Volume V: NACHTZAUBER
1987 - 1988


Gustav Mahler

Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen

"Songs of a Wayfarer" was assigned to me well before my arrival for my first summer at Marlboro. It is a chamber ensemble arrangement for ten instrumentalists prepared by the twelve-tone composer Arnold Schoenberg. He also began an arrangement of the same composer's "Das Lied von der Erde" but it was left unfinished. It is a faithful re-instrumentation of the original Mahler and every color seems to be in the Schoenberg score as it was in the original. We had many hours of "Marlboro rehearsals" and performed the work without a conductor. This performance took place on August 2, 1986.

The participants are:

Flute	Renee Krimsier
Clarinet	Daniel McKelway
Violin	Philipp Naegele
Violin	Florence Schwartz
VViola	Mary Hammann
Cello	Charles Curtis
Double Bass	Peter Lloyd
Piano	Derek Han
Harmonium	Wu Han
Percussion	Joseph Beiro

01 I. Wenn mein Schatz Hochzeit macht
02 II. Ging heut morgen übers Feld
03 III. Ich hab' ein glühend Messer
04 IV. Die zwei blauen Augen von meinem Schatz


Robert Schumann

from Spanisches Liebeslieder

One might say that the main focus at Marlboro is on the strings, winds and piano. A vocal quartet is always on campus and available to perform works that require a singer or singers. Schumann's "Spanisches Liebeslieder is a vocal chamber work for quartet and piano four-hands. In this performance, I was joined by Claudia Visca, soprano, Katherine Ciesinski, mezzo soprano and Daniel Pincus, tenor. The two pianists at one are Judith Gordon and Luis Batlle. This performance of August 9, 1987 took place on a sunny Sunday afternoon concert in the Concert Hall.

The "Spanisches Liebeslieder" consists of two quartets, trios, duets and solos. "Flutenreicher Ebro" is a baritone solo, sometimes performed by the tenor, though the vocal line is written iin the bass clef.

05 V. Flutenreicher Ebro

Gabriel Fauré

Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in A, Op. 13

My first summer at the Marlboro Music Festival was the time that I began to learn and love the chamber works of Gabriel Fauré. I was introduced to the First Violin Sonata via violinist Florence Schwartz. Then I read through it with the violinist in this recording, Anima Ulrike-Mathé. She won a prize in Paris playing this piece and is enchanting to see as well as hear in performance. We made this private recording during my second summer at Marlboro.

06 I. Allegro molto
07 II. Andante
08 III. Allegro vivo
09 IV. Allegro quasi presto


Maurice Ravel

Histoires naturelles

Learning this masterwork, Ravel's Histoires naturelles, taught me so much about singing in french. I first performed it at my recital debut at The Phillips Collection with Walter Huff, having prepared it with Gérard Souzay at the Orford Music Festival in 1979.

This performance is from my recital at New York's Merkin Hall. I remember studying this work anew for this performance and learned even more. What is so unique about this work is how Ravel set the french text. He set out to make the sung text as conversational as possible. Every diction question can be answered in the printed score. Even though it is originally for a medium voice, it should be given to any voice range as required study in conservatories as it is so comprehensive in its diction challenges.

In the winter of 1989, I accompanied an all-Ravel recital on the BargeMusic series at Fulton's Ferry Landing. The singers were soprano Michelle Troise and mezzo-soprano katherine Ciesinski. In addition to "Histoires naturelles", the program consisted of "Shéhérazade", "Cinq mélodies populaires grecques", the Child's aria and "L'air de feu" from L'enfant et les Sortileges".

10 Le paon
11 Le grillon
12 Le cygne
13 Le martin-pêcheur
14 Le pintade


Hugo Wolf

As the listener can glean from the title of this CD, this incredible lied of Hugo Wolf is my favorite art song of all. I was first introduced to this song from the Seraphim recording of the wonderful Salzburg Festival Wolf liederabend given by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf accompanied by the conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler. Later, I performed it in a Wolf group at my degree recital at Peabody Conservatory.

In 1982, Charles Crowder, then Director of Music at Washington's Phillips Collection, notified me of an upcoming master class by the great Wolf interpreter, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. A tape would be required to enter. At the time, a pianist was not available, so I brazenly recorded three Wolf lieder - Fussreise, Verborgenheit and Nachtzauber - in my Philadelphia studio apartment, accompanying myself on the Story & Clark spinet I had owned since the age of 10. At the time, I remember feeling I had given my best for this tape. Luckily, I was accepted and then all of us were required to sing a live private audition for Mme. Schwarzkopf the day before the class. This went well also.

At the class, I decided to begin with "Fussreise". She did not believe in letting the singer sing through his choice but retorted with "We are here to WORK!". My pianist played the four-bar exuberant and happy introduction; I sang two syllables - "Am frisch-" and she immediately stopped me to give me some instruction. This process continued with the other songs for two days, somewhat akin to micro-surgery without anesthesia. Even though she gave me lifetime advice on german diction, it was very hard going and I felt a little frustrated that she didn't like me, as she never said one positive word nor encouragement.

Days later, I listened to the tape I had prepared for the first audition and it was the most boring thing I had ever heard.

The performance of these two Wolf lieder are from a recital at New York's Merkin Hall on May 4, 1988. I placed Nachtzauber as the jewel of the group of Wolf lieder, separating it from the rest. Walter Huff is my wonderful partner in these selections.

15 Nachtzauber (Eichendorff)
16 Abschied (Mörike)