Musica Viva NY: Eine Schubertiade, Sunday May 16, 2021

EINE SCHUBERTIADE An evening of Schubert Lieder

Sunday, May 16 2021 5 PM Presented online

MESSAGE FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

D

uring the first many months of this time of exile, I became almost obsessed with the Lieder of Franz Schubert. Out of 600 songs, which I listened to with the joy of a child in a candy shop, I selected 24—not included in the great cycles Die schöne Müllerin and Winterreise—for this program. These are songs that encompass the entire gamut of human emotions: love, loss, hope, happiness, hopelessness, fantasy, and even terror. The level of inspiration and effort that must have been needed to write this immense and greatly gratifying body of music is unfathomable, especially considering the well-known life struggles and premature death of the great Austrian composer. I believe some of these songs were destined to become immortal from the very moment they were put down on paper. As we begin to experience positive signs of change I reflect on how music like this has been a sustaining force through some of the most difficult times in our individual and collective memories.

— Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

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he term Schubertiade refers to the intimate gatherings of a close-knit group of artists and students around Franz Schubert, where they would share music and good company. The music that was heard was often the latest composition by Schubert for his frequent collaborator Johann Vogl. I picture it vividly – a warm, candlelit room, a few friends gathered close to the fortepiano, the familiar words of a poet colleague brought to life by your friends, electrified by a timeless melody and an evocative texture.

Chamber music, in all its forms, is brought to life by dialogue and connection, and comes alive in real time. As it has evolved from a genre simply worthy of evening-length mainstage concerts to one that will also perhaps most effectively weather the shifting tides of the industry, it has been proven to me again and again that the intimacy and energy of live chamber music is connected to something essentially human. It nourishes us, meeting visceral needs: to share emotional connection, to feel seen or related to, and to tell and hear stories. You only need to consider the vast wealth of music for string quartet to be convinced of this – but it’s easy to forget that there are literally hundreds of thousands of songs in the chamber music repertoire.

This plethora of song literature – to which Schubert has certainly been the most prolific contributor – speaks, I believe, to that basic human need to share stories: to hear them told, to find ourselves in them, to collectively remember, and for countless other reasons. This year, with everything it has brought, has only clarified and sharpened our understanding of this need. I have been grateful for the opportunity to share so much chamber music in a virtual format with you, through such a range – from string quartets to Bach’s suite for cello; from the lush songs of Rachmaninoff to the rich variety of the songs of our time; and now, to the timeless Lieder of Schubert – at a time when we needed it.

May you find connection and the stories you needed to hear in tonight’s concert.

As deeply as I have enjoyed an opportunity to share music in new ways, I am keenly looking forward to welcoming you back to the concert hall one day soon.

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— Danielle Buonaiuto

Sunday, May 16, 2021 5 pm Presented online

EINE SCHUBERTIADE Musica Viva NY Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez, Artistic Director, piano & conductor Trent Johnson, organ

Program of works by Franz Schubert (1797-1828) Mass in G Major, D. 167: I. Kyrie eleison Jianing Zhang, soprano Musica Viva NY choir Im Frühling, D. 882 Paul D’Arcy, tenor Strophe aus “Die Götter Griechenlands” D. 667 Andrew Troup, tenor Auf der Bruck, D. 853 Erik Anstine, bass Der Tod und das Mädchen, D. 531 Chloë Schaaf, mezzo-soprano Fischerweise, D. 881 Shawn Bartels, tenor Gretchen am Spinnrade, D. 118 Chloë Schaaf, mezzo-soprano Nacht und Träume, D. 827 Jianing Zhang, soprano Auf dem Wasser zu singen, D. 774 Jianing Zhang, soprano Wandrers Nachtlied (II), D. 768 James Dargan, baritone Die Forelle, D. 550 Shabnam Abedi, soprano Am Tage aller Seelen, D. 343 Nathan Siler, tenor —3—

Meeres Stille (II), D. 216 Erinn Sensenig, soprano Gruppe aus dem Tartarus, D. 583 David Baldwin, bass-baritone Sei mir gegrüst, D. 741 Andrew Troup, tenor Der Zwerg, D. 771 Heather Petrie, contralto Rastlose Liebe, D. 138 Shawn Bartels, tenor Erlkönig, D. 328 Heather Petrie, contralto Wandrers Nachtlied (I), D. 224 David Baldwin, bass-baritone An den Mond, D. 193 James Dargan, baritone An mein Herz, D. 860 Nathan Siler, tenor Schwanengesang IV: Ständchen, D. 957/4 Paul D’Arcy, tenor IV Lied der Mignon (Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt), D. 877/4 Erinn Sensenig, soprano An Schwager Kronos, D. 369 Erik Anstine, bass Du bist die Ruh, D. 776 Shabnam Abedi, soprano Ave Maria, D. 839 Barbara Fusco-Spera, mezzo-soprano Musica Viva NY choir This digital production was assisted by a matching donation led by Shu-Wie Chen and Bill Bechman.

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ABOUT THE PROGRAM Some Death and Some Maidens: The Songs of Schubert

F

ranz Schubert (1797-1828) is, few would dispute, the Romantic Era’s most prodigious and beloved composer of (lacking a better term) “Art songs”: the setting of an extant poem to music for voice and piano.

The composer is also the most prolific—to the point of profligacy—in the genre, with over 600 composed in his astonishingly short 31 years. The form itself is an intrigue, at least for some composers. While it seems to have captivated Schubert, no less a lover of poetry than his contemporary Beethoven produced a scant amount (especially by comparison, but then again everyone loses by comparison). So-what is so intriguing to this person about the form, about doing some composerly wrestling with a text, about being a loud, beautiful, capacious megaphone for an otherwise-self-standing work of art?

In his lifetime Schubert was best known as a composer of stage works, of both opera and singspiel—he managed 19 of those—little performed today. Instead we know his symphonies, his piano and chamber music, but mostly, depending on who you ask, we know his songs. These settings of a swathe of largely, to him, contemporary poets epitomize the notion of romanticism, the inward-looking post-age-of-reason era where composers, painters, and especially writers confronted their mortality, their childhood, their natural surroundings, their inevitable demise. One has to imagine Schubert as being somewhat in tune with the artistic goings on of his age based on the poets he opted to set; hip even, to the movement at hand. As the Western World began to tune into the complex inner landscape of the human mind, here was Schubert, finding the near-nude exposure of these whispered arias, these “novels in a sigh,” to be the reservoir of the lion’s share of his astounding output. But it was from the words that the composer crafted his theatre, because, unlike arias, which serve as part of the drama, a furtherance or moment of reflection, a poem is a drama, a setting an opera unto itself. Songs are universes, and Schubert, in the setting of his largely contemporary poetic peers, shepherds them from page to ear.

For one, he was drawn (as were many in the age) to the world famous fountainhead Goethe, author of the texts to both the narrative, multiperspective tour de force “Erlkönig” (The Erlking) and the sectionable “Gretchen am Spinnrade,” (Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel), arguably Schubert’s most famous songs. Goethe was, among other things, a man of the theatre, or a kind of theatrical essentialist wherein feeling and scientific experiment (as well as precursors to psychotherapy) flowed from a single mind—his play Faust being a legendary touchstone (and the subject of many an opera). The composer returned to Goethe time and —5—

ABOUT THE PROGRAM again, as can be herein heard in “An Schwager Kronos,” (To Coachman Kronos) “Lied der Mignon (Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt)” (Mignon’s Song (Only One Who Knows Longing) two “Wandrers Nachtlied,” (Wayfarer’s Night Song) “Meeres Stille” (Calm Sea) and “Rastlose Liebe” (Restless Love). Even in these few representative songs, we confront the Schubertverse of characters, the musical and emotional tropes that would define his songs: wistful longing, rapid-fire chases, bodies of water both calm and climactic, and, perhaps more than anything else, a fugitive, uneasy motion, a wandering.

But it was not just Goethe who caught Schubert’s aural eye. He set Schiller (of “Ode to Joy” fame) first, when he was thirteen—the first two songs the composer wrote were to texts by this poet—and again some 42 more times. Here the iconoclastic German poet is represented with his tempestuously rendered “Gruppe aus dem Tartarus” (Scene from Hades) and his somewhat heretical “Strophe Aus “Die Götter Griechenlands”” (Strophe from The Gods of Greece), both of which deal with themes of loss, of demoniacal loss, both (as so many songs) representative of what could be described as a performative innerness, the public and heightened declamation of a private and complex thought. An aria. Among the other poets who appealed to Schubert was the German anti-establishment linguist and poet Frederich Rückert, co-manifesting the wistful “Sei mir gegrüst” (I Greet You) and the plangent “Du bist die Ruh” (You are Peace).

Together these two songs stand as quiet anthems to the inward, sad—or at least ponderous— major keys.

Other intimately theatrical (or theatrically intimate?) poets that drew Schubert were not the most famous but (unwittingly, living before such things as copyright laws existed) authored the texts of some of his most imperishable songs. One was Matthäus Casimir von Collin, who was both a minor Viennese poet as well as minor royalty, whose words form the basis for the lustrous “Nacht und Träume” (Night and Dreams) as well as the murderous “Der Zwerg” (The Dwarf), another multi-voice theatre piece in the Erlkönig mode. Ernst Schulze—a poet and philologist—wrote a “Poetic Diary,” and Schubert set ten of them, most notably the whimsical, achingly hopeful “Im Frühling” (In Spring) and the manically positive “Auf der Bruck” (On the Bridge).

From the prolific lawyer and poet Graf Friedrich Leopold zu StolbergStolberg: the unctuous “Auf dem Wasser zu singen” (To Be Sung Upon the Water); Schubert collaborated with his friend Franz von Schlechta on “Fischerweise” (Fisherman’s song); Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart, a musician and poet whose text became “Die Forelle” (The Trout), had the distinction to witness a piano competition featuring a young Wolfgang —6—

ABOUT THE PROGRAM Amadeus Mozart (who, according to the poet, could sight read anything but whose playing was inferior to his competitor), and Matthias Claudius, a poet and journalist, wrote “Der Tod und das Mädchen,” a song that, like “Die Forelle,” Schubert would use as the basis for an even better-known chamber work. The poet Ludwig Rellstab, seven of whose poems begin Schubert’s cycle Schwanengesang, intended the words to “Ständchen” (Serenade) to be set by contemporary Ludwig van Beethoven, whose fourteenth piano sonata he dubbed, indelibly, the “Moonlight Sonata.”

Johann Georg Jacobi, who wrote the poem “Am Tage aller Seelen” (Litany for the Feast of All Souls), also served once as Goethe’s editor. And Schubert did not neglect the earliest theatre, that of the Latinate: A “Kyrie Eleison” from his Mass in G Major; and perhaps his most famous work of all, an “Ave Maria.”

The sum of this work is a Schubert in micro and macro, engaging a broad cast of poets and poetic characters to create a peerless body of song.

And yet as moored to the 19th Century—the so-called Romantic era—as this work is, even if it is a cliché to note, how timeless and apropos so much of it stands. In this complex moment, who among us cannot relate to the theatricality of the suddenness of emotional change, to a yearning for things equinoctial, to a race against death, to gazing into nature (or the deep longing to do so) and, above all, to the rootlessness of a desire to wander, to explore vistas. It is all there in Schubert’s vast, vivid sequence of self-contained moment operas.

—Daniel Felsenfeld

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MEET THE ARTISTS

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ounded in 1977, Musica Viva NY is a chamber choir of thirty professionals and highly skilled volunteers, based in Manhattan’s historic All Souls Church. Its mission is to bring world-class music to a widening community through its annual concert series, community engagement programs, and an ambitious artistic vision. Under the baton of Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez since 2015, Musica Viva NY has been praised

by The New York Times as an “excellent chorus.” Musica Viva NY has toured in France (2004), Germany (2006) and Italy (2012).

Esteemed conductor and pianist Dr. Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez was named Artistic Director of Musica Viva NY and Director of Music of the historic Unitarian Church of All Souls in Manhattan in 2015. He is also Co-Founder of the New Orchestra of Washington and Artistic Director of the Victoria Bach Festival. He has earned accolades from The Washington Post as a conductor “with the incisive clarity of someone born to the idiom,” as well as praise from The New York Times for leading “a stirring performance” of Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem. At a concert commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the WWI Armistice (featuring the world premiere of Joseph Turrin’s cantata And Crimson Roses Once Again Be Fair) Oberon’s Grove wrote: “Maestro Alejandro HernandezValdez drew rich, warm sounds from the musicians” in “a beautiful and deeply moving program.” He is featured in El mundo en las manos/ Creadores mexicanos en el extranjero (The World in Their Hands/Creative Mexicans Abroad), a book by the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs honoring Mexican nationals who are leading figures in diverse artistic fields. He is the recipient of a 2016 Shenandoah Conservatory Alumni of Excellence Award for his exemplary contribution to his profession, national level of prominence, and exceptional integrity. He resides in New York City and Washington, D.C. Trent Johnson is an organist, composer, pianist and conductor. He is the Organist and Assistant Director of Music of the Unitarian Church of All Souls in New York City and is the Music Director of the Oratorio Singers of Westfield, New Jersey. An active organ recitalist, Mr. Johnson has performed recitals in many of the major churches, concert halls and cathedrals in the United States, Europe and Asia. Some notable recital venues in New York have included the Riverside Church, St. Thomas’ Church 5th Avenue, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, and the Brick Presbyterian Church. He is an organist at Radio City Music Hall in NYC, where he plays the “Mighty Wurlitzer” organ for the Christmas Spectacular Show.

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MEET THE ARTISTS George B. Stauffer is Distinguished Professor of Music History and Dean Emeritus of the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. Educated at Dartmouth College and Columbia University, he is well known for his writings on the music and culture of the Baroque Era and the life and works of Johann Sebastian Bach, in particular. He has published eight books, including, most recently, The World of Baroque Music. He has also contributed to The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Bach-Jahrbuch, Early Music, and many other scholarly journals as well as The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, and The Weekly Standard.

Stauffer has held Guggenheim, Fulbright, and Bogliasco fellowships and has lectured at Carnegie Hall, Geffen Hall, Alice Tully Hall, and many other New York concert venues. A past President of the American Bach Society, he is presently at work on the volume Why Bach Matters.

Mezzo-soprano Barbara Fusco-Spera is a native of Long Island. She is currently Head of Vocal Studies at LIU Post where she maintains a full studio. She enjoys an active freelance career in and around the Tri-State area and has performed concerts and solo recitals throughout the United States, Canada, South America, Europe, and Africa. Her teaching festival credits include the LIU Post Summer Chamber Music Festival, Midsummer Musique Festival in Québec, Canada, where she co-created the Vocal Program, and Respiro Opera of NYC. Ms. Fusco, a certified yoga teacher, has developed “Yoga For The Creative Heart”. Her yoga program is also taught at these festivals. She most recently presented her program for the Metropolitan Opera Guild, where she worked with their “Rising Stars” High School singers, a program for singers which is also taught at these festivals.

Shabnam Abedi has been a member of the Musica Viva NY choir since 2016 as one of the Soprano section leaders. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Mason Gross School of the Arts in Vocal Performance and is now pursuing her Master’s degree in jazz voice at Juilliard. She has explored many styles of music throughout her journey, including Indian classical music. She strives to dig to the depths of her musical understanding and flexibility as her journey continues.

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MEET THE ARTISTS Soprano Erinn Sensenig graduated from Westminster Choir College with a BM in Music Education. As a student at Westminster, she sang with the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Berlin Philharmonic, and performed with Westminster Choir on tour and in residency at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC. She has performed as soprano soloist for Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle with Denton Bach Society, Mozart Requiem with Dallas Chamber Choir (cover). She performs annually as soprano soloist and choir member with the Victoria Bach Festival. She studied with Simon Carrington as a vocal fellow at Yale’s Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. She sings with several professional ensembles such as Vox Humana, Dallas Chamber Choir, Orpheus Chamber Singers, and is a founding member of Verdigris Ensemble, a new Dallas professional choir focused on world premiering unconventional, multidisciplinary performances. In addition to her performance schedule, Erinn maintains a private voice studio out of her home in Brooklyn.

Soprano Jianing Zhang is described by Opera News as “particularly affecting… with sensitive singing and alert, in-the-moment acting.” Zhang has performed as a soloist with the Hudson Chorale, Ensemble 212, and the China International Art Festival, and has been featured in productions of the operas La Clemenza di Tito, Così fan tutte, and Giulio Cesare. Zhang is currently soloist and section leader of Musica Viva NY. She holds two master degrees, one from Manhattan School of Music and one from Shanghai Conservatory of Music.

Hailed as “a true contralto, with a big, deep, resonant projection that can fill a hall,” (New London Day) Heather Petrie is thrilled to join Musica Viva NY’s 20202021 season. As soloist she has appeared with the Oratorio Society of New York, the American Symphony Orchestra, Voices of Ascension, Sacred Music in a Sacred Space, and the New Orchestra of Washington, and performs frequently as a choral artist with many professional groups, including the Metropolitan Opera Extra Chorus. She holds degrees from Bard College and SUNY Purchase Conservatory.

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MEET THE ARTISTS Mezzo-soprano Chloë Schaaf recently appeared as The Mother in Little Orchestra Society’s 2020 production of Hansel and Gretel. In recent seasons, solo appearances have included Verdi’s Requiem at The Fisher Center for the Performing Arts, John Harbison’s Mottetti di Montale at The Miller Theater, and the role of the Owl/ Ant in The Cricket Recovers at Seiji Ozawa Hall. Chloë is a 2021 Vocal Fellow with the Tanglewood Music Center. She is currently based in Houston, where she is a soloist with Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church as well as The Houston Saengerbund Society.

Shawn Bartels, tenor, is a native of Gillette, Wyoming.

He has appeared as a soloist with Glimmerglass Opera, Carnegie Hall, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Broomhill Opera, Skylight Opera, the Ensemble D’Opera European, the Victoria Bach Festival and the Apollo Theatre. He has been a soloist with Musica Viva NY since 1996. He received his Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Northern Colorado and his Master in Music in Vocal Performance from Florida State University.

Shawn is a member of the New York guitar-pop band Portraiture.

Tenor Paul D’Arcy is in demand nationally as a soloist and chamber musician. Recent oratorio solo appearances include the Austin Symphony, Tucson Symphony, American Classical Orchestra, True Concord, and Ensemble viii. He has performed on numerous recordings for Harmonia Mundi, Reference Recordings, Naxos, and PBS, including the 2015 Grammy winning album, The Sacred Spirit of Russia with Conspirare. His most recent recording, Once Upon a Time (Skylark Ensemble), has been nominated for Best Choral Performance in the upcoming Grammys.

Performances include the NY Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, American Classical Orchestra, Musica Sacra, St. John the Divine, Trinity Wall Street, Los Angeles Philharmonic, NYC Ballet, National Sawdust, Worldless Music at BAM, Essential Voices, San Diego Bach Collegium, Ensemble Origo, Seraphic Fire, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Cape Cod Symphony, and Spire.

Nathan Siler is a performer and composer who lives and works in New York City. In addition to singing as a soloist for Musica Viva NY, Composer’s Choir (New Haven, CT), Five Lines, and All Souls Church, he frequently performs as a chorister at Carnegie Hall with the Bard Festival Chorale and at Lincoln Center with the Concert Chorale of New York. When not singing, Nathan keeps a busy schedule as a music producer, recording engineer, and videographer. He is the chief architect of the NYC postpunk-prog band Portraiture.

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MEET THE ARTISTS Andrew J. Troup, tenor and countertenor, is a freelance artist in the New York metropolitan area and is a regular soloist with Musica Viva NY in residence at All Souls Unitarian Church in New York. In addition, he has performed with several other local ensembles such as the choir at Middle Collegiate Church and the West Village Chorale, as well as several opera programs including the International Lyric Academy in Rome, Italy, the New York Opera Collaborative, and most recently in the Narnia Arts Festival in Narni, Italy during the 2017, 2018, and 2019 seasons.

Praised for the beauty of his voice and the vitality of his performances, American basso Erik Anstine is making a name for himself on opera and concert stages in North America and Europe. Recent seasons have seen Anstine perform with San Francisco Opera (Leporello/Don Giovanni), Opera Omaha (Osmin/Abduction from the Serail), Staatsoper Hamburg (Antinoo/Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria), and Salzburger Festspiele (Antonio/Le nozze di Figaro, Oste, Sergente/Manon Lescaut).

Bass-baritone David J. Baldwin is an Adjunct Voice Instructor at NYU Steinhardt. He holds an Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy from NYU, a Master of Music-Performance Studies degree from BGSU, and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from Taylor University.

David has performed solo roles with local opera companies including Opera on Tap, DiCapo Opera, New York Opera Exchange, Palisades Opera, and Martina Arroyo’s Prelude to Performance. He sang Tiresias in Bard Music Festival’s production of Stravinsky’s Oedipus Rex, and made his NYC Fringe Festival debut as James Otis in The Boston Tea Party Opera.

James Dargan is a creative artist and authenticity addict from the Southeastern US; he often works in New York City, where he sings ensemble and solo work, while playing the violin, composing, writing, teaching, and translating poetry and prose from several languages. He takes great joy from performing his social justice-oriented program “Oh, Glory!” anywhere and everywhere, leads workshops on spirituals and the Black church, and is honoured to walk in his family tradition of telling truthful stories.

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TEXTS Kyrie eleison, Mass in G Major D. 167 Liturgical Kyrie eleison.

Christe eleison.

Kyrie eleison.

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

Im Frühling D. 882 Ernst Schulze

In Spring Trans. Richard Wigmore

Still sitz ich an des Hügels Hang, Der Himmel ist so klar, Das Lüftchen spielt im grünen Tal, Wo ich beim ersten Frühlingsstrahl Einst, ach, so glücklich war.

I sit silently on the hillside.

The sky is so clear, the breezes play in the green valley where once, in the first rays of spring, I was, oh, so happy.

Wo ich an ihrer Seite ging So traulich und so nah, Und tief im dunkeln Felsenquell Den schönen Himmel blau und hell, Und sie im Himmel sah.

Where I walked by her side, so tender, so close, and saw deep in the dark rocky stream the fair sky, blue and bright, and her reflected in that sky.

Sieh, wie der bunte Frühling schon Aus Knosp’ und Blüte blickt!

Nicht alle Blüten sind mir gleich, Am liebsten pflückt’ ich von dem Zweig, Von welchem sie gepflückt.

See how the colourful spring already peeps from bud and blossom.

Not all the blossoms are the same to me: I like most of all to pluck them from the branch from which she has plucked.

Denn alles ist wie damals noch, Die Blumen, das Gefild; Die Sonne scheint nicht minder hell, Nicht minder freundlich schwimmt im Quell Das blaue Himmelsbild.

Es wandeln nur sich Will und Wahn, Es wechseln Lust und Streit, Vorüber flieht der Liebe Glück, Und nur die Liebe bleibt zurück, Die Lieb’ und ach, das Leid!

O wär ich doch ein Vöglein nur Dort an dem Wiesenhang!

Dann blieb’ ich auf den Zweigen hier, Und säng ein süsses Lied von ihr, Den ganzen Sommer lang.

For all is still as it was then, the flowers, the fields; the sun shines no less brightly, and no less cheerfully, the sky’s blue image bathes in the stream.

Only will and delusion change, and joy alternates with strife; the happiness of love flies past, and only love remains; love and, alas, sorrow.

Oh, if only I were a bird, there on the sloping meadow!

Then I would stay on these branches here, and sing a sweet song about her all summer long.

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TEXTS Strophe Aus “Die Götter Griechenlands” D. 677 Friedrich von Schiller

Strophe from “The Gods of Greece” Trans. Rchard Wigmore

Schöne Welt, wo bist du? Kehre wieder Holdes Blütenalter der Natur!

Ach, nur in dem Feenland der Lieder Lebt noch deine fabelhafte Spur.

Ausgestorben trauert das Gefilde, Keine Gottheit zeigt sich meinem Blick, Ach, von jenem lebenwarmen Bilde Blieb der Schatten nur zurück.

Fair world, where are you? Return again, sweet springtime of nature!

Alas, only in the magic land of song does your fabled memory live on.

The deserted fields mourn, no god reveals himself to me; of that warm, living image only a shadow has remained.

Auf der Bruck D. 853 Ernst Schulze

On the Bridge Trans. Richard Wigmore

Frisch trabe sonder Ruh und Rast, Mein gutes Ross, durch Nacht und Regen!

Was scheust du dich vor Busch und Ast Und strauchelst auf den wilden Wegen?

Dehnt auch der Wald sich tief und dicht, Doch muss er endlich sich erschliessen, Und freundlich wird ein fernes Licht Uns aus dem dunkeln Tale grüssen.

Trot briskly on, my good horse, without pause for rest, through night and rain!

Why do you shy at bush and branch and stumble on the wild paths?

Though the forest stretches deep and dense it must at last open up, and a distant light will greet us warmly from the dark valley.

Wohl könnt’ ich über Berg und Feld Auf deinem schlanken Rücken fliegen Und mich am bunten Spiel der Welt, An holden Bildern mich vergnügen.

Manch Auge lacht mir traulich zu Und beut mir Frieden, Lieb’ und Freude.

Und dennoch eil’ ich ohne Ruh Zurück, zurück zu meinem Leide.

Denn schon drei Tage war ich fern Von ihr, die ewig mich gebunden, Drei Tage waren Sonn’ und Stern Und Erd’ und Himmel mir verschwunden.

Von Lust und Leiden, die mein Herz Bei ihr bald heilten, bald zerrissen, Fühlt’ ich drei Tage nur den Schmerz, Und ach! die Freude musst’ ich missen!

I could cheerfully speed over mountain and field on your lithe back, and enjoy the world’s varied delights, its fair sights.

Many an eye smiles at me affectionately, offering peace, love and joy.

And yet, restlessly, I hasten back to my sorrow.

For three days now I have been far from her to whom I am eternally bound; for three days sun and stars, earth and heaven, have vanished for me.

Of the joy and sorrow which, when I was with her, now healed, now tore my heart, I have for three days felt only the pain.

Alas, the joy I have had to forgo!

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TEXTS Weit sehn wir über Land und See Zur wärmern Flur den Vogel fliegen; Wie sollte denn die Liebe je In ihrem Pfade sich betrügen?

Drum trabe mutig durch die Nacht!

Und schwinden auch die dunkeln Bahnen, Der Sehnsucht helles Auge wacht, Und sicher führt mich süsses Ahnen.

We watch the bird fly far away over land and sea to warmer pastures.

How, then, should love ever be deceived in its course?

So trot bravely on through the night!

Though the dark tracks may vanish, the bright eye of longing is awake, and sweet presentiment guides me safely onwards.

Der Tod und das Mädchen D. 531 Matthias Claudius

Death and the Maiden Trans. Richard Wigmore

DAS MÄDCHEN Vorüber,ach,vorüber!

Geh, wilder Knochenmann!

Ich bin noch jung, geh, Lieber!

Und rühre mich nicht an.

THE MAIDEN Pass by, ah, pass by!

Away, cruel Death!

I am still young; leave me, dear one and do not touch me.

DER TOD Gib deine Hand, du schön und zart Gebilde!

Bin Freund und komme nicht zu strafen.

Sei gutes Muts! Ich bin nicht wild, Sollst sanft in meinen Armen schlafen!

DEATH Give me your hand, you lovely, tender creature.

I am your friend, and come not to chastise.

Be of good courage. I am not cruel; you shall sleep softly in my arms.

Fischerweise D. 881 Franz Schlechta

Fisherman’s Song Trans. Richard Wigmore

Den Fischer fechten Sorgen Und Gram und Leid nicht an; Er löst am frühen Morgen Mit leichtem Sinn den Kahn.

The fisherman is not plagued by cares, grief or sorrow.

In the early morning he casts off his boat with a light heart.

Da lagert rings noch Friede Auf Wald und Flur und Bach, Er ruft mit seinem Liede Die gold’ne Sonne wach.

Round about, peace still lies over forest, meadow and stream, with his song the fisherman bids the golden sun awake.

Er singt zu seinem Werke Aus voller frischer Brust, Die Arbeit gibt ihm Stärke, Die Stärke Lebenslust.

He sings at his work from a full, vigorous heart.

His work gives him strength, his strength exhilarates him.

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TEXTS Bald wird ein bunt’ Gewimmel In allen Tiefen laut Und plätschert durch den Himmel, Der sich im Wasser baut.

Soon a bright multitude will resound in the depths, and splash through the watery heavens.

Doch wer ein Netz will stellen, Braucht Augen klar und gut, Muss heiter gleich den Wellen Und frei sein wie die Flut.

But whoever wishes to set a net needs good, dear eyes, must be as cheerful as the waves, and as free as the tide.

Dort angelt auf der Brücke Die Hirtin, Schlauer Wicht, Gib auf nur deiner Tücke, Den Fisch betrügst du nicht!

There, on the bridge, the shepherdess is fishing. Cunning wench, leave off your tricks!

You won’t deceive this fish!

Gretchen am Spinnrade D. 118 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Gretchen at the SpinningWheel Trans. Richard Stokes

Meine Ruh’ ist hin, Mein Herz ist schwer, Ich finde sie nimmer Und nimmermehr.

My peace is gone My heart is heavy; I shall never Ever find peace again.

Wo ich ihn nicht hab’ Ist mir das Grab, Die ganze Welt Ist mir vergällt.

When he’s not with me, Life’s like the grave; The whole world Is turned to gall.

Mein armer Kopf Ist mir verrückt Mein armer Sinn Ist mir zerstückt.

My poor head Is crazed, My poor mind Shattered.

Meine Ruh’ ist hin, Mein Herz ist schwer, Ich finde sie nimmer Und nimmermehr.

My peace is gone My heart is heavy; I shall never Ever find peace again.

Nach ihm nur schau’ ich Zum Fenster hinaus, Nach ihm nur geh’ ich Aus dem Haus.

It’s only for him I gaze from the window, It’s only for him I leave the house.

Sein hoher Gang, Sein’ edle Gestalt, Seines Mundes Lächeln, Seiner Augen Gewalt.

His proud bearing His noble form, The smile on his lips, The power of his eyes, — 16 —

TEXTS Und seiner Rede Zauberfluss.

Sein Händedruck, Und ach, sein Kuss!

And the magic flow Of his words, The touch of his hand, And ah, his kiss!

Meine Ruh’ ist hin, Mein Herz ist schwer, Ich finde sie nimmer Und nimmermehr.

My peace is gone My heart is heavy; I shall never Ever find peace again.

Mein Busen drängt sich Nach ihm hin.

Ach dürft’ ich fassen Und halten ihn.

My bosom Yearns for him.

Ah! if I could clasp And hold him,

Und küssen ihn So wie ich wollt’ An seinen Küssen Vergehen sollt’!

And kiss him To my heart’s content, And in his kisses Perish!

Nacht und Träume D. 827 Matthäus von Collin

Night and Dreams Trans. Richard Wigmore

Heil’ge Nacht, du sinkest nieder; Nieder wallen auch die Träume, Wie dein Mondlicht durch die Räume, Durch der Menschen stille Brust.

Die belauschen sie mit Lust; Rufen, wenn der Tag erwacht: Kehre wieder, heil’ge Nacht!

Holde Träume, kehret wieder!

Holy night, you sink down; dreams, too, float down, like your moonlight through space, through the silent hearts of men.

They listen with delight, crying out when day awakes: come back, holy night!

Fair dreams, return!

— 17 —

TEXTS Auf dem Wasser zu singen D. 774 Graf Friedrich Leopld zu Stolberg-Stolberg

To be Sung on the Water Trans. Richard Wigmore

Mitten im Schimmer der spiegelnden Wellen Gleitet, wie Schwäne, der wankende Kahn; Ach, auf der Freude sanft schimmernden Wellen Gleitet die Seele dahin wie der Kahn; Denn von dem Himmel herab auf die Wellen Tanzet das Abendrot rund um den Kahn.

Amid the shimmer of the mirroring waves the rocking boat glides, swan-like, on gently shimmering waves of joy.

The soul, too, glides like a boat.

For from the sky the setting sun dances upon the waves around the boat.

Über den Wipfeln des westlichen Haines Winket uns freundlich der rötliche Schein; Unter den Zweigen des östlichen Haines Säuselt der Kalmus im rötlichen Schein; Freude des Himmels und Ruhe des Haines Atmet die Seel’ im errötenden Schein.

Ach, es entschwindet mit tauigem Flügel Mir auf den wiegenden Wellen die Zeit.

Morgen entschwinde mit schimmerndem Flügel Wieder wie gestern und heute die Zeit, Bis ich auf höherem strahlendem Flügel Selber entschwinde der wechselnden Zeit.

Above the tree-tops of the western grove the red glow beckons kindly to us; beneath the branches of the eastern grove the reeds whisper in the red glow.

The soul breathes the joy of heaven, the peace of the grove, in the reddening glow.

Alas, with dewy wings time vanishes from me on the rocking waves.

Tomorrow let time again vanish with shimmering wings, as it did yesterday and today, until, on higher, more radiant wings, I myself vanish from the flux of time.

— 18 —

TEXTS Wandrers Nachtlied (II) D. 768 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Wayfarer’s Night Song Trans. Richard Stokes

Über allen Gipfeln Ist Ruh’, In allen Wipfeln Spürest du Kaum einen Hauch; Die Vögelein schweigen im Walde.

Warte nur, balde Ruhest du auch.

Over every mountain-top Lies peace, In every tree-top You scarcely feel A breath of wind; The little birds are hushed in the wood.

Wait, soon you too Will be at peace.

Die Forelle D. 550 Christian Schubart

The Trout Trans. Richard Wigmore

In einem Bächlein helle, Da schoß in froher Eil’ Die launische Forelle Vorüber wie ein Pfeil.

Ich stand an dem Gestade Und sah in süßer Ruh Des muntern Fischleins Bade Im klaren Bächlein zu.

In a limpid brook the capricious trout in joyous haste darted by like an arrow.

I stood on the bank in blissful peace, watching the lively fish swim in the clear brook.

Ein Fischer mit der Rute Wohl an dem Ufer stand, Und sah’s mit kaltem Blute, Wie sich das Fischlein wand.

So lang dem Wasser Helle, So dacht ich, nicht gebricht, So fängt er die Forelle Mit seiner Angel nicht.

An angler with his rod stood on the bank cold-bloodedly watching the fish’s contortions.

As long as the water is clear, I thought, he won’t catch the trout with his rod.

Doch endlich ward dem Diebe Die Zeit zu lang. Er macht Das Bächlein tückisch trübe, Und eh ich es gedacht, So zuckte seine Rute, Das Fischlein zappelt dran, Und ich mit regem Blute Sah die Betrogene an.

But at length the thief grew impatient. Cunningly he made the brook cloudy, and in an instant his rod quivered, and the fish struggled on it.

And I, my blood boiling, looked on at the cheated creature.

— 19 —

TEXTS Am Tage aller Seelen D. 343 Johann Jacobi

On the Feast of All Souls Trans. Richard Wigmore

Ruhn in Frieden alle Seelen, Die vollbracht ein banges Quälen, Die vollendet süssen Traum, Lebenssatt, geboren kaum, Aus der Welt hinüber schieden: Alle Seelen ruhn in Frieden!

May all souls rest in peace; those whose fearful torment is past; those whose sweet dreams are over; those sated with life, those barely born, who have left this world: may all souls rest in peace!

Liebevoller Mädchen Seelen, Deren Tränen nicht zu zählen, Die ein falscher Freund verliess, Und die blinde Welt verstiess: Alle, die von hinnen schieden, Alle Seelen ruhn in Frieden!

Und die nie der Sonne lachten, Unterm Mond auf Dornen wachten, Gott, im reinen Himmelslicht, Einst zu sehn von Angesicht: Alle, die von hinnen schieden, Alle Seelen ruhn in Frieden!

The souls of girls in love, whose tears are without number, who, abandoned by a faithless lover, rejected the blind world.

May all who have departed hence, may all souls rest in peace!

And those who never smiled at the sun, who lay awake beneath the moon on beds of thorns, so that they might one day see God face to face in the pure light of heaven: may all who have departed hence, may all souls rest in peace!

Meeres Stille (II) D. 216 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Calm Sea Trans. Richard Stokes

Tiefe Stille herrscht im Wasser, Ohne Regung ruht das Meer, Und bekümmert sieht der Schiffer Glatte Fläche rings umher.

Keine Luft von keiner Seite!

Todesstille fürchterlich!

In der ungeheueren Weite Reget keine Welle sich.

Deep silence weighs on the water, Motionless the sea rests, And the fearful boatman sees A glassy surface all around.

No breeze from any quarter!

Fearful, deadly silence!

In all that vast expanse Not a single ripple stirs.

— 20 —

TEXTS Gruppe aus dem Tartarus D. 583 Friedrich von Schiller

Scene from Hades Trans. Richard Wigmore

Horch – wie Murmeln des empörten Meeres, Wie durch hohler Felsen Becken weint ein Bach, Stöhnt dort dumpfigtief ein schweres – leeres, Qualerpresstes Ach!

Hark! Like the angry murmuring of the sea, or a brook sobbing through pools in hollow rocks, from the depths arises a muffled groan, heavy, empty and tormented!

Schmerz verzerret Ihr Gesicht – Verzweiflung sperret Ihren Rachen fluchend auf.

Hohl sind ihre Augen – ihre Blicke Spähen bang nach des Cocytus Brücke, Folgen tränend seinem Trauerlauf.

Pain distorts their faces – in despair their mouths open wide, cursing.

Their eyes are hollow – their frightened gaze strains towards Cocytus’ bridge, following as they weep that river’s mournful course.

Fragen sich einander ängstlich leise, Ob noch nicht Vollendung sei?

Ewigkeit schwingt über ihnen Kreise, Bricht die Sense des Saturns entzwei.

Anxiously, softly, they ask one another if the end is yet nigh.

Eternity sweeps in circles above them, breaking Saturn’s scythe in two.

Sei mir gegrüst D. 741 Friedrich Rückert

I Greet You Trans. Richard Wigmore

O du Entriss’ne mir und meinem Küsse!

Sei mir gegrüsst!

Sei mir geküsst!

Erreichbar nur meinem Sehnsuchtsgrusse!

Sei mir gegrüsst!

Sei mir geküsst!

You who were torn from me and my kisses, I greet you!

I kiss you!

You, whom only my yearning greeting can reach, I greet you!

I kiss you!

Du von der Hand der Liebe diesem Herzen Gegeb’ne! du Von dieser Brust Genomm’ne mir! mit diesem Tränengases Sei mir gegrüsst!

Sei mir geküsst!

You who were bestowed on this heart by the hand of love, you who were taken from my breast! With this flood of tears I greet you!

I kiss you!

— 21 —

TEXTS Zum Trotz der Ferne, die sich, feindlich trennend, Hat zwischen mich Und dich gestellt; Dem Neid der Schicksalsmächte zum Verdrusse Sei mir gegrüsst!

Sei mir geküsst!

Defying the distance that, hostile and divisive, has come between you and me; frustrating the envious powers of fate, I greet you!

I kiss you!

Wie du mir je im schönsten Lenz der Liebe Mit Gruss und Kuss Entgegen kamst, Mit meiner Seele glühendstem Ergüsse, Sei mir gegrüsst!

Sei mir geküsst!

As in love’s fairest spring you once came to me with greetings and kisses, so with all the fervour of my soul I greet you!

I kiss you!

Ein Hauch der Liebe tilget Räum’ und Zeiten, Ich bin bei dir, Du bist bei mir, Ich halte dich in dieses Arms Umschlusse, Sei mir gegrüsst!

Sei mir geküsst!

One breath of love dissolves time and space, and I am with you, you are with me; I hold you closely in my arms’ embrace, I greet you!

I kiss you!

Der Zwerg D. 771 Matthäus von Collin

The Dwarf Trans. Richard Wigmore

Im trüben Licht verschwinden schon die Berge, Es schwebt das Schiff auf glatten Meereswogen, Worauf die Königin mit ihrem Zwerge.

In the dim light the mountains already fade; the ship drifts on the sea’s smooth swell, with the queen and her dwarf on board.

Sie schaut empor zum hochgewölbten Bogen, Hinauf zur lichtdurchwirkten blauen Ferne; Die mit der Milch des Himmels blass durchzogen.

She gazes up at the high arching vault, at the blue distance, interwoven with light, streaked with the pale milky way.

„Nie, nie habt ihr mir gelogen noch, ihr Sterne,“ So ruft sie aus, „bald werd’ ich nun entschwinden, Ihr sagt es mir, doch sterb’ ich wahrlich gerne.“

‘Stars, never yet have you lied to me’, she cries out. ‘Soon now I shall be no more.

You tell me so; yet in truth I shall die gladly.’

— 22 —

TEXTS Da tritt der Zwerg zur Königin, mag binden Um ihren Hals die Schnur von roter Seide, Und weint, als wollt’ er schnell vor Gram erblinden.

Then the dwarf comes up to the queen, begins to tie the cord of red silk about her neck, and weeps, as if he would soon go blind with grief.

Er spricht: „Du selbst bist schuld an diesem Leide, Weil um den König du mich hast verlassen, Jetzt weckt dein Sterben einzig mir noch Freude.

He speaks: ‘You are yourself to blame for this suffering, because you have forsaken me for the king; now your death alone can revive joy within me.

„Zwar werd’ ich ewiglich mich selber hassen, Der dir mit dieser Hand den Tod gegeben, Doch musst zum frühen Grab du nun erblassen.“

‘Though I shall forever hate myself for having brought you death by this hand, yet now you must grow pale for an early grave.’

Sie legt die Hand aufs Herz voll jungem Leben, Und aus dem Aug’ die schweren Tränen rinnen, Das sie zum Himmel betend will erheben.

She lays her hand on her heart, so full of youthful life, and heavy tears flow from her eyes which she would raise to heaven in prayer.

‘May you reap no sorrow from my death!’ she says; then the dwarf kisses her pale cheeks, whereupon her senses fade.

„Mögst du nicht Schmerz durch meinen Tod gewinnen!“ Sie sagt’s, da küsst der Zwerg die bleichen Wangen, D’rauf alsobald vergehen ihr die Sinnen.

Der Zwerg schaut an die Frau, von Tod befangen, Er senkt sie tief ins Meer mit eig’nen Handen.

Ihm brennt nach ihr das Herz so voll Verlangen, An keiner Küste wird er je mehr landen.

The dwarf looks upon the lady in the grip of death; he lowers her with his own hands deep into the sea.

His heart burns with such longing for her, he will never again land on any shore.

— 23 —

TEXTS Rastlose Liebe D. 138 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Restless Love Trans. Richard Wigmore

Dem Schnee, dem Regen, Dem Wind entgegen, Im Dampf der Klüfte, Durch Nebeldüfte, Immer zu! Immer zu!

Ohne Rast und Ruh!

Into the snow, the rain, and the wind, through steamy ravines, through mists, onwards, ever onwards!

Without respite!

Lieber durch Leiden Wollt’ ich mich schlagen, Als so viel Freuden Des Lebens ertragen.

Alle das Neigen Von Herzen zu Herzen, Ach, wie so eigen Schaffet es Schmerzen!

I would sooner fight my way through suffering than endure so much of life’s joy.

This affection of one heart for another, ah, how strangely it creates pain!

Wie soll ich flieh’n?

Wälderwärts zieh’n?

Alles vergebens!

Krone des Lebens, Glück ohne Ruh, Liebe, bist du!

How shall I flee?

Into the forest?

It is all in vain!

Crown of life, happiness without peace – this, O love, is you!

Erlkönig D. 328 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Erlking Trans. Richard Wigmore

Wer reitet so spät durch Nacht und Wind?

Es ist der Vater mit seinem Kind: Er hat den Knaben wohl in dem Arm, Er fasst ihn sicher, er hält ihn warm.

Who rides so late through the night and wind?

It is the father with his child.

He has the boy in his arms; he holds him safely, he keeps him warm.

„Mein Sohn, was birgst du so bang dein Gesicht?“ „Siehst, Vater, du den Erlkönig nicht?

Den Erlenkönig mit Kron’ und Schweif?“ „Mein Sohn, es ist ein Nebelstreif.“ „Du liebes Kind, komm, geh mit mir!

Gar schöne Spiele spiel’ ich mit dir; Manch’ bunte Blumen sind an dem Strand, Meine Mutter hat manch gülden Gewand.“

‘My son, why do you hide your face in fear?’

‘Father, can you not see the Erlking?

The Erlking with his crown and tail?’

‘My son, it is a streak of mist.’

‘Sweet child, come with me.

I’ll play wonderful games with you.

Many a pretty flower grows on the shore; my mother has many a golden robe.’

— 24 —

TEXTS „Mein Vater, mein Vater, und hörest du nicht, Was Erlenkönig mir leise verspricht?“ „Sei ruhig, bleibe ruhig, mein Kind: In dürren Blättern säuselt der Wind.“ „Willst, feiner Knabe, du mit mir gehn?

Meine Töchter sollen dich warten schön; Meine Töchter führen den nächtlichen Rein Und wiegen und tanzen und singen dich ein.“

‘Father, father, do you not hear what the Erlking softly promises me?’

‘Calm, be calm, my child: the wind is rustling in the withered leaves.’

‘Won’t you come with me, my fine lad?

My daughters shall wait upon you; my daughters lead the nightly dance, and will rock you, and dance, and sing you to sleep.’

„Mein Vater, mein Vater, und siehst du nicht dort Erlkönigs Töchter am düstern Ort?“ „Mein Sohn, mein Sohn, ich seh es genau: Es scheinen die alten Weiden so grau.“

‘Father, father, can you not see Erlking’s daughters there in the darkness?’

‘My son, my son, I can see clearly: it is the old grey willows gleaming.’

„Ich liebe dich, mich reizt deine schöne Gestalt; Und bist du nicht willig, so brauch ich Gewalt.“ „Mein Vater, mein Vater, jetzt fasst er mich an!

Erlkönig hat mir ein Leids getan!“

‘I love you, your fair form allures me, and if you don’t come willingly, I’ll use force.’

‘Father, father, now he’s seizing me!

The Erlking has hurt me!’

Dem Vater grausets, er reitet geschwind, Er hält in Armen das ächzende Kind, Erreicht den Hof mit Mühe und Not: In seinen Armen das Kind war tot.

The father shudders, he rides swiftly, he holds the moaning child in his arms; with one last effort he reaches home; the child lay dead in his arms.

Wandrers Nachtlied (I) D. 224 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Wayfarer’s Night Song Trans. Richard Stokes

Der du von dem Himmel bist, Alles Leid und Schmerzen stillst, Den, der doppelt elend ist, Doppelt mit Entzückung füllst, Ach, ich bin des Treibens müde!

Was soll all der Schmerz und Lust?

Süsser Friede, Komm, ach komm in meine Brust!

You who come from heaven, Soothing all pain and sorrow, Filling the doubly wretched Doubly with delight, Ah, I am weary of this restlessness!

What use is all this joy and pain?

Sweet peace!

Come, ah come into my breast!

— 25 —

TEXTS An den Mond D. 193 Ludwig Christoph Heinrich Hölty

To the Moon Trans. Richard Wigmore

Geuss, lieber Mond, geuss deine Silberflimmer Durch dieses Buchengrün, Wo Phantasien und Traumgestalten Immer vor mir vorüberfliehn.

Beloved moon, shed your silver radiance through these green beeches, where fancies and dreamlike images forever flit before me.

Enthülle dich, dass ich die Stätte finde, Wo oft mein Mädchen sass, Und oft, im Wehn des Buchbaums und der Linde, Der goldnen Stadt vergass.

Unveil yourself, that I may find the spot where my beloved sat, where often, in the swaying branches of the beech and lime, she forgot the gilded town.

Enthülle dich, dass ich des Strauchs mich freue, Der Kühlung ihr gerauscht, Und einen Kranz auf jeden Anger streue, Wo sie den Bach belauscht.

Unveil yourself, that I may delight in the whispering bushes that cooled her, and lay a wreath on that meadow where she listened to the brook.

Dann, lieber Mond, dann nimm den Schleier wieder, Und traur um deinen Freund, Und weine durch den Wolkenflor hernieder, Wie dein Verlassner weint!

Then, beloved moon, take your veil once more, and mourn for your friend.

Weep down through the hazy clouds, as the one you have forsaken weeps.

An mein Herz D. 860 Ernst Schulze

To my Heart Trans. Richard Wigmore

O Herz, sei endlich stille!

Was schlägst du so unruhvoll?

Es ist ja des Himmels Wille, Dass ich sie lassen soll.

O heart, be silent at last!

Why do you beat so restlessly?

For it is heaven’s will that I should leave her.

Und gab auch dein junges Leben Dir nichts als Wahn und Pein; Hat’s ihr nur Freude gegeben, So mag’s verloren sein!

Even though your youthful life gave you nothing but delusion and pain, as long as it gave her joy then no matter if it was lost to you.

Und wenn sie auch nie dein Lieben Und nie dein’ Liebe verstand, So bist du doch treu geblieben, Und Gott hat’s droben erkannt.

And though she never understood your loving or your love you nevertheless remained faithful, and God above saw it.

— 26 —

TEXTS Wir wollen es mutig ertragen, So lang nur die Träne noch rinnt, Und träumen von schöneren Tagen, Die lange vorüber sind.

Let us bravely endure as long as tears still flow, and dream of fairer days long since past.

Und siehst du die Blüten erscheinen, Und singen die Vögel umher, So magst du wohl heimlich weinen, Doch klagen sollst du nicht mehr.

When you see the blossoms appearing, when the birds sing all around, then you may weep in secret, but you should complain no more.

Geh’n doch die ewigen Sterne Dort oben mit goldenem Licht Und lächeln so freundlich von ferne, Und denken doch unser nicht.

For the eternal stars above move with a golden light, smiling kindly from afar and yet with no thought for us.

Schwanengesang IV: Ständchen D. 957/4 Ludwig Rellstab

Swansong IV: Serenade Trans. Richard Wigmore

Leise flehen meine Lieder Durch die Nacht zu Dir; In den stillen Hain hernieder, Liebchen, komm’ zu mir!

Softly my songs plead through the night to you; down into the silent grove, beloved, come to me!

Flüsternd schlanke Wipfel rauschen In des Mondes Licht; Des Verräters feindlich Lauschen Fürchte, Holde, nicht.

Slender treetops whisper and rustle in the moonlight; my darling, do not fear that the hostile betrayer will overhear us.

Hörst die Nachtigallen schlagen?

Ach! sie flehen Dich, Mit der Töne süssen Klagen Flehen sie für mich.

Sie verstehn des Busens Sehnen, Kennen Liebesschmerz, Rühren mit den Silbertönen Jedes weiche Herz.

Lass auch Dir die Brust bewegen, Liebchen, höre mich!

Bebend harr’ ich Dir entgegen!

Komm’, beglücke mich!

Do you not hear the nightingales call?

Ah, they are imploring you; with their sweet, plaintive songs they are imploring for me.

They understand the heart’s yearning, they know the pain of love; with their silvery notes they touch every tender heart.

Let your heart, too, be moved, beloved, hear me!

Trembling, I await you!

Come, make me happy!

— 27 —

TEXTS IV Lied der Mignon (Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt) D. 877/4 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Mignon’s song (Only One Who Knows Longing) Trans. Richard Wigmore

Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt Weiss, was ich leide!

Allein und abgetrennt Von aller Freude, Seh’ ich an’s Firmament Nach jener Seite.

Ach! der mich liebt und kennt Ist in der Weite.

Es schwindelt mir, es brennt Mein Eingeweide.

Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt Weiss, was ich leide!

Only he who knows longing knows what I suffer.

Alone, cut off from all joy, I gaze at the firmament in that direction.

Ah, he who loves and knows me is far away.

I feel giddy, my vitals are aflame.

Only he who knows longing knows what I suffer.

An Schwager Kronos D. 369 Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

To Coachman Chronos Trans. Richard Wigmore

Spute dich, Kronos!

Fort den rasselnden Trott!

Bergab gleitet der Weg: Ekles Schwindeln zögert Mir vor die Stirne dein Zaudern.

Frisch, holpert es gleich, Über Stock und Steine den Trott Rasch ins Leben hinein!

Nun schon wieder Den eratmenden Schritt Mühsam berghinauf, Auf denn, nicht träge denn Strebend und hoffend hinan!

Make haste, Chronos!

Break into a rattling trot!

The way runs downhill; I feel a sickening giddiness at your dallying.

Quick, away, never mind the bumping, over sticks and stones, trot briskly into life!

Now once again breathless, at walking pace, struggling uphill; up then, don’t be sluggish, onwards, striving and hoping.

Weit, hoch, herrlich Rings den Blick ins Leben hinein; Vom Gebirg zum Gebirge Schwebet der ewige Geist, Ewigen Lebens ahndevoll.

Wide, lofty and glorious is the view around into life; from mountain range to mountain range the eternal spirit glides, bringing promise of eternal life.

Seitwärt des Überdachs Schatten Zieht dich an Und ein Frischung verheissender Blick

A shady roof draws you aside and the gaze of a girl — 28 —

TEXTS Auf der Schwelle des Mädchens da Labe dich! – Mir auch, Mädchen, Diesen schäumenden Trank, Diesen frischen Gesundheitsblick!

on the step, promising refreshment.

Refresh yourself! For me too, girl, that foaming draught, that fresh, healthy look.

Ab denn, rascher hinab!

Sieh, die Sonne sinkt!

Eh sie sinkt, eh mich Greisen Ergreift im Moore Nebelduft, Entzahnte Kiefer schnattre Und das schlotternde Gebein,

Down then, down faster!

Look, the sun is sinking!

Before it sinks, before the mist seizes me, an old man, on the moor, toothless jaws chattering, limbs shaking,

Trunknen vom letzten Strahl Reiss mich, ein Feuermeer Mir im schäumenden Aug’ Mich geblendeten Taumelnden In der Hölle nächtliches Tor.

Snatch me, drunk with its last ray, a sea of fire foaming in my eyes, blinded, reeling through hell’s nocturnal gate.

Töne, Schwager, in’s Horn, Rassle den schallenden Trab, Dass der Orkus vernehme: wir kommen, Dass gleich an der Tür Der Wirt uns freundlich empfange.

Coachman, sound your horn, rattle noisily on at a trot.

Let Orcus know we’re coming.

So that the innkeeper is at the door to give us a kind welcome.

Du bist die Ruh D. 776 Friedrich Rückert

You Are Peace Trans. Richard Stokes

Du bist die Ruh, Der Friede mild, Die Sehnsucht du Und was sie stillt.

Ich weihe dir Voll Lust und Schmerz Zur Wohnung hier Mein Aug und Herz.

Kehr ein bei mir, Und schließe du Still hinter dir Die Pforten zu.

Treib andern Schmerz Aus dieser Brust.

Voll sei dies Herz Von deiner Lust.

Dies Augenzelt Von deinem Glanz Allein erhellt, O füll es ganz!

You are repose And gentle peace, You are longing And what stills it.

I pledge to you Full of joy and pain As a dwelling here My eyes and heart.

Come in to me, And softly close The gate Behind you.

Drive other pain From this breast!

Let my heart be filled With your joy.

This temple of my eyes Is lit By your radiance alone, O fill it utterly.

— 29 —

TEXTS Ave Maria D. 839 Liturgical

Hail Mary

Ave, Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.

Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.

Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus nunc et in hora mortis nostrae.

Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Translations © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder, published by Faber; and Richard Wigmore, author of Schubert: The Complete Song Texts, published by Schirmer Books. Provided courtesy of Oxford Lieder (www. oxfordlieder.co.uk)

SAVE THE DATES FOR THE MUSICA VIVA NY 2021-2022 SEASON MUSIC AND A SILENT MOVIE Organ recital by Trent Johnson, composer and organist November 14, 2021 at 5pm SONGS OF STRUGGLE, COMPASSION AND REDEMPTION: Works by J.S. Bach, Joel Thompson, and Abbie Betinis, featuring the Aeolus Quartet January 23, 2022 at 5pm SONGS OF NATURE Featuring a world premiere of Gilda Lyons March 27, 2022 at 5pm SERGEI RACHMANINOFF: All Night Vigil and Symphonic Dances May 22, 2022 at 5pm — 30 —

MUSICA VIVA NY ROSTER Virtual Choir & Solo Performers SOPRANO Shabnam Abedi* Elizabeth Clancy Kate Wolfe Johnson Emily Mikesell Erinn Sensenig* Sarah Worthington Jianing Zhang* ALTO Barbara Fusco-Spera* Dinah Nissen Heather Petrie* Chloë Schaaf*

TENOR Shawn Bartels* Paul D’Arcy* Nathan Siler* Andrew Troup* BASS Erik Anstine* David Baldwin* James Dargan* Bryan McNamara Harold Norris Christopher Rothko Augustus Young *Section leader

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for photos, videos, and more facebook.com/musicavivany

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@musicavivany

MUSICA VIVA NY Staff Artistic

Administrative

Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez Conductor and Artistic Director Trent Johnson Assistant Director of Music

Danielle Buonaiuto Executive Director Bryan McNamara Production and Chorus Manager Dinah Nissen, Esq. Marketing Director Barbara de Bellis Librarian Hannah Nacheman Digital Marketing Consultant

Board of Directors Melanie Niemiec President Bill Bechman Vice President Winnie Olsen Secretary

Lisa O’Brien, Esq. Treasurer Constance Beavon Shu-Wie Chen Dinah Nissen, Esq. Harold Norris

Kate Phillips David Rockefeller, Jr. Thomas Simpson

Advisory Board Seymour Bernstein Laurel Blossom Renée Fleming

Galen Guengerich Susan Jolles Walter Klauss Artistic Director Emeritus

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Jean-Louis Petit Bruce Saylor

MUSICA VIVA NY PATRON SUPPORT LEVELS FOR OUR 2020-21 SEASON

B

ecome a Patron of Musica Viva NY today! We need your generous contributions to support the outstanding concerts and outreach programming of the Musica Viva NY choir and instrumentalists. There is a level for every budget, and you will enjoy special benefits as a measure of our thanks. Your contribution can be made as a one-time gift, or on a recurring basis.

PATRON LEVELS APPASSIONATO $10,000 and above ⚫ Up to four Musica Viva NY soloists will perform at your private event in the NYC area ⚫ Invitation to a dinner featuring a special performance by the Artistic Director ⚫ Invitation to special Patron reception ⚫ Six complimentary season subscriptions ⚫ Reserved seating CON FUOCO $5,000 to $9,999 ⚫ A Musica Viva NY soloist will perform at your private event in the NYC area ⚫ Invitation to a dinner featuring a special performance by the Artistic Director ⚫ Invitation to special Patron reception ⚫ Five complimentary season subscriptions ⚫ Reserved seating

CON BRIO $3,000 to $4,999 ⚫ Invitation to a dinner featuring a special performance by the Artistic Director ⚫ Invitation to special Patron reception ⚫ Three complimentary season subscriptions ⚫ Reserved seating RISOLUTO $1,000 to $2,999 ⚫ Invitation to special Patron reception ⚫ Three complimentary season subscriptions ⚫ Reserved seating ESPRESSIVO $500 to $999 ⚫ Invitation to special Patron reception ⚫ Two complimentary season subscriptions ⚫ Preferred seating CANTABILE $100 to $499 ⚫ Invitation to special Patron reception ⚫ Preferred seating DOLCE $25 to $99 ⚫ Acknowledgment in program at all levels — 33 —

MUSICA VIVA NY PATRONS 2020-21

W

e are deeply grateful to our Patrons listed below for their support of our 2020-2021 season. Thank you for joining us! Your support for our outstanding Musica Viva NY artists, our high-caliber, innovative choral and chamber music performances, and our educational outreach is vital and essential.

Corporate and Foundation Support Gunleif Jacobsen and Thomas Simpson Charitable Fund The Ida & William Rosenthal Foundation The Women’s Alliance The Blackbaud Giving Fund The Heart & Soul Charitable Fund Appassionato $10,000 and above Susan & David Rockefeller, Jr. Melanie & David Niemiec Con Fuoco $5,000 to $9,999 Don & Georgia Gogel Jennifer Shotwell Tom Simpson Con Brio $3,000 to $4,999 Catherine & Robert Brawer Shu-Wie Chen Dinah Nissen & Elizabeth Apelles Madonna K. Starr, In Memory of Evelynn C. Gioiella Brenda Walker & Peter Swords Susan Witter Risoluto $1,000 - $2,999 Constance Beavon Bill Bechman & Tom Garlock, In Honor of Marilynn Scott Murphy Stillman B. Brown & Meg Raftis Lisa & Richard Cashin

Grace Cho & Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez Holly Drew George Dorsey Galen Guengerich & Holly Atkinson Liz Harvey, In Memory of Jimmie Holland Patricia T. Hayot & Ricardo A. Mestres Jr. Pamela Healey Cherie Henderson & David Poppe Kell Julliard and Harold Norris Winnie Olsen Christopher Rothko Aracy & Klaus Winter Espressivo $500 - $999 Lynne & Richard Allen Astrid & John Baumgardner Barbara de Bellis, In Memory of Greta Minsky Christina Bellamy Heli & Tom Blum Robin Bossert Dixie Goss & Dan Cryer Lois Gaeta, In Memory of David Remember Baker Kay & Don Jansky Rev. Richard Leonard Carri Lyon, In Honor of Dinah Nissen Suzanne May

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MUSICA VIVA NY PATRONS 2020-21 Marilynn Scott Murphy Kate Phillips Katherine Redd Judy Samuelson & Vic Henschel Epp Sonin Karen Steele Deborah Taylor Beverly Benz & Philippe Treuille, In Honor of Melanie Niemiec and Musica Viva NY Ned Whitney & Martha Howell Cantabile $100 - $499 Four Anonymous Donors Sylvia Agostini Mark Barth, In Honor of Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez Michelle M. Boston Anne Brewer Teresa Brooks Anne Buonaiuto Judy Chang Miles Chapin Michelle Demko Marye Elmlinger & Eric Lamm Sandra Lotz Fisher Joan Flesch, In Memory of Inez Miller Molly O’Neil Frank Linda Francke, In Honor of Dinah Nissen June Freemanzon Barclay Griffiths Mary Gundermann Bonnie Hetzel Barbara Hosein, In Honor of Alejandro Hernandez-Valdez

Nancy Jacobson Michele Rodin Jawin Peggy Kampmeier & Ed Harsh Christie Noelle Krase Carol Kirkman Susan & Stephen Langley Margaret MacCary Teresa Manzella James Moskin Rosanna Nissen Lisa O’Brien Paul & Randi Olsen Annette Porter Lynne S. Randall Erik Resurreccion & Alice Heminway Gayle S. Sanders Erich Scherer Heather Steans Hanan Watson Jerilyn Watson Richard White Elizabeth Millard Whitman Yeardley Williams, In Honor of Gail & Biddle Worthington Doug Wingo Rachel Ziemba Dolce $25 - $99 Three Anonymous Donors Shellie Bailkin Louise Barbrack Jean & Shawn Bartels Lindsey Blackhurst Barbara Blair Danielle Buonaiuto

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MUSICA VIVA NY PATRONS 2020-21 Muriel Carlson-Simon Elizabeth Clancy, In Memory of Betty Clancy Catherine Corkill Ivana Edwards Christine Foland Christine Goodwin Erika Mikkelsen Halford Dana Ivey Carolyn Jackson Allyn Keiser Linda Kvam Amy Legge John Liebmann, Jr. Lila G. McFarlin Bryan McNamara Tara McNamara Judith Moldover

Peggy Montgomery John T. Moran Diane Mullman Adrienne Navon Aida Nema George Nissen Ellen Olsen Pam Ondracek Marci Resnicoff Pam Richardson Audra & Matthew Robb, In Honor of David Robb Nancy Simmons Arelis Torres, In Honor of Abuela Encarnita Phyllis Trager Andrew Troup Paula Viscogliosi

This list reflects gifts received from June 1, 2020 to May 5, 2021

Virtual Event Matching Campaign Many thanks to the following donors for their generous support for our recording and production of our digital performances this season..

Bill Bechman & Tom Garlock* Christina Bellamy Bob & Cathy Brawer Anne Buonaiuto Shu-Wie Chen* Molly O’Neil Frank Mary Gundermann Miriam Michel Dinah Nissen & Elizabeth Apelles

Lisa O’Brien Winnie Olsen Annette Porter Deborah Taylor Rachel Ziemba Two anonymous donors *Matching donor

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SUPPORT MUSICA VIVA NY

To find out more about other ways to support Musica Viva NY (including employer matching, volunteering, and monthly giving) please contact our Executive Director at dbuonaiuto@musicaviva.org.

SPONSOR MUSICA VIVA NY There are many opportunities to play a role in bringing Musica Viva NY’s season to life as a sponsor, including: ⚫ Underwriting a concert ⚫ Underwriting the appearance of a professional singer or orchestra member ⚫ Underwriting an appearance by the Aeolus Quartet ⚫ Underwriting an intimate post-concert reception with the artists

Naming opportunities are available for sponsors.

Contact Danielle Buonaiuto, Executive Director at dbuonaiuto@musicaviva.org.

We hope you’ll join us for our post-concert reception!

The Zoom link is in your email.

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Musica Viva NY is extremely grateful for the following help with its 2020-21 season from:

All Souls Unitarian Church (www.AllSoulsNYC.org) for Musica Viva NY’s meeting, rehearsal, performance, and reception spaces as well as for the facilities and events staff who help make all productions run smoothly

Greater than One (www.thegtogroup.com) for Musica Viva NY’s website and publicity design

Heart & Soul Fund, Inc. for its longtime support of our outreach programming

We are deeply grateful to Nathan Siler for editing all digital media files used in this performance.

Musica Viva NY 1157 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10075

212 794 3646 info@musicaviva.org