A couple of years ago, I was moved when a reader who had been lucky enough to listen to Fritz Wunderlich at a concert hall, told me how much his death had impressed her, her incredulity when she heard that unexpected news on the radio. Many of us have known him only through his recordings, enough to fall in love with his voice and his singing. With regard to his personality, I might have an idealized overview but according to people who knew him, pictures and videos, I get the image of a charismatic man who irradiates happiness. This approachable image might help to encourage our fondness for him; many of us think often about him, especially around his death anniversary. Last Thursday was his 49th anniversary and this week, like every year, we're dedicating an special post to him.

 

Next December 8th marks 150 years of the birth of Jean Sibelius and that's why the classical music world is celebrating, in 2015, the Year of Sibelius. This kind of commemorations are mainly to promote the work of the honoree, but in this occasion, I’ll also take full advantage of the celebration of the Finnish composer, at least with regard to his songs. I wonder why I don't usually listen to this composer’s songs whose symphonic music I like so much. I suppose that, as in other cases, it's due to the language barrier. Not because I don't know any single word in Swedish (I use translations, as with so many languages) but because it's a minority language that few singers are able to speak (and therefore to sing). I think I've never heard a song by Sibelius in a recital and as for recordings, there aren't that many either. This year, fortunately, things are changing a little thanks to his [...].

 

 

My dear, I wanted to begin the new season the first week of September, as I always do, but lately I had too much work and too little time to do it, so we'll opening the 2015-2016 season next week. Or so I hope.

 

At least I'm sharing one of the lieder by Schubert that we heard some days ago at the Schubertiade at Vilabertran, Suleika I. The poem is included in the Book of Suleika of the West-öslicher Divan, the collection of poems where Goethe links the East, thats to say, the poetry by Hafez with the West, German poetry. But despite being part of this Goethe's collection, the poem was written by Marianne von Willemener, a friend, lover or both things of the writer. In their correspondence, he was Hatem and she was... Suleika.