Beethoven: Songs - STEPHAN GENZ, ROGER VIGNOLES

While Beethoven remains the single most influential figure in the history of Western music, his songs have always been somewhat sidelined. He saw music as a world of infinite possibilities, largely unencumbered by textual concerns, but when issues about which he felt strongly enough to express them through a sung text did occur the results were remarkable. At the large end of the scale we have the Ninth Symphony finale, Fidelio, and the Missa Solemnis. And then there are some eighty fascinating Lieder.

This charming recital of many rarely-performed songs includes the monumental An die ferne Geliebte cycle, and the six Gellert settings.

Although many of Beethoven's own settings are essentially strophic in nature, his songs mark the first moves towards the 'through-composed' form later perfected by Schubert—the inherent simplicity of the strophic model was far too limited in scope for someone of Beethoven's profound musical intelligence. The supreme effort of producing these songs seems to have come from an elemental desire to express his innermost feelings—there is little surviving evidence of any formal performances of Beethoven's songs during his own lifetime.

1
An die Hoffnung Op 94  Ob ein Gott sei? Ob er einst erfülle[7'37]
2
Maigesang  Wie herrlich leuchtet mir die Natur!  (No 4 of Acht Lieder, Op 52)[2'02]
3
Adelaide Op 46  Einsam wandelt dein Freund im Frühlingsgarten[5'34]
4
Der Liebende WoO139  Welch ein wunderbares Leben[2'26]
5
Klage WoO113  Dein Silber schien[3'06]
6
Neue Liebe, neues Leben  Herz, mein Herz, was soll das geben?  (No 2 of Sechs Gesänge, Op 75)[3'02]
Sechs Lieder von Gellert Op 48[18'51]
7
Bitten  Gott, deine Güte reicht so weit[2'58]
8
Die Liebe des Nächsten  So jemand spricht: Ich liebe Gott![2'40]
9
Vom Tode  Meine Lebenszeit verstreicht[3'41]
10
Die Ehre Gottes aus der Natur  Die Himmel rühmen des Ewigen Ehre[3'38]
11
Gottes Macht und Vorsehung  Gott ist mein Lied![0'57]
12
Busslied  An dir allein, an dir hab ich gesündigt[4'57]
13
Aus Goethes Faust  Es war einmal ein König  (No 3 of Sechs Gesänge, Op 75)[2'01]
14
Wonne der Wehmut Op 83 No 1  Trocknet nicht, trocknet nicht[2'32]
15
Sehnsucht Op 83 No 2  Was zieht mir das Herz so?[2'15]
16
Das Liedchen von der Ruhe  Im Arm der Liebe ruht sich’s wohl  (No 3 of Acht Lieder, Op 52)[4'40]
17
An die Geliebte WoO140 First version  O, dass ich dir vom stillen Auge[0'56]
18
An die ferne Geliebte Op 98  Auf dem Hügel sitz’ ich, spähend[14'08]