Many French poems talk about animals. I don't know why; it might be due to medieval bestiaries or those fables by Jean de la Fontaine but the point is that we find lots of beasts in French poetry and you already know how poems become songs... I'm not saying that German poetry, for instance, doesn't refer to animals but, according to the Lieder, those are mostly birds, while in French poetry, we read about the most unusual creatures. We mentioned some of them when we talked about Chabrier's songs with the Ronsards' poems or Ravel and Renard's songs. Today our guests are Poulenc and Apollinaire.Song of the week: By a Bierside (I. Gurney) - S. Connolly, M. Martineau
When I got the program of Sarah Connolly and Malcolm Martineau's recital at the Schubertiade Vilabertran, my eyes just saw one name: Ivor Gurney. Neither Schubert nor Schumann not even Britten. Gurney. I was really excited because I was about to be the first time that I heard his songs in a recital, as I only did in recordings before. I explained to everybody who wanted to hear that there were Gurney's songs at the SV15 and I shared one of them with you. Connolly and Martineau's recital was excellent and according to the audience comments, the winner of that night was ... Gurney! I told you, it was worth listening to his songs...
The song of our previous post, Heiß mich nicht reden, closes the book V of Goethe's novel. Mignon sings it after saying goodbye to Wilhelm, who goes on a trip to fulfill Aurelie’s last will: to deliver to Lothario (her old sweetheart) a letter she wrote him shortly before her death. However, the novel doesn't resume its main plot, instead, the reader finds a text that the narrator has already anticipated. You might remember a doctor who visits Aurelie shortly before her death; he finds her so upset that he sends her a manuscript written by a friend recently deceased, hoping that reading would calm her down. Aurelie reads it and, in fact, she feels better and spends her last days in peace.
A couple of years ago, I was moved when a reader who had been lucky enough to listen to Fritz Wunderlich at a concert hall, told me how much his death had impressed her, her incredulity when she heard that unexpected news on the radio. Many of us have known him only through his recordings, enough to fall in love with his voice and his singing. With regard to his personality, I might have an idealized overview but according to people who knew him, pictures and videos, I get the image of a charismatic man who irradiates happiness. This approachable image might help to encourage our fondness for him; many of us think often about him, especially around his death anniversary. Last Thursday was his 49th anniversary and this week, like every year, we're dedicating an special post to him.
