Disc 15 in this excellent
Naxos collection of Schubert’s songs
is volume two of the group whose words
were written by his friends – what a
talented group they were! There are
poems here by seven of them.
The fulsome and informative
liner notes by pianist Ulrich Eisenlohr,
accompanist on this record and overall
artistic advisor on the entire Schubert
Lieder project (due for completion in
2005), explains how many of these songs
hold coded messages within them on the
state of current affairs at the time.
The historical period during which these
poems were written encompasses the euphoria
which ensued following the defeat of
Napoleon in the battle of the nations
at Leipzig, in 1813, by the allied forces
of Russia, Prussia and Austria, and
the subsequent disillusionment which
was felt after the Congress of Vienna
(1814/15). The dashing of hopes for
the creation of democratic nation states
and instead of the German League, which
included Austria, led to the Carlsbad
Decrees of 1819, that resulted in an
atmosphere of repression and a police
state in which political and intellectual
freedom was curtailed. This climate
must, indeed, have deeply affected Schubert
and his friends, and who better to put
these feelings of hope and disappointment
into works that became part of a legacy
of over 700 songs by the greatest writer
for the voice in music.
These feelings are
wonderfully expressed in both poetic
and musical terms in Nacht und Traume
(Night and dreams), D827. The dreams
one enjoys whilst asleep evaporate on
awakening despite the longing for them
to remain – are we to be left with nothing
but daydreams or are our dreams ever
realisable? This song is very well known
and was penned by Matthaus von Collin
(1779-1824), and whose painting is reproduced
on the liner cover, and whose brother,
Heinrich Joseph Edler von Collin (1772-1811),
is also represented here with his poem
Lieder der Trennung. Viola (violets),
by one of Schubert’s closet friends,
Franz von Schober (1796-1882), and one
of the two flower ballads on this disc
(the other by him too), also encapsulates
these feelings in the longest song recorded
here. The violet that ventured out too
early in spring and quickly died, is
an allegory for the freedom that blossomed
all too briefly after Napoleon’s defeat,
and that was crushed so soon afterwards.
Ulrich Eisenlohr, as
artistic advisor for the whole series
is responsible for the selection of
both singers and accompanists, and just
as with Christiane Iven, the mezzo-soprano
he chose for volume 2 of the Mayrhofer
Lieder (disc 12 of the series and highly
recommended), he has selected a soprano
in Brigitte Geller, whose beautiful
voice and superlatively clear diction
make this disc a purchase to be extremely
happy with at any price, but at Naxos’
famously super budget price, impossible
to resist. Eisenlohr himself is the
accompanist here and he serves his singer
well, resulting in a partnership that
illuminates all the feelings of yearning,
utopia and despair so cleverly highlit
by these poets, and so brilliantly set
by the incomparable Schubert.
A truly enjoyable disc.
Steve Arloff
For reviews of other releases in this
series,
see the Naxos
Deutsche Schubert-Lied Edition page
Brigitte Geller (mezzo)