Classical Music | Tenor

Recorded on 08/11/2010, uploaded on 10/27/2011

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

In keeping with the Romantic spirit of his era, Robert Schumann was a great experimenter. Many of his works were inventive in their approaches, such as his Scenes from Goethe’s Faust, WoO 3, or his fusion of literature and music, as in Kreisleriana, and his treatment of harmony was often adventurous to say the least. Another form which Schumann experimented with was the liederspiel—a combination of song cycle and Singspiel. The form was not entirely new and liederspiels already existed. However, Schumann’s efforts in the genre eliminated what elements of scenery and dialogue existed, trimming the form down to a series of songs or ensemble pieces ordered in such a way as to give the semblance of a dramatic plot. His earliest experiment was the Spanisches Liederspiel, op. 74 based on anonymous Spanish poems translated by Emanuel Geibel. Schumann had high hopes for the work and thought it would be immensely successful. Although any of the ten songs are examples of Schumann’s fine craft for setting words to music, he was disappointed when they did not receive the reception he expected, despite the fact that it was a warm one. Intermezzo is the second song from the liederspiel and is a duet for tenor and bass.      Joseph DuBose

The Steans Music Institute is the Ravinia Festival's professional studies program for young musicians.