HELDENLEBEN (STRAUSS)

Glenn Dicterow
VIOLIN
about the artist
Violinist Glenn Dicterow has enjoyed a storied career. The concertmaster of the New
York Philharmonic for 34 years, an all-time record in that major orchestral position,
he became the first holder of the Robert Mann Chair in Strings and Chamber Music
at the USC Thornton School of Music in 2013. In the Fall of 2022 he will become the
holder of the Jascha Heifetz Chair in Violin at USC.. Dicterow performs as a soloist
with orchestras around the nation and beyond, while participating in musical
festivals and chamber music, teaching in musical academies and leading
masterclasses around the world, while adjudicating competitions, among a plethora
of musical assignments in a “second act” easily as active as his much lauded years
with the Philharmonic. His shelf of recordings is endless, as the Philharmonic’s
Concertmaster, in a large array of solo assignments, both of the great romantic
concerti and of the 20th Century classics that he has championed, and in a wide
range of chamber music.

WAT C H T H E C O U R S E DOWNLOAD SCORE

What did Strauss mean by Ein Heldenleben, “A Hero’s Life”? Certainly, this is one of the most
ambitious pieces for any concertmaster to undertake. For Dicterow, this piece is one of great
freedom, since there is no conductor for a majority of the solos. This allows his imagination to run
wild, though within constraints. “Ein Heldenleben” is on the subject of war, with episodes that
resemble battle scenes, and a big payoff at the ending. A lot of the musical substance (the violin
solos represent the hero’s “companion”) is inspired by Strauss’s wife, their own battles, and
ultimately the love they shared. Strauss was reluctant ever to put a definite program to the piece,
but Dicterow is convinced that the hero of the work is Strauss himself.

THE DYNAMIC OF THE FIRST VIOLIN ENTRANCE IS MARKED ‘P’ -

Dicterow jokes that this p doesn’t mean piano; it means powerful! Given the size and clatter of the
orchestra before the violin’s first solo entrance, your sound has to carry and be full of personality.
Furthermore, you’re by yourself, so you have freedom to be expressive with the rhythm. Dicterow
also enunciates a few notes in the opening entrance more than written to make it more intriguing.

Strauss painted by Fritz Erler in 1898, Pauline de Ahna Strauss, c. 1900

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IF YOU’RE ALREADY LOUD, AREN’T YOU LIMITED WHEN YOU
HAVE TO COME OUT TO MF OR F?

The entire section marked piano need not be loud, but the first note should at least be powerful.
Then you can shape as needed. The second entrance (marked mf) should undoubtedly be louder
than the first, especially since you’re playing along with the orchestra.

The following phrase repeats many times, so try to change the timbre by going to other strings.
Coming out into the explosion marked forte, you have to play a character – not aggressive, almost
cute. Look at three bars before rehearsal mark 24; don’t play these two eighth-note Ds straight.
Think of them like a Viennese waltz, with the first note slightly longer than the second. Dicterow
remains on the E string all the way to the E, and if he keeps his hand flat, the intervals feel very
natural to him.

PRACTICING HARMONICS

Dicterow’s father Harold was the principal second in the Los Angeles Philharmonic for 52 years,
from whom Dicterow learned tips to gain control of harmonics. Glenn Dicterow suggests practicing
the high A at the end of this phrase as if you’re going to sustain it for a long time. While the middle
part of his third finger plays the E string, he will keep the tip of his finger on the A string so that,
much like a railroad with two tracks, he is guided to the harmonic with added stability.

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How do you create an argumentative character at the
entrance marked “leichtfertig”?

This entrance appears out of nowhere, almost certainly a spot where Strauss tried to depict
arguments with his wife (he did so in another piece of his titled Symphonia Domestica). Dicterow
thinks of this as cartoonish, somewhat like Tom and Jerry. It follows a serene, beautiful passage in
the cellos. The mood is similar at the end of the following phrase – the violin essentially runs the
show here!

HOW DO YOU PACE YOUR ENTRANCES?

The tempi in this section are usually given to you by the orchestra or the conductor. For example,
the entrance before rehearsal number 26 has to match the mood of the harp. The short notes in
the third measure have to sound tender yet heroic and playful.

practicing ricochet

The run in the fourth measure proves demanding; ideally, you want to catch the ricochet as
notated. Find just the right point on the bow to begin. After the high E (one note before the
ricochet starts), you will benefit from a retake to bring the bow to the perfect spot to start the
ricochet. Practice this (two measures before reh 26) in three sections, as, technically speaking, it
has three main components, and prepare the hands a split moment before each technique. Keep
the fingers down as much as possible. Dicterow recalls a recording of Michael Schwalbé (former
concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic) adding a slide that leads to the ricochet notes. Instead
of ricochet, Schwalbe plays these notes with separate bows off the string. Although he did not
follow the marking in the score exactly, he delivered it with charm and character (see the
demonstration at 10:20 in the video).

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HOW DO YOU CHANGE COLORS WHILE MAINTAINING PROJECTION?

The following entrance a few bars later is conducted; you should follow the time as indicated. The
conductor usually drops out on the B♭ major chord (triple stop) in the second bar.

Finding the right fingerings is crucial to the shaping and phrasing of the music. Dicterow’s
fingerings utilize many half-position shifts to keep the music smooth. The fingers never have to be
lifted up – keep them close to the strings and slide under for these half-position shifts. Dicterow
found these fingerings almost exclusively through trial and error. Much like Bach, we don’t need to
sustain the bottom notes in these textures; the top voice should be heard most clearly.

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SEXTUPLET PASSAGE
Practice each unit as three-note chords, making sure that every chord is in tune. It’s important to
find a mental image for every passage, and this one in particular. Three measures before reh 28,
Dicterow returns to the idea of having an image in the mind when we play. There’s something
inherently comic about this gesture. Always have a vision, as if you’re playing a fairy tale or a
cartoon.

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HOW DO YOU THINK OF RHYTHM DURING THESE CADENZA-LIKE
PASSAGES?

Even free passages that appear without rhythm always have some sort of pulse. Especially when
first learning a piece, always learn the rhythms as notated. The only way to memorize passages like
the one below (seven measures after rehearsal number 28) is to learn it in sections, identifying
patterns within the larger whole, such as the whole-tone scale:

MEMORIZATION, MANAGING FAST TEMPI, CLARITY OF VOICES,

For Dicterow, the sheet music is solely an indicator of large-scale structure during a performance.
The difficult passages, especially ones without a memorable melody like the example above, need
to be familiar enough that the fingers can execute them without reading.

Different conductors will inevitably take passages at different tempos, so the soloist must adjust.
Gustavo Dudamel, for example, once conducted the Capriccio Espagnol by Rimsky-Korsakov with
the New York Philharmonic at a blazing speed, the fastest Dicterow had ever played it. The violin
solo part will have to adjust and even adopt different techniques. For example, the ricochets will
need to become more of a shudder than a bounce. The ability to be flexible and apply the
appropriate musical adjustments is an important skill of a concertmaster.

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Dicterow doesn’t sustain the low notes (five bars before rehearsal number 29) so that the main
theme speaks more clearly. He finds the passage is a bit cluttered when he sustains the notes as
written. Make sure the sustained quarter notes on C sound good. Dicterow’s fingering allows the
note to be played on the third finger and provide a better vibrato.

The melody introduced subsequently is a teaser of the finale theme of the piece; it’s Dicterow’s
favorite! The next entrance, marked drängend, is scarcely heard because of the volume of the
orchestra. Dicterow tries to take as many bows as he can to have a fighting chance. Three
measures after rehearsal number 30, in most performances, only the high F is audible. Be sure to
play the sforzando G♭ in the next entrance in tune – it’s a key moment!

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Dicterow found that shifting with only fingers 1 and 3 for the descending chords (last few lines
before rehearsal number 31) is prone to error. He suggests finding a few of them with 2 and 4. It’s
not worth the struggle to play the unison double notes in the final bar of descending notes – they
don’t produce any extra sound and they harm the flow.

The drama at the end of this phrase is created by waiting long enough before entering. You will feel
when it’s the right time to go on. The air must clear totally before the re-entrance – it’s quite a
dramatic moment. It’s just like the timing of a great comedian’s joke. Having the time to process
what happened gets the audience caught up.

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ALTERNATIVE PHRASING
Sidney Harth, acclaimed violinist and concertmaster, had his own spin on the ascending run two
measures before rehearsal number 31. He played it all on the G string, with a crescendo, instead of
the diminuendo written. Consider experimenting with this idea if it’s interesting to you.

The subsequent slow theme can be done however you’d like, as long as it’s meaningful and soulful.
The last bar of this line means nothing when played straight – it should be turned into an
adventure. Have fun with it, as if you’re concocting it on the spot!

Bow speed does a lot to create a range of colors. When the violin is unaccompanied, there is no
issue of balance. It’s important to know the melodies that are important to Strauss – he quotes
eight or nine of his other tone poems in various places. (This further reinforces the generally
accepted idea that the piece is autobiographical.)

END OF FIRST SOLO

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FINALE

Dicterow calls the end of the piece “heaven.” The melody that has only been hinted at thus far has
now been fully developed. In the isolated gesture at 107, take extra care to get this just right. Four
measures after rehearsal number 108, players of the older style will likely slide from the C to B♭ – if
you do this, ensure that you play away from the slide. When slides are played without taste, it can
end up sounding overt. If someone else in the orchestra is playing the pulse, you can get away with
taking extra time on certain notes by chiseling away at the value of surrounding notes.

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For the high notes in the last few bars, Dicterow uses two or more bows on each long note. Make
the bow change when there’s other movement in the orchestra, when the orchestration is denser.
When the other parts are playing pulses on a downbeat, it’s usually a good idea to make the bow
change on a downbeat. He slides ever so slightly to the high E♭ at the end. It’s like seasoning a
recipe; with too much salt, it’s ruined, but with not enough, it’s bland. Practice sustaining these high
notes with minimal vibrato on multiple bows. Don’t be afraid to take as many bows as needed. A
slow bow would hinder the sound quality and projection at a slow tempo high up on the E string.
Keep the right-hand wrist high when you change bows so it’s less audible.

If you have any corrections, comments, or critiques relating to this

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