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Hugo Wolf's Eichendorff Lieder

Robin Friedman | Washington, D.C. United States | 12/30/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The great German lieder composer Hugo Wolf (1860 -- 1903) composed five books of songs in bursts of concentrated energy. Of his five large songbooks, four are devoted to Morike, Goethe, and to collections of Spanish and Italian songs in German translation. Wolf's songs do not have the flowing, lyrical character of Schubert's. Wolf tried to set his texts so that every note told -- he wrote to create an expressive unity of text, vocal line, and piano accompaniment.



Wolf's least-known songbook is devoted to the German poet Joseph von Eichendorff (1788 -1857). This CD on the Hyperion label presents a weclome opportunity to Wolf's settings of Eichendorff's poerty, including both the Eichendorff songbook, composed in 1888, as well as Wolf's earlier settings of the poet. Tenor Stephen Genz and pianist Roger Vignoles offer beautifully idiomatic performances of these rare songs as does soprano Bernarda Fink on the three songs for woman's voice.



Before Wolf's collection, other composers of lieder had set Eichendorff's poetry. The most notable setting of Eichendorff remains Robert Schumann's Liederkries, opus 39, a deeply romantic work set in the woods and emphasizing feelings of loneliness and solitude. Wolf's early settings of Eichendorff, such as the three settings of songs called

"In der Fremde" are basically in the romantic style of Schumann. But when Wolf turned to compose his songbook, he chose songs of a different character. The Eichendorff lieder are short and tart. They tend towards realism and to present character-studies of certain types of people, including musicians, students, soldiers and soldiers-of fortune, and gypsies.



The character-pieces in the Eichendorff lieder include "The Despairing Lover" and "The Scholar", two songs which present contrasting pictures of student life. The song, "Der Musikant" (the ministrel) presents a picture of a footloose singer, struggling both to keep his freedom and to earn a living. The songs characterizing the life of the soldier include two short songs titled simply "The Soldier" the first of which sings of its protagonist's efforts to avoid getting tied down to a lover, while in the second song, the soldier elopes with his beloved. Bernarda Fink does particularly well with her three songs, especially "The gypsy girl" with her gay laughter for her sweetheart. There are many other character-pieces in the collection.



The most famous of Wolf's Eichendorff lieder is "Das Standchen", the serenade. Wolf's serenade is markedly different from Schubert's famous romantic serenade from "Schwanengesang". In Wolf's song, an old man looks on as a youth, portrayed in the piano, serenades his lover to the accompaniment of a lute. The singer remembers wistfully his own young days when he too could sing and attempt to win the heart of a lovely girl. "Sing on, just sing on!" he tells his young sucessor.



The Eichendorff lieder also include a small number of beautifully romantic songs. The best of these the poignant and flowing "Vershwiegene Liebe" (silent love). I am surprised this song is not performed more often.



This collection of Wolf's Eichendorff lieder would not be the best place for listener to start in getting to know art song. Because of the unusual nature of the songs, the CD probably is not the best introduction to the lieder of Hugo Wolf. But Wolf's Eichendorff lieder have been unduly neglected compared to his other works. They are indeed a delight. Serious lovers of art song will enjoy this rare beautifully performed recording by Genz, Fink and Vignoles of Wolf's Eichendorff lieder.



Robin Friedman"