Christiane Karg and Malcolm Martineau Perform Richard Strauss' Ständchen

As Gerald Moore famously remarked, Strauss' Ständchen is considerably easier to play in the original key of F# major than in transposed keys (the F major middle key is fiendishly difficult). Here are Christiane Karg and Malcolm Martineau performing the song (in the original key) for their recent Strauss recording on Berlin Classics.

Free CD Giveaway: Schubert's Winterreise with Jonas Kaufmann and Helmut Deutsch

Update: Congratulations of Yusuf Nasrullah, who has just won the CD!

Of all the great song cycles, Schubert’s Winterreise is the one that has the greatest capacity for repeated listenings, with its bittersweet emotions, unanswered questions, and downward trajectory of the protagonist. There is no doubt that something unimaginably profound happens in the final song, but as to what that might be and where it leads after the end of the cycle is left up to the listener.

Jonas Kaufmann and Helmut Deutsch’s new recording on Sony Classical is sure to fascinate for a long time to come. Helmut Deutsch’s pianistic colors are bolder in scope than what you’ll find in many recordings and strongly driven by poetical details. Kaufmann’s use of Wilhelm Müller’s text brings to life the psychological narrative, and the degree of specificity of poetic imagery (and artistic risks!) give an excellent account of the cycle.

To commemorate the relase of this memorable recording, Sony Music have graciously offered to give away a copy of the Kaufmann/Deutsch Winterreise to one lucky Collaborative Piano Blog reader.

A huge thanks goes to Sony Classical for sponsoring this latest Collaborative Piano Blog giveaway.  So here we go...

Competition Rules and Regulations

1. Send an email to collaborativepiano [at] gmail dot com with a) "Winterreise CD Draw" in the subject line and b) a link to your favorite Collaborative Piano Blog article about art song in the body of the article. Not just any article, but it has to be a link to an article about art song.

2. Only one entry per person and per email address will be accepted.

3. The deadline for entries is Sunday, April 27th at 10pm EDT. After that I'll randomly draw one entry from the pool of accepted responses and announce the winner on the morning of Monday, April 28th.

4. After that, I'll email the winner of the CD and send it to them at my expense. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email, after which I'll pick another winner.

Song and Wine Episode 10: Michael Kelly in Conversation with Michael Brofman

Was I ever glad to discover this: the Brooklyn Art Song Society has their own video series entitled Song and Wine.  Their 10th episode features a conversation between Artistic Director Michael Brofman and baritone Michael Kelly about Winterreise, Dichterliebe, and related matters.

What could be cooler than discussing art song over fine wine?

WTO's Winterreise Podcast

Kim Witman at the Wolf Trap Opera blog has created an illuminating 5-part podcast of Schubert's Winterreise that gives a quick 37-minute walk-through of the cycle, its poetics, and musical journey. The recording that Kim uses is a 2010 Sydney Festival performance of bass-baritone Ryan McKinny and pianist Sharolyn Kimmorley.

Kim's assertion that "winter still has many beautiful things to teach us" will fall on many deaf ears at this time of year. I'm ready for spring to come to southern Ontario and its late arrival is completely unacceptable.

Support The Lied, Art Song, and Choral Texts Archive This Sunday in Winnipeg

I've been a huge fan of Emily Ezust's Lied, Art Song, and Choral Texts Archive since its inception way back in 1995. Although this huge repository of song texts is free and open to all, it is a labor of love, and Emily receives very little income from it. Enter Nicola Davies, who is planning a fundraising recital this weekend. Here is her press release:

Have you ever watched a classical singer perform, and wondered what it’s like to sing in front of hundreds or thousands, in a language you don’t speak? Language study is a large part of a singer’s training, and students at the University of Manitoba are presenting a concert February 2, to raise funds for one of the most useful websites you’ve never heard of; The Lied, Art Song, and Choral Texts Archive.

Founded by Emily Ezust, a Toronto-based amateur musician, the Archive lists over 20,000 song translations, mostly written by volunteers, which would not otherwise be readily available. This project has been a labour of love for Ms. Ezust, who started the site in 1995 while completing her M.Sc at McGill. However, the site is financially supported by 0.01% of visitors and currently is much in need of funds in order to survive.

Joining U of Manitoba in this project are music students from across Canada, with UBC singers planning their own recital, and another recital at U of Toronto in the works. Organizers of the Winnipeg event aim to bring more voice departments on board.

One of the first prerequisites of singing in another language is having a thorough understanding of the text, and poetry poses special challenges, as it is impossible to translate the exact meaning, along with rhythm, meter, and rhyme. The Art Song page presents a clear, literal, line-by-line translation, an invaluable tool for singers with limited knowledge of a language. The translations are also used to create program notes for recitals.

The recital presented at U of Manitoba, How Do I Translate Thee, will feature a wonderfully diverse array of music from the art song repertoire, presented by students of the university in support of the Archive. The recital takes place February 2, 7:30pm, at the U of Manitoba music faculty, in the Eva Clare Hall. Admission by donation, suggested $10. For info: nicoladavies [at] live dot ca, www.lieder.net.

If you can't make it to Winnipeg this weekend but would still like to donate, you can donate directly on Emily Ezust's site. Best of luck to everyone performing!

Winterreise at the Gerschwin

For those who weren't able to see Operamission's recent Winterreise (featuring stunning performances by tenor Adam Klein and pianist Jennifer Peterson) at the Gershwin Hotel in New York, you can watch the entire cycle on five YouTube videos below.  It might be useful to refer to the text and translations if you haven't already got them memorized.

Charles Spencer on the Inspired Minds Podcast

Charles Spencer, Professor of Lied Interpretation at the Hochschule für Musik in Frankfurt University of the Performing Arts in Vienna, was recently interviewed by Brendan O'Shea for Inspired Minds. Both Part 1 and Part 2 of the podcast are definitely worth a listen for anyone interested in the work of singers and pianists.

(Thanks Suzy!)

Previously on the Collaborative Piano Blog:

Sparks and Wiry Cries Launches - Long Live Art Song on the Internet
Degree Programs in Piano Pedagogy
Some Thoughts on the Battlestar Galactica Version of All Along the Watchtower (aka the Cylon Activation Song)
The Boston Trio Plays the Ravel Trio 1st Movement

Anne Sofie von Otter Sings Erlkönig on YouTube

This performance of Franz Schubert's Erlkönig features Anne Sofie von Otter with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe conducted by Claudio Abbado. Those darned octaves are sooooo much easier on violin.



Previously on The Collaborative Piano Blog: Erlkönig Hacks for the Schubertian Pianist

Franz Schubert: Lieder (Songs), Volume 1 - 92 Songs Composed by Franz Schubert (1797-1828), edited by Max Friedlaender. Collection for high voice and piano. Text language German. 275 pages. Published by C.F. Peters. (PE.P00020A) See more info...

A Useful Lieder and Art Song Resource Guide

Rebecca Belford has created a large Lieder and Art Song Resource Guide, with lots of links, books, and ideas about listening, reference, bibliographies, translations, scores, and literature. I particularly like Rebecca's Quick Start guide, with a lot of quick call number hacks that everyone should know when perusing their friendly local university music library:

In the library collection at the music library, scores for vocal works both with and without accompaniment are shelved together in the section with call numbers beginning with M 71. Compilations by multiple composers begin with M 71 A3. Following compilations, scores are shelved alphabetically by composer's last name.