Georg Schumann Lieder

GEORG SCHUMANN LIEDER Mark Ford Mary Nelson GEORG SCHUMANN LIEDER Mary Nelson Mark Ford GEORG SCHUMANN LIEDER Mary Nelson Mark Ford GEORG SCHUMANN LIEDER Georg Schumann (1866-1952) Vier Lieder, Op.10 1 i Ich habe nur einen Gedanken (Gustav Kastropp) 3’07 2 ii Schlehenblüth’ und wilde Rose (Julius Rodenberg) 1’42 3 iii Es duftet lind die Frühlingsnacht (Gustav Kastropp) 2’47 4 iv Ein grauses Dunkel herrscht in meiner Seele (Anonymous after George Gordon Lord Byron) 2’43 Fünf Lieder, Op.11 5 i Die Welt, sie ist mir viel zu weit (Peter Rosegger) 3’20 6 ii Es schaut ein alter Fliederbaum (Gustav Kastropp) 2’16 7 iii Im zitternden Mondlicht (Gustav Kastropp) 1’49 8 iv Die Bitte (Carmen Sylva) 1’41 9 v Ich bin ein grosser Herre! (Peter Rosegger) 1’50 Drei Lieder von Johanna Ambrosius, Op.13 (Johanna Voigt) 10 i Sommernacht 2’25 11 ii Für dich 2’48 12 iii Dereinst 2’30 Lieder, Op.16 13 i O könnt’ nur einmal mein müdes Haupt (Gustav Kastropp) 1’44 14 ii Lüstern flüstern die Zweige (Karl Friedrich Henckell) 2’08 15 iii Wiegenlied (Anonymous) 2’42 Mädchenlieder, Op.35 (Paul Heyse) 16 i Auf die Nacht in den Spinnstuben 3’04 17 ii Der Tag wird kühl 3’36 18 iii Mir träumte von einem Myrtenbaum 2’14 19 iv Trutzliedchen 2’11 20 v Soll ich ihn lieben 1’29 21 vi Drunten auf der Gassen 2’18 22 vii Ach, wie so gerne bleib’ ich euch ferne 2’46 Zwei Gesänge, Op.46 (Wilhelm Holzamer) 23 i Das Grab 3’08 24 ii Deine Hände 3’31 Vier Lieder, Op.48 25 i „Ich gehe hin“ (Otto Erich Hartleben) 2’32 26 ii Vergissmeinnicht (August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben) 2’21 27 iii Bitt’res Scheiden (Anonymous) 1’46 28 iv Lass nur einmal mein dich nennen (Anonymous) 2’06 68’33 MARY NELSON soprano MARK FORD piano Georg Schumann Lieder Georg Schumann was born in Königstein in 1866 and studied in Dresden before attending the Leipzig Conservatory from 1882-88. His first works, two small sets of piano pieces, were published whilst he was still a student (1886) and his first major work followed soon afterwards, when Breitkopf & Härtel published his oratorio “Amor und Psyche” for soloists, choir and orchestra as opus 3. His most significant early success, however, came from his Symphony in B minor, which he entered into a competition put on by the Berlin Konzerthaus. Out of the 57 entries, Schumann’s won the first prize. This made him an overnight success and he was invited to perform the symphony all over Germany. The success of the B minor symphony led to his appointment in 1890 as Director of the Konzertverein in Danzig – a post which he held until 1896. He took on this role with enthusiasm, revitalising the organisation and putting on a large number of well-received concerts. The majority of Schumann’s song output stems from two short periods in his life. The first of these is from 1895-6, towards the end of his time in Danzig, when he composed no fewer than seven sets containing 24 songs in total. In fact, these songs formed his sole published compositional output during that two-year period and they include opus 10, 11, 13 and 16, which are recorded here. In 1896, he accepted the post of Conductor of the Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra in Bremen, where he remained until 1900, when he took up the post of Director of the Sing-Akademie in Berlin. The Sing-Akademie was one of the leading musical German institutions of the time – it was with that group that the 20-year-old Felix Mendelssohn famously revived Bach’s St Matthew Passion in 1829 – and Schumann again threw himself into his new role, taking the institution to new heights. It was under his directorship that the group began to perform more contemporary works and to undertake tours both within Germany and internationally. He remained there until his death in 1952. Schumann’s second period of song composition covers the years from 1904-6, in the early years of his time in Berlin. This saw the publication of his two most substantial song cycles, including Mädchenlieder, opus 35, which is significant in that it forms a coherent collection of songs for the first time, and three smaller sets, including opus 46 and 48. After the publication of his opus 48 set, Schumann moved away from songs and only three of the remainder of his 80 published works are in that genre. Vier Lieder (Four Songs) opus 10 is Schumann’s first set of songs and was published in 1895, when he was working as director of the Konzertverein (music society) in Danzig. Here he sets the words of three different poets, but the theme of love unites them all. The love, though expressed in different ways, is passionately felt in all four songs, but also – and this is a common theme with the love poems chosen by Schumann for his songs – tinged with sadness. The first song, Ich habe nur einen Gedanken (I have only one thought), a setting of words by Gustav Kastropp, begins as a sort of serenade: “this thought is you” (dieser Gedanke bist du). A restless middle section follows, in which the singer and piano share the same melody but with all except the strong beats slightly disjointed. This resolves to a dreamlike restatement of the opening melody and the piano is left to bring the song to a wistful conclusion. Schlehenblüth’ und wilde Rose (Blackthorn bloom and wild rose) is an altogether more boisterous affair by the poet Julius Rodenberg, in which the soprano sings lustily of the flowers she has gathered with which to adorn her love’s image. The song has a more contemplative middle section but remains energetic throughout. Schumann returns to the poetry of Kastropp for the third song in the series, Es duftet lind die Frühlingsnacht (The spring night smells so sweet). Similar in style to its partner, the composer even chooses to set it in the same key: A-flat major. The piano maintains an unceasing spring night ‘rustling’ throughout with gentle arpeggios in one hand or the other, whilst the singer provides a floating melody, telling us dreamily of her dearest wish. Schumann likes to end his song sets with a bang, and nowhere is this more true than in opus 10, which he closes with the tempestuous Ein grauses Dunkel herrscht in meiner Seele (A terrible darkness rules in my soul), a translation of Lord Byron’s “My Soul is Dark”. It tells of the “terrible yearning of my heart” (meines Herzens wilden Drang), which can only be soothed by music: the “nightingale”. The piano sets the tone of the piece with a fiery introduction, and the mood of “terrible darkness” (grauses Dunkel) continues until lifted, briefly, as the singer tells of the healing power of music. The second verse, though, is more stormy and relentless than ever, and Schumann concludes the song with some of his most dramatic writing and a final flourish from the piano. The Fünf Lieder (Five Songs) of opus 11, written in the same year as their predecessors, are more of a mixed bag. The set starts and finishes with two contrasting poems by Peter Rosegger, opening as opus 10 ended in C-sharp minor. The singer is in a glum mood from the outset, as even the title of the first song tells us: Die Welt, sie ist mir viel zu weit (The world is much too far for me). She is “mortally sad” (sterbenstraurig) and although a moment of light creeps in briefly as she sings of “peace in my heart” (Frieden in mein Herz) in the brighter, more optimistic key of D major, the work ends firmly in the unhappy C-sharp minor of the opening, as though the singer does not believe she ever really will find the peace she craves. Two Kastropp poems provide the words for the next two songs: Es schaut ein alter Fliederbaum (An old lilac tree looks) and Im zitternden Mondlicht (In the trembling moonlight). The first starts with a warm reminiscence of time spent by an old lilac tree sitting hand in hand, but turns bittersweet as the singer soars up to an A-flat and poignantly declares: “I kiss your sweet mouth for the very last time” (ich küsse deinen süssen Mund zum allerletztenmal). Im zitternden Mondlicht is a delicate work, in which the voice sings dreamily of her lover as her thoughts fly to him through the night. It is followed by Die Bitte (The plea), a simple but charming song by a child to her mother at bedtime. For the final work in the set, Schumann returns to Rosegger for a rumbustious setting of Ich bin ein grosser Herre! (I am a mighty lord!). The song, which introduces us to a garrulous lord with delusions of grandeur, is unique among Schumann’s early output and feels a little incongruous at the end of opus 11. But it also shows the composer’s sense of humour, which permeates the piece. The music is as ebullient, energetic and carefree as the text throughout until the cheeky piano play-out, which suggests the mighty lord is skipping merrily off into the distance. The following year saw the publication of Schumann’s third set of songs, the Drei Lieder (Three Songs) of opus 13, and the first to use words by a single poet: Johanna Voigt (née Ambrosius), a contemporary German poet whose poems were published in the USA and the UK as well as in Germany.

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