Having dedicated much of his early career to Lieder, Strauss broke off to write a sequence of tone poems during the 1880s. They in turn provided the quasi-dramatic stepping-stones to the yet more radical operas that came in their wake. Yet as soon as love struck in 1887, Strauss returned to writing songs. He composed the Op. 27 set of four Lieder in 1894, celebrating his marriage to Pauline de Ahna, each a psychologically acute picture of love and companionship. ‘Heimliche Aufforderung’ captures that celebratory time in giddy terms. John Henry Mackay’s poem sounds in excited jabs, sounding over a rush of arpeggios in the accompaniment (echoing the 'sparkling cup' in the first line). With each new wave, Strauss builds towards a climax, in a manner not dissimilar to the lovemaking prelude with which he would begin his later opera
Der Rosenkavalier. There is a moment of reflective, post-coital calm, as the lovers disappear into the rose garden, before a kiss triggers yet more erotic thoughts. Happy memories of this song lasted well beyond the Strauss's early years together and he returned to orchestrate it in 1948.
Click here to listen to Margaret Price singing the song on Spotify.
Click here to order a copy of Jonas Kaufmann's Strauss Lieder disc, including a performance of this song.
The painting is a Portrait of Gertrud Muller by Ferdinand Hodler.
0 Response to "Day 2 — Heimliche Aufforderung"
Post a Comment