March from “Symphonic Metamorphosis”

Paul Hindemith/trans. Keith Wilson

March from “Symphonic Metamorphosis”, the final movement of Hindemith’s Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber, is one of the most recognizable pieces in the concert band and orchestral repertoire. Hindemith took various themes by the 19th-century German composer Carl Maria von Weber and reimagined them in his own modern, neoclassical style. The “March” is based on a theme from Weber’s incidental music to Turandot and is characterized by its rhythmic vigor, bold brass statements, and playful woodwind lines.

Paul Hindemith (1895 - 1963) was born at Hanau, Germany. He was an excellent violinist and leader of the Frankfurt Opera Orchestra. He was persecuted by the Nazis because his wife was half-Jewish and his own musical compositions were considered degenerate. He emigrated to the U.S. and joined the music faculty of Yale University.

Hindemith began to write a ballet based on the music of German composer Carl Maria von Weber but after a falling out with his collaborator he converted his sketch- es into an orchestral work. March , the fourth movement, opens with fanfares. Weber’s original theme is a funeral march to which Hindemith doubles the tempo. March has a catchy tune and grows increasingly spectacular, ending fortissimo.