L’Andante della Sonata n° 5 op. 45 di Viktor Ullmann. Una testimonianza da Theresienstadt

Abstract

Viktor Ullmann was one of the most prominent composers in Theresienstadt (Terezin), a well-known Ghetto created by the Nazis near Prague during the II World War. As a composer and performer, Ullmann incessantly supported the cultural activities of the camp. This article analyzes some compositional features and extra-musical values of the Andante of Ullmann’s Piano Sonata n° 5 op. 45 – written in 1943. By quoting Karl Kraus’s poem Vor dem Schlaf [Before sleep] the composer could express a sort of ‘hinted resistance’, against Nazis, that also involved certain pitch structures as well as his peculiar enharmonic notation. The various meanings of the musical text and of the poetical one are discussed in their reciprocal relationship, by making references to Ullmann’s Hebrew origins and his interest in Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophy. The Andante of the Sonata is compared with other works composed by Ullmann in Theresienstadt, such as the chamber opera Der Kaiser von Atlantis [The Emperor of Atlantis].