You should jot down this date for your next journey in time: January 29, 1905. That day the Rückert-Lieder, the Kindertotenlieder and three lieder from Des Knaben Wunderhorn (Der Tamboursg'sell, Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt and Lied from Verfolgten in Turm) were premiered; Five more Wunderhorn-Lieder completed the programme. The composer, Gustav Mahler, conducted to three singers and members of the Vienna Opera Orchestra and the concert took place at the Kleine Musikvereinsaal.

S is for Schubert, of course. The most spoilt composer in Liederabend, the one I mention with any excuse whatsoever, the one who appears on drawings (him and his music) in a outstanding position on this web. Schubert, the apple of my eyes. Why Schubert? There are composers (and I'm talking generally now, not only referring to Art Song) that I liked immediately, as a revelation. Others I learned to love them. With some others, I hold a strange relationship because I like very much some of their works and very little [...]

Gedichte der Königin Maria Stuart is Robert Schumann's last cycle, composed in December 1852. These songs were virtually his last too as he only wrote two more. The story of Mary had already attracted Schiller's attention, who had written his drama based on the Queen’s last days, Maria Stuart, in 1800. It had also attracted Donizetti, who composed in 1835 his opera Maria Stuarda upon Schiller's work, and Schumann paid attention to some [...]

To dedicate the letter R from our Lederabend's alphabet to Romanticism seemed a clear choice, Lied is probably THE Romantic musical genre; I can't think of any other more involved with this period, except, maybe, the impromptus, momentos and other brief piano pieces. So I jotted down "R for Romanticism" in my notebook, without wasting a minute thinking about the contents. And two years later, as the date of this post gets closer and one tries to gather her thoughts (an exercise almost as reassuring as having the post [...]