In the Schwanengesang concert on Saturday afternoon, September 27, everything will be different. Well, almost everything. First of all, the order and composition of the program. Even more important are the changes in the interpretation of the songs. An overview of the most important changes:
Abschied. By placing this song at the beginning of the program, the listener is immediately captivated. Apart from that, it is not performed at a breakneck pace, so that beautiful details in the music can be heard and the text no longer rushes past the listener. In this performance, it often becomes clear within each stanza that beneath the cheerful surface lies a very different reality.
Ständchen. A very lyrical interpretation that avoids the often inappropriate jarring of the higher notes (especially in ‘hold’, ‘weich’ and ‘beglücke’).
Frühlingssehnsucht (and In der Ferne) will not be performed, because Rellstab’s lyrics are often very poor, so that seven songs with lyrics by Rellstab in one concert are a bit too much of a bad thing. Dré de Man is not alone in his opinion: it is or was shared by Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Goethe, among others.
The group of three songs with lyrics by Seidl add a very Schubertian middle section to the concert program. Der Wanderer an den Mond and Das Zügenglöcklein, of course, simply by virtue of being performed, represent a major departure from other Schwanengesang concerts. In Die Taubenpost (which was originally part of Schwanengesang, but was eventually given its own Deutsch number in Die neue Schubert Ausgabe), the tempo is somewhat slower than usual, which allows not only the accompaniment but also the melancholy to come into their own. The notes of the singing voice in bar 40 have been changed in consultation with Die neue Schubert Ausgabe. (This does not mean that they will also be changed, but that the change is considered to be very logical and justified). The change stems from the ambiguity of the word ‘selbst’, which here must be interpreted as ‘self’ – and not as ‘even’.
Dein Bild: different, mainly due to a surprising role for the piano.
Das Fischermädchen: Literature often criticizes the lack of irony in this text by Heine. After a conversation with the Heinrich Heine Institut, Dré de Man has come up with his own interpretation of the text (and the song). The irony lies in the fact that, despite the difference in social status, at the end of the song the charming protagonist not only woos the girl’s body and heart, but also loses his own heart to her. Just like Heine himself, who married a Parisian shoe saleswoman.
Am Meer. The ending of this song in particular is performed here very differently from the usual interpretation influenced by Liszt’s transcription. The main difference is that this performance adheres closely to Schubert’s notes.
Der Doppelgänger. This song makes a big impression in almost every performance. In this case, that impression is reinforced by the ending, which has a very large difference in dynamics with a very natural progression.
Der Atlas. Der Atlas often disappoints at many concerts. This interpretation is different because of a fairly unique rendering of the irony in the second stanza and the build-up of tension.
Of course, the song also deviates from the usual in that it is at the end of the program and, together with Der Doppelgänger, provides a Beethovenian finale, something that Schubert, as a great admirer of Beethoven, would probably have enjoyed very much. Who knows, perhaps if he had lived long enough to publish (only!) the Heine songs as a cycle, he would have chosen this order as well. Of course, we don’t know that, but what we do know is that Schwanengesang, as published by Hasslinger shortly after Schubert’s death, was not compiled in Schubert’s spirit. This program was created with the idea of getting closer to Schubert’s ideas about these songs, both in terms of composition and interpretation.
For tickets, see Tickets Schwanengesang September 27