Summer scenes: night

Peter Pan - W. Disney (1953)

 

The third summer issue and the last one: the night, because we enjoy nights mostly in summer: outdoors, partying, having drinks with friends... We will go over some nocturnes we have previously listened on Liederabend and we'll listen to a new... lied? Not really, you know that from time to time I like fooling myself.  Anyway, let's start with three masterpieces; it seems that the night inspires composers.

 

• Die Nacht, an early work from Richard Strauss that became one of his most famous lieder. An exquisite piece that explains how the night takes away the beauty when passing. It is one of the first lieder we have listened and our version was the one by Jonas Kaufmann and Helmut Deutsch.
• The week after, we listened to Mondnacht, by Robert Schumann, a quiet moment when the poet’s soul merges into the night. A great Lieder and a great performance by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Gerald Moore.
• Again a lied by Schumann and again, a masterpiece: In der Nacht. We recently listened to it, a duo of thrilling beauty, written from a very short song from the Cancionero de Palacio (a Spanish manuscript of Renaissance music). Our performers were Geraldine McGreevy and Adrian Thompson accompanied by Graham Johnson.

Regular readers know that, from time to time, I indulge myself in posting other genres, usually taking advantage of my relaxing holidays and looking for an alibi that barely justifies the absence of an Art Song. This week we are making our first short trip to the opera, using Eric Korngold as an excuse; he was kind enough to include two Lieder in his opera Die tote Stadt. The first one is Glück, das mir verblieb (Marietta's Lied) and the second is the one we are listening today Mein Sehen, mein Wähnen (Tanzlied des Pierrot). In case you are not familiar with this opera, here is a link to a synopsis.  We are at the point when a theatre company, after finishing its play, have a party on a quiet street; Marietta asks Fritz to sing her a song, and Fritz, the Pierrot, sings this gorgeous song, one of the pearls of the baritone repertoire.

 

In my opinion, the version I'm suggesting you is also a pearl: Hermann Prey (aged 28) and the Berliner Symphoniker conducted by Wilhelm Schüchter. It's spectacular. I hope you enjoy this waltz under the moonlight.

 

 

 

If you need an English translation please visit this link.