses to trick the audience into expecting sound, which makes it more surprising when it happens. The aspect I liked most about this song is that it doesn’t follow a standard time signature, such as 4/4 time, which contributes greatly to its element of surprise.