Hans SOMMER (1837-1922)
Lied Edition volume 1
Minnesang Tannhäuser, Op. 5 (selection) (1882) [9:35]
2 Lieder, Op. 22 (1893/date unknown) [2:48]
Hunold Singuf, Rattenfängerlieder, Op. 4 (selection) (1883) [15:33]
Letztes Blühen, Op. 30 (1895) [10:49]
5 Lieder, Op. 1 (pub. 1876) [13:40]
Lorelei, Op. 7 (1884) [3:39]
4 Lieder, Op. 40 (1899 – 1901) [8:24]
Jochen Kupfer (bass-baritone), Marcelo Amaral (piano)
rec. 8-11 May 2017 at the Historischer Reitstadel, Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz, Germany
The German sung texts and English translations can be accessed online
Premiere recordings (except Lorelei & 2 of 5 Lieder)
NAXOS 8.573827 [65:15]
Hans Sommer, approximately contemporaneous with Brahms, reached quite some popularity during his lifetime but then quickly faded into oblivion. But he was held in high esteem by some distinguished colleagues, including Richard Strauss who in 1922, presumably in an obituary notice, said: ‘an outstanding artist, a composer with an ideal disposition’. But even though he very early had a passion for music, for many years he went in for an academic career, studying mathematics and becoming a professor in his hometown of Braunschweig, and later director of the city’s Technical University where he was a leading figure in his specialist field, dioptrics. Like Borodin he tried to find time for composing as well and, unlike his Russian colleague, he gradually cut down on his professional activities and in the early 1880s he retired altogether and devoted himself to composing. By then he had already established himself in the musical world, had a one-act opera performed at the Court Opera in Braunschweig as early as 1865 and chamber music and songs performed and his 5 Lieder, Op. 1, published in 1876. Giving up his professional career when in his mid-40s may seem foolish but he had a private fortune and he had no need to earn his living on his compositions. Instead he attended Liszt’s classes in Weimar to improve his compositional skill further. Posterity can be grateful for his decision, albeit it took almost a century after his death before his music was rediscovered. Recordings of his music were practically non-existent – besides a sole acoustical 78-rpm disc with legendary tenor Leo Slezak, singing the song Ganz leise. It was probably set down while the composer was still alive. During the last decade or so there have appeared a few disc with songs by Sommer. The earliest I’ve found in my collection was a Goethe programme with soprano Marlis Petersen, released in 2012, where he is represented with two songs. Other songs have also appeared, including some orchestral songs, never published during his lifetime. However, Jochen Kupfer and Marcelo Amaral have of late been able to investigate around 300 songs of his and sorted out a number of them. The 25 items presented on the present disc constitute the first fruits of their efforts, and I hope, having enjoyed them greatly, that they have many more up the sleeve.
The contents of this disc covers a period of 25 years, from his first published songs, Opus 1 (1876) to his songs Opus 40 (1899 – 1901). They can be divided in two groups. The majority of them are rather light-hearted, melodious, charming and entertaining. Those are fairly early songs. The Opus 30 and Opus 40 songs, from 1895 and ca 1900 respectively, are more restrained, more serious and darker. Considering his relatively late start as a composer it’s no wonder. When he wrote the two late groups he was around 60, and Johannes Brahms was about the same age when he wrote his late songs. They are certainly serious and melancholy. On the other hand few of Brahms’s early songs are as vivacious and outgoing as Sommer’s from his earliest period. But Brahms and Sommer were very different personalities. What they have in common is the often rich piano accompaniments. Brahms was a practised pianist, Sommer had played the piano since his youth but was technically on amateur level. On the other hand he obviously knew the possibilities of the instrument and many of the accompaniments are a joy to wallow in. It has to be said as well that few of his early songs have real depth. What happens in most of the songs takes place on the surface. But it is an attractive surface and I feel it is a privilege to have been able to savour them. You don’t need to be served chateaubriand at every meal, steak and kidney-pie can be just as delicious – and arguably healthier.
It is also worth pointing out, that many of the poems are by second and even third rank poets. Sommer himself comments on that: ‘In the overwhelming majority of cases I have selected poetry by Julius Wolff to set, given that these are hardly among the masterworks of the genre. This may be partly explained by pure coincidence; but I believe that my decision was the correct one; for at the time I was scarcely capable of capturing the jewels of our literary canon in music’. But of course there are several occasions where he chooses well-known poets. In Opus 1 we find for instance Lenau and Heine, he sets Eichendorff several times – Lorelei (tr. 21) is one of the best songs in the present selection – and, as mentioned earlier, he set Goethe several times.
When hearing many of these songs my first feeling is that here is a sometimes close, sometimes occasional kinship with Hugo Wolf. The liner notes also confirm this when quoting Erich Valentin’s biography on Sommer from 1939 as ‘chronologically a direct predecessor of Hugo Wolf’. Whether Wolf actually heard any of Sommer’s songs is beyond my knowledge, but it is quite possible. Of course Wolf’s depth of musical and emotional eloquence and expressivity widely surpasses Sommer’s, but in his own, narrower niche the latter is fully worthy of the latter-day attention and I strongly advise lovers of German art song to lend an ear to this issue.
A strong reason, irrespective of the musical value, is the superb singing of Jochen Kupfer. His sonorous bass-baritone is an ideal instrument for this repertoire: beautiful tone, nuanced without idiosyncrasies, sensitive and expressive. He is expertly supported by his accompanist Marcelo Amaral, who negotiates the often ebullient piano parts with ease and conviction. That they have assimilated Sommer’s tonal language is obvious and they have convinced me that these songs could be a valuable addition to the German art-song repertoire. I’m eagerly looking forward to the next instalment.
Göran Forsling
