Matthias Goerne sings Schubert’s Lieder.
Today on Radio Romantica: a recital of 14 Lieder by Franz Schubert performed by the outstanding German baritone Matthias Goerne (photo) and the versatile conductor and pianist Ingo Metzmacher.
A noticeable unifying thread running through all of these songs is ancient Greece, with imagery drawn from mythology, the world of the gods, the sun and the Mediterranean. The poems also speak of sorrow, longing and tragedy.
Many of the songs are created with lyrics by Schubert’s close friend Johann Mayrhofer, and of course, Goethe is not absent – the poet who practically shaped Romanticism, so to speak. We share in the heartache of young people who seek solace in nature, but also in the solitude of the lonely monk in his cell, who can undertake a pilgrimage only in his thoughts. And we’re introduced to the mythical King of Thule from Faust, and the legendary city of light: Heliopolis – long sought after by ancient seafarers.
Playlist
Franz Schubert – Heliopolis: 14 Lieder, including lyrics by Mayrhofer and Goethe
Die Götter Griechenlands, Philoktet, Fragment aus dem Aischylos, Der entsühnnte Orest, Aus Heliopolis, Heliopolis, An die Leier, Atys, Meeresstille, Der König in Thule, Frühlingsglaube, Das Heimweh, Der Kreuzzug, Abschied
Matthias Goerne, baritone / Ingo Metzmacher, piano
