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Jonas Kaufmann/Diana Damrau & Helmut Deutsch

The image is split into two: Jonas Kaufmann on the left, Diana Damrau on the right

Nowhere is the three-way entanglement between Johannes Brahms and Robert and Clara Schumann more palpable than in their extensive output of love songs, writes Jessica Duchen.

From the day in October 1853 when Brahms first walked into the Schumanns’ home in Düsseldorf, aged 20, his fate was inextricably bound up with that of the older, already legendary couple. ‘Here is one who comes as if sent from God,’ Clara noted, after the young visitor had played his music to them. Soon Brahms was almost part of the family and Robert was praising him in print: ‘He bore all the outward signs that proclaim to us, “This is one of the elect”’.

One of the greatest pianists of her time and a marvellous composer too, Clara Schumann (née Wieck) had found fame across Europe as a child prodigy. She married Robert in September 1840 after several agonising years in which her father had separated them, disapproving of the somewhat dissolute and unstable young composer as suitor for his starry daughter. 

Robert and Clara had nevertheless communicated through music, devising ciphers that set symbolic letters as notes, borrowing themes from one another, and involving Robert’s contrasting alter-egos, the impassioned Florestan and the poetic introvert Eusebius. Robert had filled his early piano music, intended for Clara, with these ideas. He wrote little else until 1840 – he tended to write obsessively in one genre before moving on to another – but that year, some 130 songs flowed from his pen in torrential succession, plundering numerous poets from Goethe and Heine downwards. 

Schumann’s love songs – which he continued to write, if later at less frenzied pace – often share the hallmarks of soaring, direct and intimate melodies, with a quickening heartbeat in the piano part. Of the cycle Myrthen, Op 25, a wedding gift for Clara exploring love from myriad angles, the most celebrated song, ‘Widmung’, sets a Rückert poem in an uninhibited fount of passion. The Minnespiel songs, Op 101 (from 1849), including ‘Mein schöne Stern’ and ‘Liebster, deine Worte’, likewise overflow with these qualities. At his darkest, though, the sense of heartbreak and fear of loss can be overwhelming, notably in the Kerner-Lieder, Op 35, with ‘Stille Tränen’ the anguished climax. 

In February 1854, Robert succumbed to the illnesses that had threatened him for years. He had long experienced episodes of manic energy, composing floods of music within days, yet could also fall into severe depressions, during which he could write nothing. Moreover, he had contracted syphilis in his youth and the illness’s tertiary stage, affecting the brain, was taking hold. Plagued by aural hallucinations, he attempted suicide by throwing himself into the Rhine. Afterwards, fearing that he might hurt Clara or the children, he went voluntarily into a mental hospital at Endenich, near Bonn. Clara was not permitted to see him until the day before he died, two and a half years later.

Brahms now became an indispensable aid to her. While she toured, he moved in, looked after the household’s practical matters and minded the children. Soon he was writing impassioned love letters to her: “I can do nothing but think of you... What have you done to me? Can't you remove the spell you have cast over me?"

This situation was more than complicated: Clara had seven children to raise and both she and Brahms loved and were loyal to Robert. When the doctors finally summoned Clara to Robert’s deathbed, Brahms witnessed their last reunion. 

Brahms and Clara Schumann did not marry and probably had no actual affair. Nevertheless, for the rest of their lives – but for a few ups and downs – they enjoyed a close friendship in which she served as mentor and adviser to him and in which he filled his music with references or ciphers involving her, as Schumann had done before him – though Brahms sometimes concealed his own efforts in rewrites or denial.

Brahms composed Lieder across his whole career. Rather than forming narrative cycles, each song stands as an individual experience; here, this most rigorous composer wore his heart on his sleeve, choosing poems which reflected his state of mind, frequently a condition of hopeless yearning, not always for Clara. Over the years his affections were sparked variously – yet fruitlessly – by Agathe von Siebold, to whom he was briefly engaged; Elisabeth von Herzogenberg, first an attractive student, later a close friend; and even Clara’s daughter, Julie. 

Schumann’s influence is often evident: ‘Verzagen’ from Op 72 displays surges of affliction in the piano, under a long-spun melodic line; and the ecstatic ‘Mein Lieb ist grün’ sets words by the Schumanns’ youngest son, Felix – Brahms’s godson – who died of tuberculosis aged only 25. 

The impact of folksong too is detectable in settings such as the brief ‘Sehnsucht’ of Op 14 or ‘Vergebliches Ständchen’ from Op 84. Yet other songs match the profundity of Brahms’s instrumental works, notably ‘Von ewiger Liebe’, in which a young woman comforts her anguished lover with assurances of eternal love. 

Brahms and Schumann both saved some of their most genial writing for their duets. Schumann’s ‘Er und sie’, or Brahms’s sparky ‘Weg der Liebe’ and ‘Boten der Liebe’ from Op 61 are filled with the joy of companionable music-making. Above all they celebrate the inspiration that the human voice brought these composers, in all their complexity and passion – and in their devotion to the same extraordinary woman. 

© Jessica Duchen

Running time

Start time: 7.30pm

Approximate running time: 140 minutes, including a 20-minute interval

Please note all timings are approximate and subject to change

Programme and performers

Robert Schumann ‘Widmung’ and ‘Jemand’ from Myrthen
‘Geständnis’ from Spanisches Liederspiel
‘Resignation’ from Drei Gesänge, Op 83
‘Liebeslied’ from Lieder und Gesänge, Op 51
‘Stille Tränen’ from 12 Gedichte, Op 35
Johannes Brahms ‘Verzagen’ from Fünf Gesänge, Op 72
‘Waldeseinsamkeit’ from Sechs Lieder, Op 85
‘Nachtigall’ from Sechs Lieder, Op 97
‘Ach, wende diesen Blick’ and ‘Es träumte mir’ from Acht Lieder und Gesänge, Op 57
‘Meerfahrt’ from Vier Lieder, Op 96
‘Anklänge’ from Sechs Gesänge, Op 7
Robert Schumann ‘In der Nacht’ from Spanisches Liederspiel
‘Tragödie’ from Romanzen und Balladen, Op 64
‘An den Abendstern’ from Mädchenlieder

 

Johannes Brahms ‘Vergebliches Ständchen’ from Fünf Romanzen und Lieder, Op 84
‘Serenade’ from Vier Gesänge, Op 70
‘Therese’ from Sechs Lieder, Op 86
‘O komme, holde Sommernacht’ from Acht Lieder und Gesänge, Op 58
‘Geheimnis’ from Fünf Gesänge, Op 71
‘Wir wandelten’ from Vier Lieder, Op 96
Robert Schumann ‘Er und sie’ from Vier Duette, Op 78
‘Mein schöner Stern’ from Minnespiel
‘Lied der Suleika’ from Myrthen
‘Ihre Stimme’ from Fünf Lieder, Op 96
‘Liebster, deine Worte’ from Minnespiel
‘Lehn‘ deine Wang an meine Wang’ from Vier Gesänge, Op 142
‘Verratene Liebe’ from Fünf Lieder, Op 40
Johannes Brahms ‘Weg der Liebe’ from Drei Duette, Op 20
‘An die Tauben’ from Lieder und Gesänge, Op 63
‘Die Liebende schreibt’ from Fünf Lieder, Op 47
‘Sehnsucht’ from Acht Lieder und Romanzen, Op 14
‘Meine Liebe ist grün’ from Neun Lieder und Gesänge, Op 63
‘Versunken’ from Sechs Lieder, Op 86
‘Von ewiger Liebe’ from Vier Lieder, Op 43
‘Boten der Liebe’ from Vier Duette, Op 61

Performers

Jonas Kaufmann tenor

Diana Damrau soprano

Helmut Deutsch piano

Translations

Widmung
Du meine Seele, du mein Herz,
Du meine Wonn’, o du mein Schmerz,
Du meine Welt, in der ich lebe,
Mein Himmel du, darein ich schwebe,
O du mein Grab, in das hinab
Ich ewig meinen Kummer gab!
Du bist die Ruh, du bist der Frieden,
Du bist vom Himmel mir beschieden.
Dass du mich liebst, macht mich mir wert,
Dein Blick hat mich vor mir verklärt,
Du hebst mich liebend über mich,
Mein guter Geist, mein bess’res Ich!

Friedrich Rückert

Jemund
Mein Herz ist betrübt, ich sag’ es nicht,
Mein Herz ist betrübt um jemand;
Ich könnte wachen die längste Nacht,
Und immer träumen von jemand.
O Wonne! von jemand;
O Himmel! von jemand;
Durchstreifen könnt’ ich die ganze Welt,
Aus Liebe zu jemand.

Ihr Mächte, die ihr der Liebe hold,
O lächelt freundlich auf jemand!
Beschirmet ihn, wo Gefahren droh’n;
Gebt sicher Geleite dem jemand!
O Wonne! dem jemand;
O Himmel! dem jemand;
Ich wollt’, ich wollte, was wollt’ ich nicht
Für meinen jemand!

Wilhelm Gerhard

Geständnis
Also lieb’ ich Euch, Geliebte,
Dass mein Herz es nicht mag wagen,
Irgend einen Wunsch zu tragen.
Also lieb’ ich Euch!
Denn wenn ich zu wünschen wagte,
Hoffen würd’ ich auch zugleich;
Wenn ich nicht zu hoffen zagte,
Weiss ich wohl, erzürnt’ ich Euch.
Darum ruf’ ich ganz alleine
Nur dem Tod, dass er erscheine,
Weil mein Herz es nicht mag wagen,
Einen andern Wunsch zu tragen.
Also lieb’ ich Euch!

Emanuel Geibel

Resignation
Lieben, von ganzer Seele,
Lieben herzinniglich;
Daß nimmer ich’s verhehle,
Heiß lieben muß ich dich!

Wie’s kommt?
Wie kann ich’s wissen?

Wohl höher schlägt mein Herz,
Wenn deine Augen grüßen:
Gehst du, erbebts im Schmerz,
Erbebt im heißen Glühen,

Im still verschwiegnen Rausch,
Und Tränen überziehen
Den Blick im Wechseltausch.

Lieben, von ganzer Seele,
Muß ich dich!

Du wirst mich nie umschließen,
Nie wird dein Aug’ mir glühn!
Der Sehnsucht still Vermissen
Wird nie dich zu mir ziehn!

So hoffnungslos mein Lieben?
Gewiß! doch trostlos nicht!
Will Gegenwart nicht trüben—
Zukunft? kenn’ ich ja nicht!—

Will auch der Trennungsstunde Schmerz
Düster mich umwehn,
Lächle mit bleichem Munde:
Jenseits ist Wiedersehn!

Julius Buddeus

Liebeslied
Dir zu eröffnen mein Herz verlangt mich;
Hört’ ich von deinem, darnach verlangt mich;
Wie blickt so traurig die Welt mich an!
In meinem Sinne wohnet mein Freund nur,
Und sonsten keiner und keine Feindesspur.
Wie Sonnenaufgang ward mir ein Vorsatz!
Mein Leben will ich nur zum Geschäfte
Von seiner Liebe machen,
Ich denke seiner, mir blutet das Herz,
Kraft hab’ ich keine als ihn zu lieben,
So recht im Stillen; was soll das werden?
Will ihn umarmen, und kann es nicht.

Marianne von Willemer

Stille Tränen
Du bist vom Schlaf erstanden
Und wandelst durch die Au’,
Da liegt ob allen Landen
Der Himmel wunderblau.

So lang du ohne Sorgen
Geschlummert schmerzenlos,
Der Himmel bis zum Morgen
Viel Tränen niedergoss.

In stillen Nächten weinet
Oft mancher aus den Schmerz,
Und morgens dann ihr meinet,
Stets fröhlich sei sein Herz.

Justinus Kerner

Verzagen
Ich sitz’ am Strande der rauschenden See
Und suche dort nach Ruh’,
Ich schaue dem Treiben der Wogen
Mit dumpfer Ergebung zu.

Die Wogen rauschen zum Strande hin,
Sie schäumen und vergeh’n,
Die Wolken, die Winde darüber,
Die kommen und verweh’n.

Du ungestümes Herz, sei still
Und gib dich doch zur Ruh’;
Du sollst mit Winden und Wogen
Dich trösten,—was weinest du?

Karl Lemcke

In Waldeseinsamkeit
Ich saß zu deinen Füßen
In Waldeseinsamkeit;
Windesatmen, Sehnen
Ging durch die Wipfel breit.

In stummen Ringen senkt’ ich
Das Haupt in deinen Schoß,
Und meine bebenden Hände
Um deine Knie ich schloß.

Die Sonne ging hinunter,
Der Tag verglühte all,
Ferne, ferne, ferne
Sang eine Nachtigall.

Karl Lemcke

Nachtigall
O Nachtigall,
Dein süßer Schall,
Er dringet mir durch Mark und Bein.
Nein, trauter Vogel, nein!
Was in mir schafft so süße Pein,
Das ist nicht dein,—
Das ist von andern, himmelschönen,
Nun längst für mich verklungenen Tönen,
In deinem Lied ein leiser Widerhall.

Christian Reinhold

Ach, wende diesen Blick
Ach, wende diesen Blick, dies Angesicht!
Das Inn’re mir mit ewig-neuer Glut,
Mit ewig-neuem Harm erfülle nicht!

Wenn einmal die gequälte Seele ruht,
Und mit so fieberischer Wilde nicht
In meinen Adern rollt das heisse Blut—

Ein Strahl, ein flüchtiger, von deinem Licht,
Er wecket auf des Weh’s gesammte Wut,
Das schlangengleich mich in das Herze sticht.

Georg Friedrich Daumer

Es träumte mir
Es träumte mir,
Ich sei dir teuer;
Doch zu erwachen
Bedurft ich kaum.
Denn schon im Traume
Bereits empfand ich,
Es sei ein Traum.

Georg Friedrich Daumer

Meerfahrt
Mein Liebchen, wir saßen beisammen
Traulich im leichten Kahn.
Die Nacht war still und wir schwammen
Auf weiter Wasserbahn.

Die Geisterinsel, die schöne,
Lag dämmrig im Mondenglanz;
Dort klangen liebe Töne
Und wogte der Nebeltanz.

Dort klang es lieb und lieber
Und wogt es hin und her;
Wir aber schwammen vorüber
Trostlos auf weitem Meer.

Heinrich Heine

Anklänge
Hoch über stillen Höhen
Stand in dem Wald ein Haus;
So einsam war’s zu sehen,
Dort übern Wald hinaus.

Ein Mädchen saß darinnen
Bei stiller Abendzeit,
Tät seidne Fäden spinnen
Zu ihrem Hochzeitskleid.

Joseph von Eichendorff

In der Nacht
Alle gingen, Herz, zur Ruh,
Alle schlafen, nur nicht du.

Denn der hoffnungslose Kummer
Scheucht von deinem Bett den Schlummer,
Und dein Sinnen schweift in stummer
Sorge seiner Liebe zu.

Emanuel Geibel

Tragödie
1. Entflieh’ mit mir und sei mein Weib
Und ruh an meinem Herzen aus!
In weiter Ferne sei mein Herz
Dein Vaterland und Vaterhaus!

Entflieh’n wir nicht, so sterb’ ich hier
Und du bist einsam und allein;
Und bleibst du auch im Vaterhaus,
Wirst doch wie in der Fremde sein.

Heinrich Heine

2. Es fiel ein Reif in der Frühlingsnacht
Es fiel ein Reif in der Frühlingsnacht,
Es fiel auf die zarten Blaublümelein:
Sie sind verwelket, verdorret.

Ein Jüngling hatte ein Mädchen lieb;
Sie flohen heimlich von Hause fort,
Es wusst’ weder Vater noch Mutter.

Sie sind gewandert hin und her,
Sie haben gehabt weder Glück noch Stern,
Sie sind gestorben, verdorben.

Heinrich Heine

3. Auf ihrem Grab da steht eine Linde
D’rin pfeifen die Vögel im Abendwinde,
Und drunter sitzt auf dem grünen Platz
Der Müllersknecht mit seinem Schatz.

Die Winde wehen so lind und so schaurig,
Die Vögel singen so süss und so traurig:
Die schwatzenden Buhlen, die werden stumm,
Sie weinen und wissen selbst nicht warum.

Heinrich Heine

An den Abendstern
Schweb’ empor am Himmel,
Schöner Abendstern!
Sieht im Glanzgewimmel
Jeder dich ja gern.

Geh’n sie auf, geh’n nieder
Sie am Himmelsrand,
Keinen deiner Brüder
Schmückt ein solch Gewand.

Elisabeth Kulmann

Dedication
You my soul, you my heart,
You my rapture, O you my pain,
You my world in which I live,
My heaven you, to which I aspire,
O you my grave, into which
My grief forever I’ve consigned!
You are repose, you are peace,
You are bestowed on me from heaven.
Your love for me gives me my worth,
Your eyes transfigure me in mine,
You raise me lovingly above myself,
My guardian angel, my better self!

 

Somebody
My heart is sair, I dare na tell,
My heart is sair for Somebody!
I could wake a winter-night
For the sake o’ Somebody.—
Oh-hon! for Somebody!
Oh-hey! for Somebody!
I could range the world around
For the sake o’ Somebody.—

Ye Powers that smile on virtuous love,
O, sweetly smile on Somebody!
Frae ilka danger keep him free,
And send me safe my Somebody.—
Oh-hon! for Somebody!
Oh-hey! for Somebody!
I wad do—what wad I not.—
For the sake o’ Somebody?

Robert Burns

Confession
This is how I love you, beloved:
My heart does not dare
To express a single wish—
That is how I love you!
For if I dared to wish,
I would immediately hope;
Were I brash in my hope,
I know I would anger you.
And so I summon death alone
To appear,
For my heart does not dare
To express another wish;
That is how I love you!

 

Resignation
I must love you with all my soul,
Love you fervently;
Past all concealing,
I must love you ardently!

How can this be?
How can I know it?

My heart beats faster
When you look at me;
When you go, it quivers in pain,
Quivers in burning heat

And secret rapture,
And tears brim
In my eyes.

I must love you
With all my soul!

You will never embrace me,
Your eyes will never glow for me!
The silent force of longing
Will never draw you to me!

Do I then love in vain?
Indeed, but not without solace!
I shall not cloud the present—
And the future is unknown!

Even though the painful hour of parting
Enfolds me with its gloom,
A pale smile remains—
We shall be reunited in the beyond!

 

Lovesong
I long to open my heart to you;
When I heard of yours, I longed for it;
How sadly the world gazes at me!
My friend alone dwells in my mind,
No one else and not a trace of the foe.
A plan dawns on me like sunrise!
Henceforth I’ll devote all my life
To his love,
I think of him, my heart bleeds,
I have no strength but to love him
In silence; where will this lead?
I long to embrace him and cannot.

 

Silent Tears
From sleep you have risen
And walk through the meadow.
Everywhere lies
Heaven’s wondrous blue.

As long as, free of care, you have
Been slumbering, free of pain,
Heaven has, till morning,
Poured down many tears.

Often on silent nights
Many a man weeps his grief away,
And in the morning you imagine
His heart is ever happy.

 

Despair
I sit by the shore of the raging sea
Searching there for rest,
I gaze at the waves’ motion
In numb resignation.

The waves crash on the shore,
They foam and vanish,
The clouds, the winds above,
They come and go.

You, unruly heart, be silent
And surrender yourself to rest;
You should find comfort
In winds and waves — why are you weeping?

 

In woodland solitude
I sat at your feet
in woodland solitude;
a breath of wind, a yearning,
moved through the broad treetops.

I lowered in silent struggle
my head into your lap,
and clasped my trembling hands
around your knees.

The sun went down,
all the daylight faded,
far, far, far away
a nightingale sang.

 

Nightingale
O nightingale,
your sweet voice
pierces me to the marrow.
No, dear bird, no!
What causes me such sweet pain
is not your notes,
but others, of heavenly beauty,
long since vanished for me,
a gentle echo in your song.

 

Ah, turn away that gaze
Ah, turn away that gaze, that face!
Do not fill my inmost being with ever-new fire,
With ever-new grief!

When once my tormented soul finds rest,
And my hot blood no longer courses
Through my veins so wildly, so feverishly—

A single fleeting ray of your light
Would reawaken the entire rage of pain
That stings my heart like a serpent.

 

I dreamed
I dreamed
I was dear to you;
But I scarcely needed
To awaken.
For even in my dreams
I felt
It was a dream.

 

Sea voyage
My sweetest, we sat together,
Lovingly in our light boat.
The night was still, and we drifted
Along a wide waterway.

The beautiful haunted island
Lay dimly in the moon’s light;
Sweet music was sounding there,
And dancing mists were swirling.

The sounds grew sweeter and sweeter,
The mists swirled this way and that;
We, however, drifted past,
Desolate on the wide sea.

 

Echoes
High over silent heights
A house stood in the forest;
It looked so lonely there,
Gazing out over the forest.

A girl sat inside
At silent eventide,
Spinning silken threads
For her wedding dress.

 

In the night
All have gone to their rest, O heart,
All are sleeping, all but you.

For hopeless grief
Frightens slumber away from your bed,
And your thoughts wander in silent
Sorrow to their love.

 


Tradegy
1. Elope with me and be my wife
And rest against my heart!
In distant lands let my heart be
Your fatherland and your home!

If we don’t elope, then I’ll die here,
And you shall be lonely and alone;
And though you stay in your own home,
It will be like a foreign land.

 

There fell a frost one night in spring
There fell a frost one night in spring,
It fell on the tender forget-me-nots;
They are now blighted, withered.

A young man loved a maiden;
In secret they eloped together;
Neither father nor mother knew.

They wandered to and fro;
They had neither luck nor guiding star;
They perished, died.

 

On their grave a lime tree grows
On their grave a lime-tree grows,
Where birds and evening breezes sing,
And on the turf beneath it sit
The miller-lad and his love.

The breezes are so faint and fearful,
The birdsong is so sweet and sad,
The chattering lovers fall silent;
They weep without knowing why.

 

To the evening star
Climb the sky,
Beautiful evening star!
All the starry throng
Love to look at you.

They travel up and down
The heavens’ margin,
None of your brethren
Has such a lovely raiment.

Translations © Richard Stokes, author of The Book of Lieder (Faber, 2005) 
Provided via Oxford Lieder (www.oxfordlieder.co.uk)

Artist biographies

Hailed as ‘the world’s greatest tenor’ by The Telegraph, Jonas Kaufmann has performed over 70 roles in the world’s leading opera houses. Not only a great vocal technician, his performances are also praised for their dramatic impact: ‘He embodies each role with such an investment that he makes the viewer think that this is the last time he will perform this work.’ (Telerama).

A voice which excels in a large variety of repertoire, Kaufmann has received recognition for his performance of French, German and Italian roles, as well as his performance in recital and in concert. Standout roles include Don José, Werther, Don Carlo, Otello, Andrea Chénier, Maurizio, Lohengrin, Parsifal and Florestan, which he has performed at houses such as Teatro alla Scala, Covent Garden, the Bayerische Staatsoper, the Metropolitan Opera, Opernhaus Zürich, Opéra national de Paris, and the Wiener Staatsoper among others.

One of today’s greatest interpreters of Lieder repertoire, Kaufmann is also in very high demand in concert. His performances and recording have earned him multiple honours and awards including eight ECHO/OPUS Klassik awards, ‘Singer of the Year’ from multiple classical music magazines including Opernwelt, Diapason and Musical America, and he has been knighted as a ‘Chevalier de l’Ordre de l’Art et des Lettres’.

His 2021/22 season includes the title role in Otello at Teatro di San Carlo, the title role in Peter Grimes at the Wiener Staatsoper, his role debut as Calaf in Turandot at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia, and Turiddu and Canio in Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. On the concert stage, he embarks on several tours, including a European Christmas tour featuring songs from his recent recording, It’s Christmas, and a spring recital tour with Diana Damrau and Helmut Deutsch.

Jonas Kaufmann records exclusively for Sony Classical. www.jonaskaufmann.com/en