in vain is a 2000 composition for 24 instruments by Austrian composer Georg Friedrich Haas. It was premiered on October 29, 2000 by Sylvain Cambreling and the Klangforum Wien and lasts approximately 70 minutes.[1] The piece is one of Haas' best-known works.[2]

Background and composition

in vain was commissioned by the Westdeutscher Rundfunk for Sylvain Cambreling (to whom the work is dedicated) and Klangforum Wien.[1][3] Haas wrote the piece in response to the rise of the far-right in Austria.[4][5]

The piece deals extensively with microtonality.[1] The light levels in the hall are specified in the score; some sections of the piece are played in very bright light, and about twenty minutes are played in complete darkness.[1][5]

Instrumentation

The piece is scored for the following ensemble:[1][3]

Reception

Simon Rattle has hailed in vain as "one of the first masterpieces of the 21st century",[4][5] and the Austrian newspaper Die Presse has called it a "classic".[6] The piece was named the greatest work of art music since 2000 in a Classic Voice poll.[7]

In his 2007 book The Rest Is Noise, Alex Ross wrote that the piece "may mark a new departure in Austro-German music, joining spectral harmony to a vast Brucknerian structure".[8]

References