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Poetry in music
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British tenor Ian Bostridge will perform two Schumann song cycles at Goyang Arts Center on April 19. / Courtesy of Goyang Cultural Foundation
By Do Je-hae
Schumann's song collections bring Heinrich Heine's poems to life
Robert Schumann expressed his admiration for wife and muse Clara in “Dichterliebe,” a collection of 16 songs using the text of Heinrich Heine. / Korea Times file
By Do Je-hae
A major event in this season's vocal offerings is the return of British tenor Ian Bostridge to Korea for the first time in six years.
He will bring an all-Schumann program accompanied by Julius Drake on the piano for a rare song recital at the Goyang Arts Center on April 19. The Bostridge-Drake partnership has resulted in many successful tours and recordings, including their highly-acclaimed Schumann recording for EMI several years ago. Bostridge is among the foremost specialists in 19th century "lied" or song.
Bostridge will perform "Dichterliebe" and "Liederkreis Op. 24.” Both cycles are from Schumann's "Liederjahr" or year of song, referring to his almost exclusive devotion to song composition from 1840-1841 immediately after his marriage to the piano virtuoso Clara Wieck. The texts used in songs are all by the German poet Heinrich Heine.
The lied, usually referring to setting of romantic German poems to music especially during the 19th century, is very much a joint endeavor of both the singer and pianist. The genre became an important legacy of some Austro-German composers, such as Schubert, Brahms, Schumann, Beethoven and Mahler.
Schumann wrote many wonderful pieces for the piano, like the A minor concerto or “Kinderszenen” (Scenes from Childhood), and gorgeous symphonies and chamber music, but some may argue that his biggest achievements are in the lied genre.
In 1840, Schumann produced over 130 songs for various collections, which are considered the consolidation of the unified song cycle. Through Heine's poems, he expressed his love for his muse Clara, who married him in September 1840 after years of separation and obstacles.
Schumann's song cycles combine exquisite melodies from both the singer and pianist. Each song from the cycle requires from the singer and the pianist equal amount of musical imagination.
Some of the finest pianists in the world, including Mitsuko Uchida, Alfred Brendel have served as accompanists in Schumann’s song collections. It's not just Austro-German specialists like Uchida or Brendel who have loved Schumann’s songs. Who could forget the magnificent interpretation of the legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz playing alongside Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as they performed Schumann's "Dichterliebe" for the Carnegie Hall's 85th anniversary?
Dichterliebe, which translates to poet's love, is one of the finest song cycles in the German language with Schubert's "Schoene Muellerin" and "Winterreise."
Bostridge made his operatic debut in 1994 as Lysander in Britten's “A Midsummer Night's Dream” with Opera Australia at the Edinburgh Festival. He has performed at most of the world's major concert venues with engagements including the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, London Symphony, Royal Concertgebouw and New York Philharmonic, among others.
Unlike many star singers, Bostridge started to sing professionally in his 30s and lied has played a huge role in building his career. He has been partnered by some of the finest pianists on the stage today, such as the Japanese-British pianist Uchida with whom he has performed and recorded several Schubert song cycles.