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Letzte Lieder – November 22, 1998 | Walter Hall, Toronto
Letzte Lieder – November 22, 1998 | Walter Hall, Toronto
Songs of Richard Strauss, with a brief visit from Gustav Mahler
date: November 22, 1998
This concert was a repeat of one originally given in March 1990. We began with an early Weihnachtslied of 1870 and finished with one of the Four Last Songs, at the conclusion of which we were able to flow seamlessly into a recording of the orchestral postlude, in all its sunset glow. This provided a dramatically surprising end to the concert, which also included Strauss’s last completed work, Malven. Our narrative thread took in the composer’s, at times, tempestuous courtship of the singer, Pauline de Ahna, together with his complicated relations with fellow composer, Mahler. The second half followed the downward trajectory of Strauss’s relations with the Nazi regime and his reactions to tyranny and war.
| Song | Artist | Composer | Poet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weihnachtslied | Whalen, Laura, soprano; Platts, Susan, mezzo; Braun, Russell, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Strauss, Richard | Schubart, Christian |
| Rote Rosen | Platts, Susan, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Strauss, Richard | Stieler, Karl |
| Zueignung, Op.10/1 | Pomeroy, David, tenor; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Strauss, Richard | Gilm, Hermann von |
| Nichts, Op.10/2 | Pomeroy, David, tenor; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Strauss, Richard | Gilm, Hermann von |
| Ach, weh mir, unglückhaftem Mann, Op.21/4 | Braun, Russell, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Strauss, Richard | Dahn, Felix |
| Traum durch die Dämmerung, Op. 29/1 | Braun, Russell, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Strauss, Richard | Bierbaum, Otto Julius |
| Die Nacht, Op.10/3 | Whalen, Laura, soprano; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Strauss, Richard | Gilm, Hermann von |
| Kling! Op.48/3 | Platts, Susan, mezzo; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Strauss, Richard | Henckell, Karl |
| Ich trage meine Minne, Op.32/1 | Pomeroy, David, tenor; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Strauss, Richard | Henckell, Karl |
| Liebeshymnus, Op.32/3 | Pomeroy, David, tenor; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Strauss, Richard | Henckell, Karl |
| Lob des hohen Verstands (Lieder aus “Des Knaben Wunderhorn”) | Braun, Russell, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Mahler, Gustav | anon. (Des Knaben Wunderhorn) |
| Lied des Verfolgten im Turm (Lieder aus “Des Knaben Wunderhorn”) | Platts, Susan, mezzo; Braun, Russell, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Mahler, Gustav | anon. (Des Knaben Wunderhorn) |
| Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen | Platts, Susan, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Mahler, Gustav | Rückert, Friedrich |
| Befreit, Op.39/4 | Whalen, Laura, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Strauss, Richard | Dehmel, Richard |
| Heimliche Aufforderung, Op.27/3 | Braun, Russell, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Strauss, Richard | Mackay, John Henry |
| Walzer (Der Rosenkavalier) | Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Strauss, Richard, arr. Singer, Otto | n/a |
| Malven | Whalen, Laura, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Strauss, Richard | Wehrli-Knobel, Betti |
| O Schröpferschwarm, Op.66/12 (Krämerspiegel) | Pomeroy, David, tenor; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Strauss, Richard | Kerr, Alfred |
| Von künftigen Alter, Op.87/1 | Braun, Russell, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Strauss, Richard | Rückert, Friedrich |
| Das Bächlein | Whalen, Laura, soprano; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Strauss, Richard | anon. |
| Kanonen-Song (Dreigroschenoper) | Pomeroy, David, tenor; Braun, Russell, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Weill, Kurt | Brecht, Bertolt |
| Ruhe, meine Seele! Op.27/1 | Platts, Susan, mezzo; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Strauss, Richard | Henckell, Karl |
| Im Abendrot (Vier letzte Lieder) | Whalen, Laura, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Strauss, Richard | Eichendorff, Joseph Freiherr von |
| Eine Oper ist ein absurdes Ding (Capriccio, Op.85) – ENCORE | Whalen, Laura, soprano; Platts, Susan, mezzo; Pomeroy, David, tenor; Braun, Russell, baritone; Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Strauss, Richard | Strauss, Richard / Krauss, Clemens |