La Scena Musicale

Caroline Rodgers' Favourite Art Song / La mélodie préférée de Caroline Rodgers

2016-03-25T18:10:00.002-04:00

La Scena Musicale is celebrating the Art Song in 2015-16 with the worldwide survey, What is your favourite art song? Submit your vote at www.nextgreatartsong.com. La Scena Musicale's co-Editor-in-Chief Caroline Rodgers shares her three choices below.

Notre sondage ‘La prochaine grande mélodie’ se poursuit! Votez au www.nextgreatartsong.com. La journaliste Caroline Rodgers nous partage ses trois choix ci-dessous.

3. Francis Poulenc - Les Chemins de l'Amour (Jean Anouilh)

2. Franz Schubert - Erlkönig (Goethe)

« Si tard la nuit qui traverse le val?

Un père- avec son enfant- à cheval.

Il tient serré le petit dans ses bras,

Il le réchauffe et lui parle tout bas.

-Pourquoi, mon fils, te cacher plein d'effroi?

-Des Aulnes, père, ah! regarde le Roi,

Couronne en tête et vêtu de brocart!

-Enfant, ce n'est qu'un mobile brouillard.

"Charmant petit, je te veux rendre heureux.

Viens à ma cour partager tous mes jeux.

De mes jardins viens cueillir le trésor;

Pour toi ma mère a de longs voiles d'or!"

-O père, père! entends-tu qu'il dit,

Le Roi des Aulnes, le spectre maudit?

-Non, sois un paix, reste en paix, mon enfant:

Ce sont les feuilles qu'agite le vent.

"Combien, mignon, si tu sais m'obéir,

Mes filles vont te gâter, te chérir!

Pour être admis à leurs rondes le soir,

Pour les charmer, tu n'auras qu'à vouloir."

-O père! Hélas! que j'ai peur! Sauve-moi!

Vois-tu dans l'ombre les filles du Roi?

-Sois calme, enfant: c'est d'un morne bouleau

Le front épars qui s'incline sur l'eau.

"Je t'aime, allons! ton beau corps me séduit

Et sous mon joug malgré toi te réduit!"

-O père, père! Ah! le monstre infernal,

Le Roi des Aulnes m'a fait bien du mal!

L'enfant suffoque impuissant à crier...

Saisi d'horreur et hâtant son coursier,

Le père arrive au logis...Vain effort!

Le pauvre enfant dans ses bras était mort. »

Source

***

"Who's riding so late through night, so wild?

It is the father who's holding his child;

He's tucked the boy secure in his arm,

He holds him tight and keeps him warm.

My son, why hide you your face in fear?"

See you not, father, the Erl King near?

The Erl King in his crown and train?"

My son, 'tis but a foggy strain."

Sweet lovely child, come, go with me!

What wonderful games I'll play with thee;

Flowers, most colorful, yours to behold.

My mother for you has garments of gold."

My father, my father, and can you not hear

What Erl King is promising into my ear?"

Be calm, stay calm, o child of mine;

The wind through dried leaves is rustling so fine."

Wouldst thou, fine lad, go forth with me?

My daughters should royally wait upon thee;

My daughters conduct each night their song fest

To swing and to dance and to sing thee to rest."

My Father, my father, and can you not see

Erl King's daughters, there by the tree?"

My son, my son, I see it clear;

The ancient willows so grey do appear."

I love thee, I'm aroused by thy beautiful form;

And be thou not willing, I'll take thee by storm."

My father, my father, he's clutching my arm!

Erl King has done me a painful harm!"

The father shudders and onward presses;

The gasping child in his arms he caresses;

He reaches the courtyard, and barely inside,

He holds in his arms the child who has died. "

Source

1. Franz Schubert - An Die Musik (Franz von Schober)

Rodgers : « Pour moi, An die Musik exprime parfaitement, tant par ses paroles que par sa mélodie émouvante, pourquoi nous avons raison d'aimer autant la musique et comment elle est essentielle à notre survie dans ce monde cruel. »

Rodgers: "For me, An die Musik expresses perfectly, both by its text and by its moving melody, why we are justified to love music so much, and how essential it is to our survival in this cruel world."

« Ô toi Art sacré, que de fois aux heures blêmes,

Lorsque cerné par le cruel cycle de la vie,

M'as-tu réchauffé le cœur,

M'as-tu porté vers un monde meilleur.

Souvent, un soupir échappé de ta harpe,

Un doux accord céleste,

M'a ouvert d'autres cieux,

Ô toi Art sacré, je te remercie pour cela. »

Source

***

"Oh sacred art, how oft in hours blighted,

While into life's untamed cycle hurled,

Hast thou my heart to warm love reignited

To transport me into a better world!

So often has a sigh from thy harp drifted,

A chord from thee, holy and full of bliss,

A glimpse of better times from heaven lifted.

Thou sacred art, my thanks to thee for this."

Source

Xinping Fu's Favourite Art Song / La mélodie préférée de Xinping Fu

2016-03-25T17:55:00.000-04:00

La Scena Musicale is celebrating the Art Song in 2015-16 with the worldwide survey, What is your favourite art song? Submit your vote at www.nextgreatartsong.com. Xinping Fu shares their three choices below.

Notre sondage ‘La prochaine grande mélodie’ se poursuit! Votez au www.nextgreatartsong.com. Xinping Fu nous partage ses trois choix ci-dessous.

3. Felix Mendelssohn - Auf den Flügeln des Gesan ges (Heine)

"On wings of song,

my love, I'll carry you away

to the fields of the Ganges

Where I know the most beautiful place.

There lies a red-flowering garden,

in the serene moonlight,

the lotus-flowers await

Their beloved sister.

The violets giggle and cherish,

and look up at the stars,

The roses tell each other secretly

Their fragant fairy-tales.

The gentle, bright gazelles,

pass and listen;

and in the distance murmurs

The waves of the holy stream.

There we will lay down,

under the palm-tree,

and drink of love and peacefulnes

And dream our blessed dream."
Source

***

« Sur mes chants ailés, ma chérie.

Viens-nous-en, je t'emporterai,

Là-bas, vers la terre fleurie

Du Gange, du fleuve sacré.

Un jardin est là, magnifique,

Où le lotus, en sa douceur,

Au clair de lune pacifique,

T'attend pour te dire : ma sœur.

Les violettes fraîche-écloses

Y font aux astres les doux yeux ;

En récits embaumés les roses

Content des faits mystérieux.

Les gazelles, sous la ramure,

L'œil curieux, le pas craintif,

Ecoutent le lointain murmure

Du saint fleuve, large et plaintif.

C'est là qu'étendus sous les palmes.

Ivres d'amour silencieux,

Nous nagerons, heureux et calmes.

Dans un rêve délicieux ! »
Source

2. Liao Shang Guo (廖尚果) - I live at the beginning of Yangzi River (我住长江头)

1. Wang Luo Bing (王洛宾) - Ga' e li tai (嘎俄丽泰)

Fu: "Ga' e li tai (嘎俄丽泰) is the name of a young lady, she is so tender, sweet and beautiful, a young man falls in love with her so profoundly. But they lived in the time that a peaceful life was so desired but so difficult to get. After so many and sincere promised words to her, the next day, when the young man came to the same place to see her again, she just was not there, and the tent where she used to live disappeared, too. The young man walked around so lonesome and lonely, he did not know when he could see her loved girl...The melody just matches the content very very well, with a nice bass voice, it is just a so wonderful art song from China. The composer Wang Luo Bing (王洛宾) is as famous as this song."

Fu : « Ga' e li tai (嘎俄丽泰) est le nom d'une jeune femme; elle est si tendre, douce et belle; un jeune homme tombe amoureux d'elle si profondément. Mais ils vivaient à l'époque où la vie paisible était si désirée mais tellement difficile à obtenir. Après tant de mots promis sincères, le lendemain, quand le jeune homme est venu au même endroit pour la revoir, elle n'était tout simplement pas là, et la tente où elle avait l'habitude de vivre avait disparu aussi. Le jeune homme se promenait si seul et solitaire, il ne savait pas quand il pouvait voir sa fille aimée... La mélodie correspond seulement au contenu très très bien, avec une belle voix de basse, c'est tellement une mélodie si merveilleuse de Chine. Le compositeur Wang Luo Bing (王洛宾) est aussi célèbre que la chanson. »

Phillip Jang's Favourite Art Song / La mélodie préférée de Phillip Jang

2016-03-14T15:08:00.002-04:00

La Scena Musicale is celebrating the Art Song in 2015-16 with the worldwide survey, What is your favourite art song? Submit your vote at www.nextgreatartsong.com. Pianist Phillip Jang shares his three choices below.

Notre sondage ‘La prochaine grande mélodie’ se poursuit! Votez au www.nextgreatartsong.com. Le pianiste Phillip Jang nous partage ses trois choix ci-dessous.

3. Schubert - Winterreis e (Wilhelm Müller)

2. Richard Strauss - Wiegenlied (Richard Fedor Leopold Dehmel)

"Dream, dream, my sweet life,

of the heaven that brings flowers.

Shimmering there are blossoms that [live on]

the song that your mother is singing.

Dream, dream, bud of my worries,

of the day the flower bloomed;

of the bright morning of blossoming,

when your little soul opened up to the world.

Dream, dream, blossom of my love,

of the quiet, of the holy night

when the flower of his love

made this world a heaven for me."

« Rêve, rêve, toi ma douce vie

Du ciel qui apporte les fleurs.

Ici resplendissent les fleurs qui existent

De la chanson que chante ta mère.

Rêve, rêve, bourgeon de mes peines

Des jours où la fleur apparut,

Du clair matin fleuri

Où ta petite âme se révéla au monde.

Rêve, rêve, fleur de mon amour

De la silencieuse et sainte nuit,

Où la fleur de son amour

A transformé pour moi le monde en ciel. »

Source

1. Brahms - Alto Rhapsody

Jang: "One of the greatest statements of abandonment in music. This piece is a window into Brahms's soul, and about his feelings for life, love and the world."

"Une des plus grandes déclarations d'abandon dans la musique. Cette pièce est une fenêtre sur l'âme de Brahms et ses sentiments envers la vie, l'amour et le monde."

"But who is that apart?

In the underbrush his path loses itself.

Behind him

The shrubs clap together,

The grass stands up again,

The wasteland engulfs him.

Ah, who heals the pains

Of him, for whom balsam became poison?

Who drank hatred of Man

Out of the fullness of love?

First despised, now a despiser,

He furtively consumes

His own merit

In unsatisfying egotism.

If there is in Thy Psalter,

Father of love, one note

To his ear audible,

Then refresh his heart!

Open his clouded gaze

To the thousand springs

Next to the thirsting one

In the desert!"

« À l'écart qui va là?

L'exilé suit seul son chemin.

Sur ses pas,

les buissons se referment;

pour lui la terre est dûre,

partout la solitude.

Ah, qui peut guérir l'âme

que la haine a blessée

et qui boit le fiel dans le calice de l'amour?

Désemparée pleine de rage,

elle se nourrit

de son propre orgueil

en de vaines délices.

S'il est sur tes cordes,

Dieu de la lyre, un chant

qui le puisse émouvoir,

O, ranime ce coeur!

Guide ce regard voilé

vers les sources limpides

que cherche en vain sa lèvre altérée! »

Source

La mélodie préférée de Bruno Laplante

2016-01-18T17:17:00.001-05:00

Notre sondage ‘La prochaine grande mélodie’ se poursuit! Votez au www.nextgreatartsong.com. Le baryton Bruno Laplante nous partage ses choix ci-dessous.

1. Henri Duparc - Extase (Jean Lahor)

Le texte de la mélodie est sublimé par la musique de Duparc, la simplicité du verbe, une seule phrase, « mort exquise, mort parfumée du souffle de la Bien-Aimée » nous est transmise comme si nous recevions nous-mêmes ce souffle, en direct. Comment ne voudrait-on pas mourir d'amour ainsi avec le poète et le musicien ? Aimer, tout est tellement simple, naturel, semble nous dire le grand Duparc !!

2. Reynaldo Hahn - Si mes vers avaient des ailes (Victor Hugo)

« Mes vers fuiraient, doux et frêles,
Vers votre jardin si beau,
Si mes vers avaient des ailes,
Des ailes comme l'oiseau.

Ils voleraient, étincelles,
Vers votre foyer qui rit,
Si mes vers avaient des ailes,
Des ailes comme l'esprit.

Près de vous, purs et fidèles,
Ils accourraient, nuit et jour,
Si mes vers avaient des ailes,
Des ailes comme l'amour ! »

3. Franz Schubert - Nacht und Träume (M. von Collin)

« Heil'ge Nacht, du sinkest nieder;

Nieder wallen auch die Träume

Wie dein [Licht]1 durch die Räume,

[Lieblich durch der Menschen Brust]

Die belauschen sie mit Lust;

Rufen, wenn der Tag erwacht:

Kehre wieder, heil'ge Nacht!

Holde Träume, kehret wieder! »

Traduction:
« Sainte nuit ton ombre gagne,

Avec toi se lévent les rêves,

Comme ton clair de lune sur le monde,

illuminant les cœurs apaisés des hommes.

Ils s'en bercent avec délice

Et s'angoissent du lever du jour.

Reviens, Sainte Nuit,

Revenez doux rèves. »

Benjamin Butterfield’s Favourite Art Song

2015-12-04T15:42:00.001-05:00

We’re honoured that Canadian Tenor Benjamin Butterfield shared his top three art songs with us. Butterfield is an active performer and Associate Professor of voice at the University of Victoria.

Share your top three choices at www.nextgreatartsong.com!

1. Randy Newman – “Real Emotional Girl”

“Newman's simplicity of song is the key to his success. Like Schubert, he is prolific and can write about anything. Like Schumann he has rhythmic complexity that is disarming. Like Wolf he is complex and unique. His writing hearkens back to the days of the Tin Pan Alley and he can break your heart or make you fall in love without you being quite sure how he does it. Newman is also my favorite Art Song singer. His delivery is unaffected, poignant and honest. He invites you in—like a true singer.”

2. Wagner – “Träume,” from Wesendonck-Lieder, WWV 91 no. 5

“Tell me, what kind of wondrous dreams

are embracing my senses,

that have not, like sea-foam,

vanished into desolate Nothingness?

Dreams, that with each passing hour,

each passing day, bloom fairer,

and with their heavenly tidings

roam blissfully through my heart!

Dreams which, like holy rays of light

sink into the soul,

there to paint an eternal image:

forgiving all, thinking of only One.

Dreams which, when the Spring sun

kisses the blossoms from the snow,

so that into unsuspected bliss

they greet the new day,

so that they grow, so that they bloom,

and dreaming, bestow their fragrance,

these dreams gently glow and fade on your breast,

and then sink into the grave.”

(Translation: http://www.lieder.net/lieder/get_text.html?TextId=17392)

3. Debussy – "Receuillement," from Cinq poèmes de Baudelaire L. 70 no. 4

“Sois sage, ô ma Douleur, et tiens-toi plus tranquille;

Tu réclamais le Soir: il descend, le voici:

Une atmosphère obscure enveloppe la ville,

Aux uns portant la paix, aux autres le souci.

[Pendant] que des mortels la multitude vile,

Sous le fouet du Plaisir, ce bourreau sans merci,

Va cueillir des remords dans la fête servile,

Ma Douleur, donne-moi la main; viens par ici,

Loin d'eux. Vois se pencher les défuntes Années,

Sur les balcons du ciel, en robes surannées.

[Surgir du fond des eaux le Regret souriant]2;

Le Soleil moribond s'endormir sous une arche;

Et, comme un long linceul traînant à l'Orient,

Entends, ma chère, entends la douce Nuit qui marche.”

***

“Behave yourself, oh my Pain, and be more tranquil.

You asked for Evening - it is falling, it is here.

An atmosphere of darkness envelops the city

bringing peace to some and worry to others.

Now while the base multitude of mortals,

whipped on by Pleasure, that merciless tormentor,

goes off to reap remorse in servile entertainments,

give me your hand, my Pain, come this way

far from them. Look, the dead Years are leaning

at the sky's balconies, in outmoded dresses;

from the river's depths Regret is rising with a smile;

the moribund Sun is falling asleep under an arch.

And like a long shroud trailing in from the East,

listen, my dear, listen to the gentle Night approaching.”

(Translation: http://www.lieder.net/lieder/get_text.html?TextId=2271)

Liselyn Adams's Favourite Art Song

2015-11-11T21:38:00.000-05:00

The next submission to the "Great Art Song Challenge" survey is by flutist and music professor Liselyn Adams. Share your choices at www.nextgreatartsong.com!

1. Richard Wagner: Im Treibhaus ("In the Greenhouse"), third song from Wesendonck Lieder; poem by Mathilde Wesendonck. May 1858. (Text and translation)

"This song shows the best of Wagner in a pocket-sized song. The harmonies are rich, the poetry perfectly expressed. The piano version is the best - Wagner was so in love with Mathilde Wesendonck, the poet, and it really shows."

2. Robert Schumann: Mondnacht, fifth song from Liederkreise, Op. 39; poem by Joseph Eichendorff. (Text and translation and discussion by Wolf-Dieter Seiffert)

3. Charles Martin Loeffler: Sudden Light, op. 15 (Four Poems) no. 1; Text: Dante Gabriel Rossetti (Text)

La mélodie préférée de Chantal Lambert

2015-08-24T15:20:00.000-04:00

Notre sondage ‘La prochaine grande mélodie’ se poursuit! Votez au www.nextgreatartsong.com. La soprano Chantal Lambert, directrice de l'Atelier lyrique de l'Opéra de Montréal, nous partage ses choix ci-dessous.

1. Chanson triste – Henri Duparc

La mélodie qui s’impose à moi la première est Chanson triste, d’Henri Duparc. La structure du poème d'Henri Cazalis, alias Jean Lahor) est ainsi faite que jusqu’à la toute fin, on ne peut imaginer la douleur véritable de celui ou celle qui la chante. Son lyrisme d’une apparente sérénité dans la première strophe cache un univers psychique trouble et mystérieux. Cette mélodie aurait pu être chantée par Robert Schumann lui-même à sa chère Clara… ou tout autant par un homme ou une femme contemporains, dans un état de santé précaire. La partie de piano est d’une richesse infinie et soutient la voix admirablement, l’entraînant dans des arabesques délicieuses. J’aime penser que toute cette mélodie peut être chantée avec un sourire à travers des larmes. À mon sens, il n’y a rien de plus touchant que les accents de ce « mon amour » et du « peut-être » de la dernière phrase mis dans un écrin par la musique de Duparc.

Texte

2. Ein Traum – Edvard Grieg

3. An die Musik – Franz Schubert

Texte

La mélodie préférée de Danièle LeBlanc

2015-08-13T11:18:00.001-04:00

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Notre sondage "La prochaine grande mélodie" se poursuit. Danièle LeBlanc, directrice générale et artistique des Jeunesses Musicales Canada, nous partage ses choix ci-dessous. Votez au www.nextgreatartsong.com!

1. Funeral Blues – Benjamin Britten

J'adore le poème, la façon dont Britten l'a mis en musique et l'intensité dramatique qui s'en dégage. C'est très puissant tout en demeurant simple. Less is more!

Texte:

--> "Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone. Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.
Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling in the sky the message He is Dead,
Put crêpe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.
He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever, I was wrong.
The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun.
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;
For nothing now can ever come to any good."

W.H. Auden

2. Du bist die Ruh – Franz Schubert

Texte

3. At the River – Aaron Copland

Texte

La prochaine grande mélodie - La mélodie préférée de Claude Gingras

2015-08-07T14:08:00.000-04:00

Notre sondage "La prochaine grande mélodie" se poursuit. Un critique de musique pour La Presse, Claude Gingras nous partage son choix ci-dessous. Votez au www.nextgreatartsong.com!

Claude Gingras, La Presse

English translation follows.

1. Après un rêve – Fauré

Pour moi, une mélodie, c'est d'abord ce quelque chose d'indéfinissable qui vous trotte dans la tête dans les moments les plus inattendus. À cet égard, le premier sujet qui me vient à l'esprit est « Après un rêve » de Fauré, et ce pour au moins deux bonnes raisons. En même temps que s'installe la mélodie en valeurs longues, j'entends le texte de Romain Bussine, contemporain de Fauré et lui-même chanteur, et j'entends le violoncelle, cet instrument hautement lyrique qui a inspiré la célèbre transcription que l'on sait.

Text:
Dans un sommeil que charmait ton image

Je rêvais le bonheur, ardent mirage,

Tes yeux étaient plus doux, ta voix pure et sonore,

Tu rayonnais comme un ciel éclairé par l'aurore;

Tu m'appelais et je quittais la terre

Pour m'enfuir avec toi vers la lumière,

Les cieux pour nous entr'ouvraient leurs nues,

Splendeurs inconnues, lueurs divines entrevues,

Hélas! Hélas! triste réveil des songes

Je t'appelle, ô nuit, rends moi tes mensonges,

Reviens, reviens radieuse,

Reviens ô nuit mystérieuse!

2. Ständchen – Schubert
Text

La fameuse Sérénade, ou « Ständchen », de Schubert.

3. None but the Lonely Heart/Ah ! qui brûla d'amour – Tchaïkovsky

Text

Cette mélodie de Tchaïkovsky qu'on appelle « None but the Lonely Heart » en anglais et « Ah ! qui brûla d'amour » en français.

English translation:

For me, an Art song is that undefinable thing that gets that stuck in your head at the most unexpected moment. In this respect, the first one that comes to mind is Fauré’s “Après un rêve”, for at least two good reasons. As the long notes of the melody unfold, I hear the poem of Romain Bussine, contemporary of Fauré and a singer himself. I also hear the cello, the highly lyrical instrument that inspired this famous transcription.

My second choice: the famous Serenade, or "Ständchen" by Schubert.

My third: this melody by Tchaikovsky called "None bu the Lonely Heat" in English and "Ah ! qui brûla d'amour" in French.

Vote now!

Next Great Art Song - Mia Bach's Favourite Art Song

2015-08-03T10:54:00.001-04:00

The next submission to the "Next Great Art Song" survey is by Mia Bach. Share your choices at www.nextgreatartsong.com!

1. La flûte de Pan – Claude Debussy (Poetry by P. Louÿs)

As a vocal coach and instructor at the University of Toronto for the past few decades, I have been fortunate to be able to spend my days exploring art songs of hundreds of composers. Initially I thought it was impossible to pick just three, but I realized there are certain songs that I have performed/coached countless times, yet each time feels like a fresh discovery. As the collaborative pianist for the French Mélodie classes at the University, I couldn’t help but include two French composers. If the definition of great art song is the inseparable fusion of poetry and music, then Debussy’s cycle Trois Chanson de Bilitis is a perfect specimen. Within the first interval of the first song “La Flûte de Pan” one is immediately transported into the realm of the poem; the introductory two bars establish not only mood, but a sense of time and place. The imagery, the characters, their surroundings in the poem are miraculously captured with masterful vividness in the musical language by Debussy, and one cannot imagine the words being melodically “spoken” in any other way.

Thank you for the opportunity to explore this question – it may be that on another day, I may have other choices (other Debussy, Faure, Poulenc, Schubert, Wolf, Britten, Barber….!), but it would be hard to get past Debussy’s incomparable ability to fuse text and music – the definition of art song.

2. Clair de lune – Gabriel Fauré (Poetry by P. Verlaine) Text

3. Liebesbotschaft– Franz Schubert (Poetry by L. Rellstab)

Text

Next Great Art Song - Gerd Helssen's Favourite Art Song

2015-07-29T16:11:00.003-04:00

Our next submission is from Gerd Helssen, from Hamburg. Share your vote at www.nextgreatartsong.com!

1. Widmung – Robert Schumann

The Art Song has been described as the marriage of music and poetry, as the basic ingredient of the lied is the text. The poem "Widmung" was written by Friedrich Rückert (1788 - 1866). The title (dedication) was Schumann's invention for the introductory lied of "Myrten", op. 25. Schumann presented it to his fiancée Clara for their wedding, and the song describes the ups and downs of a relationship. Unlike Franz Schubert, Schumann could frequently benefit of high-quality poems. His father owned a publishing house, and Robert consequently had an outstanding literary knowledge. He grew up with books and was able to look at the world through the eyes of the poets. The music and words of "Widmung" form an inspired symbiosis. This art song is one of the most magnificent love songs in the German Lied literature. It could also be exemplary for an explanation of the expression "Aufschwung" (impetus), which is used over and over in Robert Schumann's compositions.

“You my soul, you my heart,

you my bliss, o you my pain,

you the world in which I live,

you my heaven, in which I float,

o you my grave, into which

I eternally cast my grief.

You are rest, you are peace,

you are bestowed upon me from heaven.

That you love me makes me worthy of you;

your gaze transfigures me;

you raise me lovingly above myself,

my good spirit, my better self!”

2. Ich grolle nicht – Robert Schumann
Text

3. Cäcilie – Richard Strauss
Text

La prochaine grande mélodie - La mélodie préférée de Sylvia L'Ecuyer

2015-07-27T10:26:00.001-04:00

Notre sondage "La prochaine grande mélodie" se poursuit. La musicologue Sylvia L'Ecuyer nous partage ses choix ci-dessous. Votez au www.nextgreatartsong.com!

1. Le spectre de la rose - Hector Berlioz

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J'aime cette mélodie parce qu'elle parle à tous mes sens. On respire le parfum de cette rose, on touche la délicatesse de ses pétales flétries, on voit le spectre et bien sûr on entend non seulement cette mélodie magnifique mais cette poésie qui a une saveur un peu surannée. J'aime les surprises de l'harmonie, la variété des rythmes. Cette mélodie évoque pour moi toute une époque de la littérature romantique que je chéris. Pas de belle mélodie sans un beau poème, et celui de Théophile Gautier est un délice.

2. Ging heut Morgen übers Feld - Gustav Mahler
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3. C - Francis Poulenc

Next Great Art Song - Adrianne Pieczonka's Favourite Art Song

2015-07-21T11:37:00.000-04:00

Renowned Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka shares her favourite art songs below. Send us your choices at www.nextgreatartong.com!

Adrianne Pieczonka (Photo: Andreas Klingberg)

1. Gretchen am Spinnrade - Franz Schubert
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I knew I had to nominate a Schubert Lied as my number one pick but it was very difficult to make the final decision! To me Schubert is peerless as a Lied composer and his many songs and song cycles are some of my favourite vocal repertoire of all time.

I chose "Gretchen" as it is such a perfectly crafted Lied. The piano accompaniment immediately sets the scene of the young girl seated at her sewing wheel. Her soliloquy is like a stream of consciousness with the piano underlying all her desire, conflict and sadness. When the spinning wheel finally stops at the musical climax with the word "Kuss", time stands still for a few moments and the effect is breathtaking. The spinning theme then resumes and we feel Gretchen's loss more acutely.
It is a song which packs a powerful punch - a short scena of intense passion and longing.

2. Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen - Gustav Mahler
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3. Morgen - Richard Strauss
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Next Great Art Song - Alexander Martin's Favourite Art Song

2015-07-20T10:52:00.001-04:00

Our newest submission for the Next Great Art Song survey is by music theorist Alexander Martin. Share your choices at www.nextgreatartsong.com!

1. Auf einer Burg –Robert Schumann

I might have chosen any of the songs from the Eichendorff Liederkreis Op. 39, but the one I keep coming back to is "Auf einer Burg." Schumann's stile antico setting (hints at Phrygian mode) and ponderous, oftentimes aimless harmonies perfectly captures the timelessness of the poem's fragmentary world filled with ancient knights and weddings on the Rhine. Perhaps my favourite image in all of Lieder is of the birds of the woods singing -- lonely -- in the empty window arches of the ruins. Is there anything more Romantic than this cycle, and this song in particular?

2. Nimm sie hin, denn diese Lieder –Ludwig van Beethoven

3. Erster Verlust – Franz Schubert

La prochaine grande mélodie - La mélodie préférée de Marc-André Roberge

2015-07-17T11:10:00.000-04:00

Notre sondage “La prochaine grande mélodie” se poursuit – votez au www.nextgreatartsong.com! Danièle LeBlanc, partage ses trois premiers choix ci-dessous.

1. La barcheta – Reynaldo Hahn

La deuxième des six mélodies qui composent le cycle Venezia de Reynaldo Hahn, écrit sur des textes en dialecte vénitien, déploie au-dessus d'un accompagnement d'une grande simplicité (octaves et accords arpégés alternant entre les mains) une mélodie qui tient du miracle, particulièrement dans les longs mélismes qui concluent chacune des trois strophes. Le narrateur invite Ninetta à prendre le frais dans une petite barque et à laisser les zéphyrs l'éventer. La présence d'un narrateur masculin n'exclut pas les interprètes féminines; il faut avoir entendu Joyce DiDonato et Anna Caterina Antonacci interpréter cette mélodie qui montre l'immense pouvoir expressif du mouvement conjoint.

2 . Var det en dröm? – Jean Sibelius
3. Zdes khorocho - Sergueï Rachmaninov

Next Great Art Song - Xieyi Zhang's Favourite Art Song

2015-07-16T10:32:00.000-04:00

Our next submission is by Xieyi Zhang, a PhD candidate in music theory. Make sure to listen to a very interesting first choice! Submit your Top 3 at www.nextgreatartsong.com.

1. Schlafend trägt man mich – Alban BergThe textual narrative is wonderfully portrayed throughout the music: the use of the 12-tone space as depiction of distance from home is very evocative. It strikes a perfect balance between tonal and post-tonal elements. And I like Fr6 chords.

2. Im wunderschönen Monat Mai – Robert Schumann

3. Auf dem Flusse– Franz Schubert

Next Great Art Song: Lydia Huang's Favourite Art Song

2015-07-15T11:38:00.000-04:00

Our Next Great Art Song Survey continues - here is a submission from Lydia Huang, a music theory student. Submit your vote at www.nextgreatartsong.com.

1. Im wunderschönen Monat mai - Robert Schumann

The piano part is beautiful! It's not overly dramatic and long; it's great for it's simplicity.

2. Auf dem Flusse - Franz Schubert

3. Bist du bei mir - J.S. Bach

Next Great Art Song: Christopher Butterfield's Favourite Art Song

2015-07-14T10:57:00.001-04:00

Our next submission is by Christopher Butterfield, who teaches theory and composition at the University of Victoria. Submit your choices at www.nextgreatartsong.com!

1. Les Anges - Erik Satie

2. Morgen - Richard Strauss
3. An den kleinen Radioapparat - Hanns Eisler

Next Great Art Song: David Menzies's Favourite Art Song

2015-07-13T11:30:00.000-04:00

Our Next Great Art Song survey continues - share your vote on www.nextgreatartsong.com! Canadian tenor David Menzies shares his choices below.

1. C – Francis Poulenc

Poulenc's art songs are extremely varied, ranging from languorous and tender to frenetic and frivolous. In each are contained a mini-universe of emotion, colours and expression. The text for "C" is by Louis Aragon, a surrealist poet, and the song was published in 1944, during a horrid period of war that affected virtually all of the world in some way. I love how Poulenc uses the piano to create pictures for the text - the arching phrases creating the bridges of C combined with rhythmic contrasts and chromaticism. It seems like a simple, sad chanson, but there is much more to it when you scratch the surface.

2. Adelaide – Ludwig van Beethoven

3. Orpheus with his Lute – Ralph Vaughan Williams

La prochaine grande mélodie: La mélodie préférée d'Yves Marcoux

2015-07-10T13:44:00.001-04:00

Yves Marcoux nous fait part de ses trois mélodies préférées. Partagez vos choix au www.nextgreatartsong.com!

1. Ave Maria – Franz Schubert

Chaque fois que j'entends ce chant, les magnifiques images du film "Fantasia" me reviennent en mémoire . La fin de l'œuvre de Moussorgski, "La Nuit sur les Monts Chauves" se fond avec le début du chant de Schubert, quand les cloches annoncent la tombée de l'aube et que le démon Chernobog retourne au tombeau, tout en marquant le début de la messe. On voit alors les moines déambulant au flambeau et se diriger vers l'église. Le tout finit par la levée d'un soleil resplendissant. C'est de toute beauté!

2. L’heure exquise – Reynaldo Hahn

À cause de l'interprétation qu'en a faite Anne Sofie von Otter, qui est inégalée à mon avis. L'heure exquise y est traduite en une mélodie suave.

3. Harmonie du soir – Claude Debussy

Next Great Art Song / La prochaine grande mélodie: Lori Milbier, Peter Low and David McNicol

2015-07-10T13:24:00.000-04:00

Here are three new submissions. Share yours at www.nextgreatartsong.com! / Voici trois votes récents. Soumettez vos choix au www.nextgreatartsong.com!

Lori Milbier’s favourite art songs

1. Zueignung – Richard Strauss

Zueignung is a lush and beautiful song...it's short and sweet, and has a great high note at the end!

2. Green – Claude Debussy

3. Ganymed – Franz Schubert

Peter Low’s favourite art songs

1. L’invitation au voyage – Henri Duparc

Outstanding poem, tune, piano part.

2. Clair de lune – Gabriel Fauré

3. Allerseelen – Richard Strauss

David McNicol favourite art songs

1. Morgen – Richard Strauss

'Morgen' in its simplicity captures the peace, longing and calm of the text and it is such a pleasure to play. It is deceptively simple, but it really isn't, for either the pianist or the singer. Just love it!!!

2. C’est l’extase – Claude Debussy

3. Abschied – Franz Schubert

Next Great Art Song - David Xenakis's Favourite Art Song

2015-07-09T11:51:00.000-04:00

Here is our next submission, a thoughtful response by David Xenakis. Submit your choices on our website!

1. Dunkel, Wie Dunkel - Johannes Brahms

Among Brahms' many songs, this one strikes me as unusually persuasive in the way the accompaniment matches the words. There are dark, rich colorations as the young lovers walk through the darkness, unusual changes in meter to match the words and the change in mood from the young man to the declamation of the young woman, and subtle opportunities for a very good, very accomplished singer to demonstrate the power of the middle and lower ranges. The accompaniment is challenging to perform, and the song demands almost Wagnerian stamina from the singer. This is a great treasure of a song, and probably the most popular of Brahms’ lieder.

2. Sing Not To Me, Beautiful Maiden - Sergei Rachmaninov

3. Les roses d'lspahan - Gabriel Fauré

Next Great Art Song - Michael Morse's Favourite Art Song

2015-07-09T11:31:00.001-04:00

Our next submission is by composer Michael Morse. Submit your vote at www.nextgreatartsong.com!

1. Gretchen am Spinnrad', Franz Schubert -- a radical departure from the Lieder of Beethoven and Mozart, and from operatic melody, too; the fantastically conceived nervous rhythm of the piano part both imitates the spinning wheel and cuts to the inner emotional turmoil of the character. Schubert contributed as much to Lied as a genre as Haydn to the symphony and string quartet.

2. "Ging heut morgen über's Feld," fromSongs of a Wayfarer, Gustav Mahler -- effortlessly expresses the combined verve, hope, and doubtfulness of youth; and it prepares the way for Mahler's fusion of Lied and Symphony, starting with the development of this piece in the First Symphony.

3. "Auf einer Wanderung," Hugo Wolf -- develops the combination of evocation/imitation in the accompaniment pioneered by Schubert, married to expressive post-Wagnerian harmonies and a gorgeous melodic sense.

Next Great Art Song - Helen Pridmore's Favourite Art Song

2015-07-08T10:54:00.000-04:00

Our next submission is by Dr. Helen Pridmore:

Thank you for inviting me to join in the "Great Art Song" survey. Here are three of my favourite art songs:

1. "The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs", by John Cage. Using an evocative text by the great Irish writer James Joyce, this brilliant little song exploits the sonic capabilities of the piano, balanced with a beautiful folk-song like vocal line. The piece is deceptively difficult: it looks easy enough, but it is challenging to coordinate the parts, and create the acoustic balance required. I recommend this song highly, its effect is enigmatic and memorable.

2. "On a Rainy Night" from Five Lyrics of the T'Ang Dynasty by Canada's own John Beckwith. Beckwith's song cycle really stands the test of time: it is widely performed in Canada and beyond, and begins to have the status of "classic" songs, like Mozart, Schubert and other, older composers. "On a Rainy Night" is a highlight of the cycle. Its simple yet moving piano accompaniment evokes the sound of the rain (think of Chopin's "Raindrop" Prelude Op. 28 no. 15). The vocal line highlights the melancholy text beautifully, evoking memories and longing.

3. "Frühlingsglaube" D. 686 by Franz Schubert. It's very hard to choose just one of Schubert's Lieder, as so many of them are so remarkable, so perfect, so memorable. But this song is special: its wonderful blending of the harmonies between the voice and piano, the hint of melancholy in both parts, the pairing of that melancholy with the beautiful, heart-rending little poem about spring, and love -- it's a perfect song. Not to mention the cross rhythms, the slight syncopation, like a breath, at the words "Nun muss sich allen wenden" ("Now everything must change").

Submit your vote at www.nextgreatartsong.com.

Next Great Art Song - Toru Momii's Favourite Art Song

2015-07-08T10:47:00.000-04:00

Here is a submission by Toru Momii, a music theory student. Submit your vote at www.nextgreatartsong.com

3. The Vagabond (Ralph Vaughan Williams)

2. Hymn (Charles Ives)

1. Akatombo (Kosaku Yamada)

I chose the song "Akatombo (Dragonfly)" by Kosaku Yamada (1886–1965), whose lieder are extremely well known in Japan but not so much in the Western world. Having studied at the Berlin Hochschule with Max Bruch, Yamada is one of the first major composers of Western art music in Japan. Many of his art songs cater to the speech patterns of the Japanese language. Written in 1927, the song depicts a sense of nostalgia for his hometown, brought upon by seeing dragonflies at dusk.