Glück (Happiness): Symphonic Poem (1923)
Conductor: Werner Andreas Albert
Hamburg State Philharmonic Orchestra
I. Andante - [0:00]
II. Glück in der Gier nach Gold und Macht (Happiness in the lust for gold and power) - [4:39]
III. "Philister"-Glück ("Philistine"-happiness) - [8:18]
IV. Glück in Sinnenlust (Happiness in sensual pleasure) - [10:30]
V. Glück in der Berührung mit der Geisterwelt (Happiness in contacting the spirit world) - [15:59]
VI. Das wahre Glück: Die der Menschheit segenbringende Tat (True happiness: Of the good deed that brings blessedness to humanity) [20:10]
An ambitious tone poem by German composer and conductor Siegfried Wagner (1869-1930), the son of Richard and Cosima Wagner. The form of the work is an Andante theme followed by four variations and a finale, each section representing a different experience of happiness. The sections and the topics they treat seem to be related to Clement Harris, the young composer and pianist who was Siegfried Wagner's closest friend and possible lover in his youth. It was Harris who convinced Wagner to forsake a career in architecture for music while they were traveling together in India and China. Harris' untimely death in 1897 fighting against the Ottomans in Greece was devastating for Wagner, and it had a lasting impact on him.
