Tuesday Voice Series | Lieder der Welt

Concert
Voice Studies
February 04, 2025
12:10pm - 1:30pm
Walter Hall

80 Queens Park

Free

The Tuesday Voice Series is made possible in part by a generous gift from Dianne W. Henderson.

Voice Studies at the University of Toronto Presents:

Lieder der Welt

Featuring singers from the Fourth-Year German Lieder class, and pianists Whitney Wang and Christian Johann Derecho.


PROGRAM

Gott o höre, hör’ auf mein Gebet (Biblische Lieder)

Antonín Dvořák (1841-1904)

Ian Gillis

O ewiger Gott!

Frank Martin (1892-1974)

Matthew Black

Die Nachtblume

Ernst Bacon (1898-1990)

Josh Gibson

In der Frühe

Pauline Viardot (1821-1910)

Alannah Beauparlant

Irrlicht

Hendrik Andriessen (1892-1981)

Paige Kaps

Abendgebet

Rosy Wertheim (1888-1949)

Mia Robles

Im Kahn

Jórunn Viðar (1918-2017)

Alia Ginevra

Es jagen sich Mond und Sonne

Dora Pejačević (1885-1923)

Tracy Wong

Tod und Leben

Maude Valérie White (1855-1937)

Nathalie Winfield-Hicks

Es war ein alter König

Alphons Diepenbrock (1862-1921)

Ainsley deBoer

Ich sagte nicht

Amy Beach (1867-1944)

Madeleine Luntley

Morgenlied

Anton Rubinstein (1829-1894)

Brooke Zarubin


PROGRAM NOTES

Today’s songs have been chosen by the students as part of their Song Set assignment. Within the request to imaginatively and creatively pair two songs by two different composers together, the young artists were asked to choose a composer from a country other than Germany or Austria as a means of sharing a sample of the richness of underrepresented or unrecognized composers throughout the world who have been inspired by German poetry. The singers were encouraged to explore countries connected to their own ancestry, but were not limited to this suggestion. It is thrilling to witness the riches of their discoveries.

Gott o höre, hör auf mein Gebet by Antonín Dvořák, from its very beginning composed in three languages (Czech, German, and English), intentionally seeks to transcend the barriers of human communication, describing with visceral textual and musical detail a pain with which so many of us are familiar; the desire to be anything, or anyone else, that we might flee our present circumstances. This song, and the cycle from which it is taken, gained a deeper personal meaning to me as I navigated a past health crisis.

Much of Swiss composer Frank Martin’s life revolved around religion and faith: his father was a pastor in the reformed church, his first musical experiences were that of psalms and hymns, and much of his later works revolved around religion. The fear of the unknown is clearly illustrated in O ewiger Gott! especially in the mentioning of “hellish fiend” and “death constricting the throat”. Resignation and faith in what has been promised to him, including eternal life, also make an appearance as he continues to pray for mercy, culminating in a final plea citing Christ’s death on the cross.

Die Nachtblume was composed by American Ernst Bacon in 1925 and is a fine example of the romanticism of his early career. Bacon sets the words of Eichendorff so beautifully using a 10/8 meter that reflects the uncertainty of the singer while providing a constant pulse to keep them moving. As the singer walks along the gently lapping river bank, the surrounding scenery becomes a canvas for them to paint their musings of love onto. The night, like an endless sea, persistently laps waves of joy and grief on the singer’s shores and wishes apparate like formless clouds making them wonder if they are dreaming. I believe this piece is meant to ground listeners by lulling their conscious mind to sleep and allowing the subconscious to wash away the worries of the mind leaving behind only the truths of the soul.

Pauline Viardot was a French mezzo-soprano, composer, and pedagogue of Spanish descent. She had a vibrant music career, including being a dramatic opera singer and a highly intriguing composer. In der Frühe describes the early morning after a sleepless night, but despite this, the day must begin. Viardot is a notable example of powerful music written by a woman. By sharing this piece, I hope to shine more light on female composers and the endless storytelling that can come from them.

Irrlicht was chosen as a way to connect to my Dutch heritage. Hendrik Andriessen, one of the better-known Dutch classical composers, wrote this piece early in his compositional career using text by Wilhelm Müller. This text was previously used by Schubert in his cycle “Winterreise”.

Rosalie (Rosy) Marie Wertheim (1888-1949) was a Dutch composer who wrote a wide variety of works, including several for the voice. As my mother immigrated to Canada from the Netherlands, it was important to me to find musical ways to connect with our country, and finding composers such as Wertheim has helped me do so. This piece was found in the Forbidden Music Regained database— made to regain forbidden music during the Nazi invasion of Europe and highlighting persecuted Jewish composers. I was immediately struck by Abendgebet (Evening Prayer). Composed in 1910, with text by Gustav Schüler (1868-1938), this piece explores a person pleading to their God for relief— wishing to find peace at last in the arms of their Father.

Jórunn Viðar (1918 - 2017) was born in Reykjavik, Iceland. She graduated from the Reykjavik College of Music in 1936, and went on to study at the Hochschule für Musik, and the Juilliard School of Music. Viðar eventually returned home after completing her studies and living in Vienna for a period of time. I chose her as it is said that she was the only woman among the members of the Association of Icelandic Composers for two decades. Additionally, I have never previously sung music by a composer of Icelandic nationality. Music by Icelandic composers is often not featured in standard classical repertoire, despite the country’s abundant arts culture. Viðar’s musical style has “roots in folk music”, reflecting her nationality. The poetry for Im Kahn is written by Cäsar Flaischlen (1864 - 1920). The text depicts a yearning for comfort that comes with being immersed in nature, particularly the sun, the waves, and the wind on a boat.

Croatian composer Dora Pejačević wrote music for voice, piano and string quartet. Born into nobility, her father was a Count but her mother, a highly educated singer and pianist steered her away from aristocracy towards music. In one of her letters she wrote: “I don’t understand how one can live without work…However, it is true that I don’t align with members of my social class; in everything I seek substance and value, and neither norms nor traditions nor lineage can blind me with sand in my eyes…” Es jagen sich Mond und Sonne is from Op.23, “Sieben Lieder”.

Tod und Leben was composed by Maude Valérie White in 1885. White was an English composer born in France, who lived from 1855 to 1937. White spent her early years between France and England, and gained fluency in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. I was drawn to Maude Valérie White through her interest in languages and her inclusion of multiple translated versions of her compositions. It was important to me to showcase a female composer who was very influential in her time.

Es war ein alter König was composed by the talented Dutch composer Alphons Diepenbrock who lived from 1862-1921. He didn’t receive as much recognition for his extraordinary late romantic compositions as he should have. It is only recently that he has become more well known outside of his home country for his talent in musical settings and carefully thought-out harmonic progressions. I chose Diepenbrock as my composer because of my own Dutch heritage. My late grandmother moved with my grandfather and her first 3 children, a number that would eventually grow to 10, to Canada during the beginning of WWII. After being shown a recording of me singing a Lied last year she, at the age of 101, told me that I should be singing in Dutch instead. Knowing I couldn't refuse, I put two Dutch pieces on my recital. She has since passed, so I have chosen Diepenbrock in her honour, so that even though I am not singing in her native language, I am able to represent her heritage.

During her lifetime, Amy Beach was recognized as a leading female American composer. She established herself early as a prodigy and began performing her own compositions by age six. She published Op. 51, a setting of four songs, in 1903, during the height of her career. Ich sagte nicht, the first of the song set is emblematic of the Romantic era, with lush harmonies and depth of texture, an immersive experience to perform, brimming with youth and vitality. In February, a time when we yearn for the end of winter, I feel this song brings a touch of spring and new life to both performer and audience.

I have found comfort in discovering a new composer that shares my Russian heritage; a sense of belonging I have witnessed many colleagues experience through their research of underrepresented composers and their outputs. I strongly believe that the arts should act as a conduit for underrepresented voices around the world. Anton Rubinstein has certainly been overlooked, and his charming Morgenlied confirms that he has much to offer to the widely accepted canon.