ABSTRACT
In 1965, Joseph Roth’s famous novel Radetzkymarsch (1932) was adapted for the screen with an original score by Rolf Wilhelm. Compared to escapist monarchy films from the 1950s, Radetzkymarsch shifts the perspective to the dark sides of the Habsburg era. In-depth analysis of the autograph score demonstrates a similar tendency of the music. A progressive decay of the march determines its Mahlerian trajectory per astra ad inferi. Wilhelm employs a variety of traditional and modernist techniques including plain quotations, subtle allusions, caricature, fragmentation, rhythmic manipulation, and cluster chords. His music thus exhibits an anti-sublime attitude in accord with prevalent post-war sentiments in Austria and Germany.
