The following are Program Notes and Artist Bios for the International Ensembles concert featuring Juliane Banse, soprano / Rossetti String Quartet / Brian Zeger, piano at the 92nd Street Y on April 10. This is the only New York appearance for the Rossetti String Quartet and Juliane Banse who will give the first New York performance of Bach’s Alles mit Gott, a work discovered in 2005.
BACH: Selections from Schemellis Musikalisches Gesang-Buch, BWV 439-507
“Dir, dir, Jehova, will ich singen”
“Nicht so traurig, nicht so sehr”
“Was bist du doch, o Seele”
“Komm, süsser Tod”
“Kommt, Seelen, dieser Tag”
Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eisenach in 1685 and died in Leipzig in 1750. Georg Christian Schemelli’s Musikalisches Gesang-Buch was published in Leipzig in 1736.
In 1737, Johann Adolph Scheibe published one of the most infamous put-downs in musical history, dismissing J.S. Bach’s music as “bombastic,” overwrought, and lacking in naturalness. Although Scheibe later ate his words, Bach’s reputation as a fusty academic lingered for decades after his death. Scheibe’s criticism seems particularly ill advised in light of the simple and affecting hymns in Georg Christian Schemelli’s Musikalisches Gesang-Buch of 1736, to which Bach contributed the continuo accompaniments and at least three of the hymn tunes.
The five sacred solo songs heard this evening are a fair sampling of the contents of Schemelli’s anthology. As with the other 64 hymns in the Gesang-Buch, the texts are drawn from the extensive repertory of 17th- and 18th-century religious poetry. The musical settings range from the restrained, meditative style of “Komm, süsser Tod,” in plaintive D minor, to the bright major key affirmation of “Dir, dir, Jehova, will ich singen.” (The latter is the only one of the five melodies that scholars have firmly ascribed to Bach.) Likewise, the unadorned declamatory style of “Nicht so traurig, nicht so sehr” and “Was bist du doch, o Seele” contrasts with the showier, more soloistic vocal line of “Kommt, Seelen, dieser Tag.”
Schemelli was court cantor at Zeitz, a few miles south of Bach’s home in Leipzig. His hymnal appeared at Eastertide in 1736, around the time the revised version of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion had its first performance in Leipzig’s Thomaskirche. No doubt the oratorio’s great double choruses struck some members of the congregation as excessively contrapuntal—or, as Scheibe put it, “artificial.” For them, the artless pieties of Schemelli’s Gesang-Buch must have been balm to the ears.
BACH: Alles mit Gott, BWV 1127
Composed in 1713 but subsequently forgotten, Alles mit Gott was rediscovered in a German library in 2005. This is its New York premiere.
Few of Bach’s works for solo voice are as unpretentiously beguiling as the aria he wrote to celebrate the 53rd birthday of Duke Wilhelm Ernst of Weimar in 1713. As court organist, the 28-year-old composer had good reason to curry favor with his princely patron. So did Johan Anton Myelius, the ambitious church official who penned the fulsome verses inspired by the duke’s Latin motto. Alles mit Gott und nichts ohn’ ihn, the poem begins—“All with God and nothing without Him.”
The aria is cast in a conventional strophic design. Each of the 12 stanzas, sung by soprano with basso continuo (keyboard and cello) accompaniment, is followed by an instrumental refrain, or ritornello, in lively imitative counterpoint. The verses themselves are in A-B-A form, the joyful outer passages framing a midsection of a more reflective nature. Whether or not all 12 stanzas are actually performed—in its entirety, Myelius’ poem would try the patience of most modern listeners—the repetition inherent in the strophic format invites the sort of variation and embellishment that came naturally to 18th-century musicians.
Alles mit Gott is a recent addition to the catalogue of Bach’s works. The previously unknown score came to light in the spring of 2005, when a research assistant at the German Bach Archive spotted it tucked away in a folder of miscellaneous early 18th-century material at the Duchess Anna Amalia Library in Weimar. To his expert eye, the music inscribed beneath the generic heading Aria Soprano Solo è Ritornello was unmistakably in Bach’s hand. The manuscript had miraculously survived a fire that destroyed most of the library’s music holdings the year before.
MENDELSSOHN/REIMANN: “....oder soll es Tod bedeuten?”
Aribert Reimann was born in Berlin in 1936. He composed “....oder soll es Tod bedeuten?” in 1996. This is its New York premiere.
The title page of “....oder soll es Tod bedeuten?” describes it as “eight lieder and one fragment by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy after poems by Heinrich Heine, arranged for soprano and string quartet and connected with six intermezzi by Aribert Reimann.” This is accurate enough as far as it goes, but it doesn’t begin to describe the haunting strangeness of this hybrid work by one of Germany’s foremost contemporary composers. In Reimann’s hands, the romantic effusions of Heine and Mendelssohn, in which love and death are indissolubly linked, are transmuted into a bleak commentary on the intense fragility of the human condition.
“....oder soll es Tod bedeuten?” (“or must I die?”), the final line of Mendelssohn’s song “Neue Liebe,” epitomizes Reimann’s response to Heine’s pervasive imagery of wildness, heartache, and decay. The composer presents this and the other seven lieder in more or less straightforward transcriptions, imaginatively adapting the piano accompaniments for string quartet. His own instrumental interludes serve both as connective tissue and as highly compressed glosses on the songs. By isolating, fragmenting, and distorting motifs from the original lieder, Reimann casts both Mendelssohn’s music and Heine’s poetry in a fresh and unsettling light.
Early in his career, Reimann distinguished himself as an accompanist to such renowned lieder singers as Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Brigitte Fassbaender and Ernst Haefliger. His many song cycles, operas, and other vocal works bespeak an affinity with a wide array of poets, from Michelangelo and Shakespeare to James Joyce and Sylvia Plath. At the same time, his attentiveness to instrumental sonorities and fondness for such special effects as harmonics, tremolos and ponticello (bowing near the bridge) reflect his lifelong interest in the post-tonal music of Webern and Berg.
MENDELSSOHN: String Quartet in E minor, Op. 44, No. 2
Felix Mendelssohn was born in Hamburg in 1809 and died in Leipzig in 1847. He composed the String Quartet in E minor in 1837.
In the spring of 1837, newly married and buoyed by the recent success of his oratorio St. Paul, Mendelssohn turned his attention back to chamber music after a hiatus of several years. Over the next 13 months he wrote no fewer than three string quartets, grouped together as Op. 44. Nos. 1-3. The first in order of composition, which shares the key of E minor with Mendelssohn’s ever-popular Violin Concerto, received its premiere on November 17, 1837, at the Leipzig Gewandhaus. The ensemble was led by Ferdinand David, concertmaster of the Gewandhaus Orchestra, who would also give the first performance of the Violin Concerto eight years later.
The rising arpeggio motif in the Quartet’s first movement, marked Allegro assai appassionato, bears a striking resemblance to the concerto’s opening theme. The mood of restless yearning soon gives way to the luminous lyricism of the second theme, in G major. Throughout the movement, minor and major tonalities, agitation and repose, alternate with protean fluency until the home key definitively reasserts itself at the end. The triple-time Scherzo flies like the wind, its headlong momentum interrupted only briefly by a lilting, dance-like episode. Even the placid surface of the Andante is roiled by a shifting undercurrent of 16th-notes in the inner voices. The final Presto agitato follows after the merest pause. Despite fleeing allusions to the preceding movements, Mendelssohn makes no attempt to tie the Quartet together in a cyclical structure. Its form is more open-ended than classically self-contained.
MENDELSSOHN:
“Die Liebende schreibt,” Op. 86. No. 3
“Suleika,” Op. 34, No. 4
“Frage,” Op. 9, No. 1
“Suleika,” Op. 57, No. 3
“Das Mädchens Klage”
“Neue Liebe,” Op. 19, No. 4
“Schilflied,” Op. 71, No. 4
“Nachtlied,” Op. 71, No. 6
As a lieder composer, Mendelssohn inevitably stands in the shadow of Schubert and Schumann. With a few conspicuous exceptions, such as “Das Mädchens Klage” on tonight’s program, his word settings are almost folk-like in their simplicity. Moreover, despite his virtuosity on the keyboard, his piano accompaniments lack Schumann’s rich vein of fantasy and Schubert’s genius for tone painting. Yet such comparisons do Mendelssohn an injustice, for it was precisely the simple directness of his art songs, his studious avoidance of mannerism and complexity for its own sake, that contemporary critics singled out for praise.
This is not to say that Mendelssohn’s lieder are lacking in artifice, merely that it seldom calls attention to itself. In “Nachtlied,” for example, the syncopated tolling of the bell in the left hand of the piano part, clocking the hours that weigh so heavily on the poet’s heart, is so subtle that one scarcely notices it until the very end. The Op. 57 “Suleika,” with its insistent 16th-note pulse, opens up magically in the final verse with the prolonged notes underscoring the word Atem (breath). “Die Liebende schreibt” begins in a conventional manner, with repeated eighth notes in the piano, but soon takes a decidedly unconventional turn as the figurations in the accompaniment become ever more elaborate.
©2008 Harry Haskell
Meet the Artists
Soprano Juliane Banse enjoys an extraordinary international career encompassing major operatic roles, orchestral concerts and lieder recitals. During the 2007/08 season she sings Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the National Symphony, Berlioz’ Les nuits d’été with the Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin, and Haydn’s The Seasons in Eisenstadt, among other dates throughout Europe. As an opera artist, she performs in Haydn’s Orlando Paladino at the Theater an der Wien, Mozart’s Idomeneo at the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich and Schumann’s Genoveva at the Zurich Opera.
Banse celebrated the 2006/07 season with a string of role debuts – the “Countess” in Le Nozze di Figaro at the Salzburg Festival, “Eva” in Die Meistersinger at the Frankfurt Opera and “Fiordiligi” in Cosí fan tutte at Innsbruck. Orchestral dates included Strauss’ Vier letzte lieder with the Sinfonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, the Mendelssohn “Lebgesang” Symphony No. 2 with the Radio Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken and Elijah in her San Francisco Symphony debut. Other recent orchestral highlights include the world premiere performance of Bach’s recently discovered aria Alles mit Gott with Quatuor Mosaiques in Weimar, Schumann’s Faust Scenes with The Cleveland Orchestra, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with the Vienna Philharmonic at Salzburg, Edinburgh and at the BBC Proms in London.
Banse also sings recitals and lieder throughout Europe, appearing recently at Wigmore Hall with pianist András Schiff, with whom she has recorded songs by Debussy and Mozart for ECM, and in Berlin, Bern, Edinburgh, Hohenems, Stuttgart, Salzburg, Vilarbeiten, Zurich and more. Other recital partners include Helmut Deutsch, Wolfram Rieger and Maurizio Pollini with whom she has appeared in Vienna and Tokyo and at Carnegie Hall in New York.
Her extensive discography is available on the EMI, ECM, Hänssler, Jecklin, Koch, Decca, Teldec and Deutsche Grammophon labels, and includes duets with Brigitte Fassbaender, a Schumann CD with Olaf Baer and Helmut Deutsch; Berg’s Altenberg Lieder and Lulu Suite with the Vienna Philharmonic; and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with The Cleveland Orchestra. Last year saw the release of György Kurtágs’ Kafka-Fragmente with violinist András Keller on the ECM New Series label. The disc won the Japanese Modern Music Prize, the Midem Classical Award 2007 and the Edison Prize in the category “Contemporary Music.” In 2003, she performed and recorded the role of “Marcellina” in Beethoven’s Fidelio with the Berlin Philharmonic for EMI.
A native of Germany, Banse grew up in Switzerland where in addition to voice and violin studies, she pursued professional ballet studies. In 1989 she won First Prize at the Kulturforum in Munich, and in 1993 the Franz Schubert Institute in Vienna awarded her the Grand Prix Franz Schubert for her lieder interpretations.
Praised as a “vital force among chamber music ensembles,” the Rossetti String Quartet is renowned for its highly sophisticated, sensual sound and extensive range of colors. Co-founded in 1996 by violinist Henry Gronnier and violist Thomas Diener and completed by cellist Eric Gaenslen and violinist Nina Bodnar, the Rossetti String Quartet is named after 19th-century Pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti, whose artistic ideals about the use of color, poetry and naturalism are embodied in the Quartet’s musicianship. Each member of the Quartet is an accomplished musical artist in their own right, and the aesthetic depth and insight each brings to the group help create the intimate, provocative atmosphere that has become the Rossetti trademark.
National appearances include the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, the 92nd Street Y, Carnegie Hall and the Library of Congress. Internationally, the Rossetti String Quartet has performed for audiences in England, France, Germany, Mexico and the Netherlands. As popular guests on the music festival circuit, the Quartet has appeared at the Brevard, Caramoor, Mainly Mozart (Mexico), Saint Riquier (France), Vail Valley and Ventura Chamber Music festivals, among others.
For its 2007/08 season, the Rossetti String Quartet continues as Quartet-in-Residence at the Carlsen Center in Overland Park, KS. Its schedule also includes appearances with the Syracuse Friends of Chamber Music, Music at Kohl Mansion and the Music Guild of Los Angeles. With harpist Yolanda Kondonassis it is touring to the Orange County Center for the Performing Arts, the Wisconsin Union Theater, People’s Symphony in New York and the Community Library Friends of the Arts in Shirley, NY. In January 2008 the Quartet returned to El Paso for chamber music concerts with the El Paso Pro Music and a performance of Spohr’s Concerto for String Quartet with the El Paso Symphony, led by Sarah Ioannides.
The summer of 2007 found the Quartet in performances at the Spoleto Festival in Italy before returning to North America to appear at the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival, the San Miguel de Allende Chamber Music Festival, the Frick Collection in New York City and their annual appearance at Maverick Concerts.
Among last season’s engagements, the Quartet performed at Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival, debuted at San Francisco Performances and went on tour in the Netherlands with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. Other recent appearances include a Lucerne Festival debut and appearances at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall during its inaugural season, the Casals Festival, and the University Musical Society at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, to name a few.
In addition to Thibaudet, individual artists who have appreciated the Quartet’s artistry and engaged in collaborations include flutist Paula Robison and guitarist Pepe Romero. The Quartet has served as Artists-in-Residence at Caramoor and at the Ventura Chamber Music Festival, as well as its current residency at the Carlsen Center.
Pianist Brian Zeger has built an important career not only as a pianist, appearing in distinguished concert venues throughout the United States and Europe, but also as an ensemble performer, radio broadcaster, artistic administrator and educator.
In a career spanning more than two decades, Zeger has enjoyed collaborations with many of the world’s top artists: violinist Itzhak Perlman, flutist James Galway, actress Claire Bloom, and numerous song recitalists including Marilyn Horne, Kathleen Battle, Arleen Auger, Frederica von Stade, Samuel Ramey, Susan Graham, Bryn Terfel and Thomas Hampson. Current and upcoming engagements include recitals with Deborah Voigt, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Denyce Graves, Hei-Kyung Hong and Isabel Leonard.
Zeger also enjoys an active career as a chamber musician. From 1993-2000 he was artistic director of the Cape & Islands Chamber Music Festival, headquartered on Cape Cod and now in its 29th season, where his performances included collaborations with the Borromeo and Brentano Quartets as well as with Bernard Greenhouse, Glenn Dicterow, Eugene Drucker and Paula Robison. He has been a regular guest at many other summer festivals including Aspen, Ravinia, Caramoor, Aldeburgh, and Santa Fe, and collaborates regularly with An die Musik and the New York Philharmonic Chamber Ensembles. He has also made concerto appearances with the Boston Pops.
Some of his critical essays and other writings have appeared in Opera News, The Yale Review and Chamber Music magazine. He has appeared frequently on the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts, both on the opera quiz and as intermission host and performer, including the broadcasts’ first-ever features on art songs, which he created. His recordings may be heard on the EMI Classics, New World, Naxos and Koch record labels, his most recent recording being All My Heart, a recital of American songs with soprano Deborah Voigt.
In addition to his distinguished concert career, he also serves as Artistic Director of the Vocal Arts Department at The Juilliard School and is director of the vocal program at the Steans Institute at the Ravinia Festival. He has been on the faculty of the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, the Chautauqua Institute, the Mannes College of Music and the Peabody Conservatory and has given master classes for such institutions as The Guildhall School of Music in London, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Tanglewood Music Center, and the Marilyn Horne Foundation.
Born in upstate New York, Zeger is now a resident of Manhattan. He holds a bachelor’s degree in English Literature from Harvard College, a master’s degree from The Juilliard School and a doctorate from the Manhattan School of Music.
[Juliane Banse, soprano / Rossetti String Quartet / Brian Zeger, piano: 4/10/08]
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