Second Annual Lieder Weekend at An die Musik explores birth of the genre
The mere thought of art songs -- "lieder," to use the even classier term -- drives some people crazy.
An otherwise brilliant and discerning colleague here at the Sun just laughed wildly when, in answer to his query about which upcoming splendors in Baltimore to catch, I suggested the Second Annual Lieder Weekend at An die Musik. "Ooh, you mean all that 'Erl King' stuff? Never. Never." Poor soul.
Well, OK, lieder isn't for everyone. But for anyone who loves poetry, music, the classically trained voice, and the piano, it's an automatic magnet. And for those who would like to get a better idea of where, how and when lieder emerged as a major art form, this Lieder Weekend offers a great opportunity.
Friday night offers examples by Mozart, Haydn and Tomasek; Schubert is the main focus Saturday and Sunday. (You have to love the idea of a lieder fest held at a place named after a Schubert lied.) The performers are well known in this area for their expressive music-making -- soprano Ah Hong, baritone Ryan de Ryke, pianist Daniel Scholsberg.
To get you in the mood, here is ...
a charming example of what's on tap this weekend: Schubert's "An der Mond," a great example of how the composer could spin a beguiling melody. The singer in this clip is the stylish Siegfried Lorenz:
