Camilla Tilling and Emanuel Ax | October 31, 2023 | House Program

CLASSICAL / VIRTUOSI SOLOIST SERIES
CAMILLA TILLING, SOPRANO
AND EMANUEL AX, PIANO
Jenny Lind: Love and Lieder
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31 AT 7:30 PM
CLASSICAL / VIRTUOSI SOLOIST SERIES
CAMILLA TILLING, SOPRANO
AND EMANUEL AX, PIANO
Jenny Lind: Love and Lieder
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 31 AT 7:30 PM

CLASSICAL / VIRTUOSI SOLOIST SERIES
CAMILLA TILLING, SOPRANO
AND EMANUEL AX, PIANO
PROGRAM
FELIX MENDELSSOHN (1809-1847) Hexenlied, Op. 8, No. 8
Die Liebende schreibt, Op. 86, No. 3
Allnächtlich im Traum, Op. 86, No. 4
Der Mond, Op. 86, No. 5
Blumenstrauss, Op. 47, No. 5
Frühlingslied, Op. 47, No. 3
Pagenlied, Op. Posth.
Auf Flügeln des Gesanges, Op. 34, No. 2
FREDERIC CHOPIN (1810-1849)
FREDERIC CHOPIN and
PAULINE VIARDOT (1821-1910)
Nocturne for solo piano
Mazurka for solo piano
Mazurka, Op. 33, No. 2, Aime-moi
INTERMISSION
ROBERT SCHUMANN (1810-1856)
Arabeske, Op. 18, for solo piano
Lieder und Gesänge aus “Wilhelm Meister”, Op. 98A
Heiss mich nicht reden, heiss mich schweigen [No. 5]
Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt [No. 3]
So lasst mich scheinen [No. 9]
Singet nicht in Trauertönen [No. 7]
Liederalbum für die Jugend, Op. 79
Er ist‘s [No. 23]
Marienwürmchen [No. 13]
Der Himmel hat eine Träne geweint, Op. 37, No. 1
Der Nussbaum, Op 25, No. 3
FrühlingsNacht, Op. 39, No. 12
An den Sonnenschein, Op 36, No. 4

PROGRAM NOTES
The thread running through this concert is
the 19th-century singer, Jenny Lind (1820-
1887), affectionately known as the “Swedish
Nightingale.” Swedish soprano Camilla Tilling has
felt a connection to Jenny Lind since receiving
a scholarship named in Lind’s honour when
she was 24. In 2020, Tilling curated tonight’s
program to celebrate the 200th anniversary of
Lind’s birth, by focussing specifically on Lind’s
passion for German Lieder. As Tilling writes, “…
the composers on this program not only featured
on Jenny’s famed US tour that was promoted
by the showman, P.T. Barnum, but were also
linked to Jenny through musical collaboration
and friendship. Indeed, the Schumanns were
such dear friends–Jenny regularly performed
works by Robert—and she would on occasion
join Clara Schumann (a most celebrated concert
pianist and tourer at this time) on stage to bolster
audience numbers at Clara’s concerts. Through
the Schumanns, Jenny was introduced to both
Chopin–it is rumoured she even gifted him a
large sum to help him in his final years—and
Mendelssohn with whom Jenny had a supposedly
turbulent romantic entanglement.”
Mendelssohn’s Opus 8, No. 8, “Witches’ Song,”
uses fiery piano octaves and a demonic energy to
convey Beelzebub and his witches and certainly
seems highly appropriate for this concert taking
place on Halloween. The next three Opus 86
Lieder are taken from a six-song collection that
was assembled posthumously, noting that all of
the songs in this collection have a more singular
focus on love poetry than the variety of songs
that the composer himself usually assembled
for publication: “The Beloved Writes” (No. 3), is
a desperate love letter to someone who has yet
to return their advances; “Nightly in My Dreams”
(No. 4), describes an unsatisfied relationship
where the love’s vision is only present in dreams;
and “The Moon” (No. 6), personifies the love
interest as the moon, with pleas to have it
lighten the night. Of the concluding set of
four Mendelssohn songs, the last one, “On
Wings of Song,” is one of the composer’s
most recognizable melodies. It might also
be familiar to listeners from the 1954 version
that Doris Day recorded under the title,
“Til My Love Comes to Me.”
French mezzo-soprano Pauline Viardot, born a
year later than Jenny Lind, also had an illustrious
career. She counted amongst her friends, Chopin,
who in addition to advising her on piano playing
and composing, gave her approval to rework
some of his solo piano mazurkas into songs. The
piano part in these arrangements generally stays
true to Chopin’s originals but, as you will hear in
Opus 33, No. 2, Viardot’s flirtatious text and vocal
delivery, take this Polish dance to another level.
Schumann’s Opus 98A adds music to a total
of nine songs sung by different characters in
Goethe’s eight-part novel, Wilhelm Meister,
noting that Opus 98B also uses the same source
material in a cantata-type work titled, Requiem
for Mignon. The two Opus 79 songs are exquisite
miniatures from his “Song Album for the Young.”
with No. 23 (“Spring is Here”) employing a
piano part that generates spaces for the singer’s
beautiful high notes to shine through, and
No. 13 (Ladybug), sets to music the German
equivalent of “Ladybug, Ladybug, fly away
home….” In 1840, Robert Schumann composed
over 130 songs, a truly prolific year. The focus
on so much romantic poetry that year can be
traced to the legal battle that he and Clara had
won over her father’s refusal to allow them to
marry. The final four songs on this program
are from this “year-of-song” with the period’s
happiness heard most prominently in Op. 39,
No. 12 (Spring Night), which builds repeated
chordal patterns to a powerful ending as the
poem highlights the many aspects of spring
that are crying out, “She is yours!”
All of the composers on tonight’s program were
highly skilled pianists and their understanding of
the keyboard is often used to generate textures
between the two hands that can be remarkably
intricate and complex. The opportunity to hear
some of the solo piano music performed in the
context of a vocal recital, helps to emphasize
the songlike quality of their instrumental
melodic writing, as can be heard in the very
operatic melodic focus of Chopin’s Nocturnes
and the lyrical flowering of the coda that ends
Schumann’s Arabeske.
©2023 by John Burge for the Isabel

ABOUT CAMILLA TILLING
Undoubtedly one of Sweden’s most remarkable
voices, Camilla Tilling’s beguiling tone and unfailing
musicality have secured her position as a firm
favourite with conductors, audiences and critics
alike across a career that has now spanned more
than two decades. She has been a steady presence
on the world’s leading opera, concert and recital
stages while simultaneously building an impressive
discography that includes orchestral works by
Haydn with Bernard Haitink, Handel and Purcell with
Emmanuelle Haïm, Grieg with Paavo Järvi, Brahms
with Marek Janowski and Cherubini with Riccardo
Muti in addition to recital collections of Gluck,
Mozart, Strauss, Schumann, Grieg and many other
composers.
Tilling stands out as one of the world’s most soughtafter
concert performers, collaborating regularly
with today’s foremost conductors including recent
appearances under Gustavo Dudamel with both
Het Concertgebouw Orkest and Los Angeles
Philharmonic Orchestra in Mahler’s Symphony
No.4, under Esa-Pekka Salonen with London
Philharmonia Orchestra in Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder,
with Gianandrea Noseda and Washington National
Symphony Orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony
No.9, with Omer Meir Welber and Orchestre national
de France in Dutilleux’s Correspondances and
under François-Xavier Roth with London Symphony
Orchestra in Berg’s Sieben frühe Lieder. Tilling
has toured extensively in Peter Sellar’s stagings of
Bach’s St Matthew Passion and St John Passion with
Berliner Philharmoniker and Sir Simon Rattle and she
enjoyed an enduring collaboration with the late Sir
Bernard Haitink under whose baton she sang her first
Beethoven, Missa Solemnis at Teatro alla Scala and
she was the Strauss soprano of choice for his historic
final concerts with Radio Filharmonish Orkest at
Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw in 2019.
Recent operatic highlights include the Governess
(The Turn of the Screw) at Glyndebourne
Festival, Euridice (Orfeo ed Euridice) at Salzburg
Mozartwoche, Donna Clara (Der Zwerg) at
Bayerische Staatsoper, Debussy’s La Damoiselle
élue at Madrid’s Teatro Real and Blanche de la
Force (Dialogues des Carmélites), Suor Angelica
and Contessa (Le nozze di Figaro) at Royal Swedish
Opera. As Mélisande (Pelléas et Mélisande) Tilling is
in regular demand with recent productions at Teatro
Real Madrid, Semperoper Dresden, Finnish National
Opera and with Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
under Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Last season Camilla Tilling expanded her already
extensive and varied repertoire with the premiere
of Daniel Nelson’s Chaplin Songs with Swedish
Radio Symphony Orchestra under Andrew Manze,
Osvaldo Golijov’s Three Songs with David Danzmayr
conducting the Oregon Symphony Orchestra and
Irgen-Jensens’ song cycle Japanischer Frühling with
Christian Blex and Karajan-Akademie of Berliner
Philharmoniker, a work she repeats in the current
season under Tabita Berglund with Kristiansand
Symfoniorkester. Elsewhere in the current season,
Camilla Tilling’s varied commitments include
performances of Janacek’s Glagolitic Mass under the
baton of Rafael Payare with Orchestre Symphonique
de Montreal, Mahler’s Symphony No.4 with Perry So
and Navarra Symphony Orchestra and Mendelssohn’s
oratorio Paulus with Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de
Espana under Masaaki Suzuki.
ABOUT EMANUEL AX
Born to Polish parents in what is today Lviv, Ukraine,
Emanuel Ax moved to Winnipeg, Canada, with
his family when he was a young boy. Mr. Ax made
his New York debut in the Young Concert Artists
Series, and in 1974 won the first Arthur Rubinstein
International Piano Competition in Tel Aviv. In 1975
he won the Michaels Award of Young Concert Artists,
followed four years later by the Avery Fisher Prize.
Mr. Ax has been a Sony Classical exclusive recording
artist since 1987 and following the success of
the Brahms Trios with Kavakos and Ma, the trio
launched an ambitious, multi-year project to record
all the Beethoven Trios and Symphonies arranged
for trio of which the first two discs have recently
been released. He has received GRAMMY® Awards
for the second and third volumes of his cycle of
Haydn’s piano sonatas. He has also made a series of
Grammy-winning recordings with cellist Yo-Yo Ma
of the Beethoven and Brahms sonatas for cello and
piano. In the 2004/05 season Mr. Ax contributed
to an International EMMY® Award-Winning BBC
documentary commemorating the Holocaust that
aired on the 60th anniversary of the liberation of
Auschwitz. In 2013, Mr. Ax’s recording Variations
received the Echo Klassik Award for Solo Recording
of the Year (19th Century Music/Piano).
Mr. Ax is a Fellow of the American Academy of
Arts and Sciences and holds honorary doctorates
of music from Skidmore College, New England
Conservatory of Music, Yale University, and Columbia
University. For more information about Mr. Ax’s
career, please visit www.EmanuelAx.com.

TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS
ANDRES MAIENLIED ‘HEXENLIED’
Mendelssohn / Hölty
De Schwalbe fliegt,
Der Früling siegt,
Und spendet uns Blumen zum Kranze!
Bald huschen wir
Lies’ aus der Tür,
Und fliegen zum prächtigen Tanze!
Ein schwarzer Bock,
Ein Besenstock,
Die Ofengabel, der Wocken,
Reißt uns geschwind,
Wie Blitz und Wind,
Durch sausende Lüfte zum Brocken!
Um Beelzebub
Tanzt unser Trupp,
Und küßt ihm die kralligen Hände!
Ein Geisterschwarm
Faßt uns beim Arm,
Und schwinget im Tanzen die Brände!
Und Beelzebub
Verheißt dem Trupp
Der Tanzenden Gaben auf Gaben:
Sie sollen schön
In Seide gehn
Und Töpfe voll Goldes Sich graben!
Ein Feuerdrach’
Umflieget das Dach
Und bringet uns Butter und Eier:
Die Nachbarn dann sehn
Die Funken wehn,
Und schlagen ein Kreuz vor dem Feuer.
Die Schwalbe fliegt
Der Frühling siegt,
Die Blumen erblühen zum Kranze.
Bald huschen wir
Leis’ aus der Tur,
Juchheisa! zum prächtigen Tanze!
ANOTHER KIND OF MAY SONG ‘Witches’ Song’
English Translation by Richard Stokes
Swallows are flying,
Spring’s triumphant,
Dispensing flowers for wreaths!
Soon we’ll flit
Quietly outside,
And fly to the splendid dance!
A black goat,
A broomstick,
The furnace rake, the distaff
Whisk us on our way,
Like lightning and wind,
Through whistling gales to the Brocken!
Our coven dances
Round Beelzebub
And kisses his claw-like hands!
A ghostly throng
Seizes our arms,
Waving firebrands as they dance!
And Beelzebub
Pledges the throng
Of dancers gift after gift:
They shall be dressed
In beautiful silk
And dig themselves pots full of gold!
A fiery dragon
Flies round the roof
And brings us butter and eggs:
The neighbours catch sight
Of the flying sparks,
And cross themselves for fear of the fire.
Swallows are flying,
Spring’s triumphant, Flowers are blooming for
wreaths.
Soon we’ll flit
Quietly outside —
Tally-ho to the splendid dance!

DIE LIEBENDE SCHREIBT
Mendelssohn / Goethe
Ein Blick von deinen Augen in die meinen,
Ein Kuß von deinem Mund auf meinem Munde,
Wer davon hat, wie ich, gewisse Kunde, Mag
dem was anders wohl erfreulich scheinen?
Entfernt von dir, entfremdet von den Meinen,
Da führ ich die Gedanken in die Runde, Und
immer treffen sie auf jene Stunde, Die einzige;
da fang ich an zu weinen.
Die Träne trocknet wieder unversehens:
Er liebt ja, denk ich, her in diese Stille,
O solltest du nicht in die Ferne reichen?
Vernimm das Lispeln dieses Liebewehens;
Mein einzig Glück auf Erden ist dein Wille,
Dein freundlicher, zu mir; gib mir ein Zeichen!
THE BELOVED WRITES
English Translation by Richard Stokes
One glance from your eyes into mine,
One kiss from your mouth onto my mouth,
Who, like me, is assured of these,
Can he take pleasure in anything else?
Far from you, estranged from my family,
I let my thoughts rove constantly,
And always they fix on that hour,
That precious hour; and I begin to weep.
Suddenly my tears grow dry again:
His love, I think, he sends into this silence,
And should you not reach out into the distance?
Receive the murmurs of this loving sigh;
Your will is my sole happiness on earth,
Your kind will; give me a sign!
ALLNÄCHTLICH IM TRAUME SER ICH DICH
Mendelssohn / Heine
Allnächtlich im Traume seh’ ich dich
Und sehe dich freundlich grüssen,
Und laut aufweinend stürz’ ich mich
Zu deinen süssen Füssen.
Du siehest mich an wehmütiglich
Und schüttelst das blonde Köpfchen;
Aus deinen Augen schleichen Sich Die
Perlentränentröpfchen.
Du sagst mir heimlich ein leises Wort
Und gibst mir den Strauss von Zypressen.
Ich wache auf, und der Strauss ist fort,
Und’s Wort hab’ ich vergessen.
NIGHTLY IN MY DREAMS
English Translation by Richard Stokes
Nightly in my dreams I see you,
And see your friendly greeting,
And weeping loud, I hurl myself
Down at your sweet feet.
Wistfully you look at me,
Shaking your fair little head;
Stealing from your eyes
Flow little tears of pearl.
You whisper me a soft word
And hand me a wreath of cypress.
I wake, the wreath is gone,
And I cannot remember the word.
DER MOND
Mendelssohn / Geibel
Mein Herz ist wie die dunkle Nacht,
Wenn alle Wipfel rauschen;
Da steigt der Mond in voller Pracht
Aus Wolken sacht, Und sieh!
Der Wald verstummt in tiefem Lauschen.
Der Mond, der lichte Mond bist du:
In deiner Liebesfülle
Wirf einen, einen Blick mir zu
Voll Himmelsruh’,
Und sieh! dies ungestüme Herz wird stille
THE MOON
English Translation by Richard Stokes
My heart is like the dark night,
When all the tree-tops rustle;
The moon rises in full splendour
Gently from the clouds — and see!
The wood falls silently, raptly listening
You are the moon, the shining moon:
In the fullness of your love,
Throw me one, one single glance
Of brimming heavenly peace - and see!
This tempestuous heart is soothed.

DER BLUMENSTRAUSS
Mendelssohn / Klingeman
Sie wandelt im Blumengarten
Und mustert den bunten Flor,
Und alle die Kleinen warten
Und schauen zu ihr empor.
„Und seid ihr denn Frühlingsboten,
Verkündend was stets so neu,
So werdet auch meine Boten
An ihn, der mich liebt so treu.”
So überschaut sie die Habe
Und ordnet den lieblichen Strauss,
Und reicht dem Freunde die Gabe,
Und weicht seinem Blicke aus.
Was Blumen und Farben meinen,
O deutet, o fragt das nicht,
Wenn aus den Augen der Einen
Der süsseste Frühling spricht.
THE POSY
English Translation by Richard Stokes
She walks in the flower garden
And gazes at the colourful blooms,
And all the little buds wait
And look up at her.
‘If you be messengers of spring,
Announcing what is always so new,
Then be my messengers as well
To him who loves me so true.’
Thus she surveys all she owns
And fashions a lovely posy,
And gives it to her friend.
And averts her gaze.
Do not ask the meaning
Of these colours and flowers,
When from the eyes of the one you love
Gazes the sweetest spring.
FRÜHLINGSLIED
Mendelssohn / Lenau
Durch den Wald den dunkeln,
Geht holde Frühlingsmorgenstunde,
Durch den Wald von Himmel weht
Eine leise Liebeskunde.
Selig lauscht der grüne Baum,
Und er taucht mit allen Zweigen
In den schönen Frühlingstraum,
In den vollen Lebensreigen.
Blüht ein Blümchen irgendwo,
Wird’s vom hellen Tau getränket,
Das Versteckte zittert froh,
Dass der Himmel sein gedenket.
In geheimer Laubesnacht,
Wird des Vogels Herz getroffen
Von der Liebe Zaubermacht,
Und er singt ein süsses Hoffen.
All’ das frohe Lenzgeschick
Nicht ein Wort des Himmels kündet,
Nur sein stummer, warmer Blick
Hat die Seligkeit entzündet.
Also in den Winterharm,
Der die Seele hielt bezwungen,
Ist dein Blick mir, still und warm,
Frühlingsmächtig eingedrungen.
SPRING SONG
English Translation by Richard Stokes
Spring’s glorious morning hour
Passes through the dark wood,
A gentle message of love
Blows from heaven through the wood.
The green tree listens in rapture
And dips all its boughs
Into the beautiful spring dream,
Into the full dance of life.
Wherever a small flower blooms,
It is watered by the bright dew,
The hidden flower quivers with joy
That heaven has remembered it.
In the secret darkness of the leaves
The bird’s heart is struck
By the magic power of love,
And it sings of its sweet hope.
All these joyful spring messages
Speak not a single word of heaven;
Only its silent and ardent glance
Has kindled happiness.
Thus in this grim winter,
Which kept my soul subdued,
A quiet and ardent glance
Has pierced me with the power of spring.

PAGENLIED
Mendelssohn/Eichendorff
Wenn die Sonne lieblich schiene
Wie in Welschland lau und blau,
Ging’ ich mit der Mandoline
Durch die überglänzte Au’.
In der Nacht das Liebchen lauschte
An dem Fenster süß verwacht,
Wünschte mir und ihr, uns beiden,
Heimlich eine schöne Nacht.
Wenn die Sonne lieblich schiene
Wie in Welschland lau und blau,
Ging’ ich mit der Mandoline
Durch die überglänzte Au’.
PAGE’S SONG
English translation by Richard Stokes
If the sun were to shine gently
As in Italy, from warm, blue skies,
I would go with my mandoline
Through the sun-drenched meadow.
In the night my love would listen
From her window, sweetly awake,
And she would wish both of us,
In secret, a lovely night.
If the sun were to shine gently
As in Italy, from warm, blue skies,
I would go with my mandoline
Through the sun-drenched meadow.
AUF FLÜGELN DES GESANGES
Mendelssohn/Heine
Auf Flügeln des Gesanges
Herzliebchen, trag’ ich dich fort,
Fort nach den Fluren des Ganges, Dort Weiss
ich den schönsten Ort.
Dort liegt ein rotblühender Garten
Im stillen Mondenschein;
Die Lotosblumen erwarten Ihr trautes
Schwesterlein.
Die Veilchen kichern und kosen,
Und schaun nach den Sternen empor;
Heimlich erzählen die Rosen
Sich duftende Märchen ins Ohr
ON WINGS OF SONG
English Translation by Richard Wigmore
On wings of song, my dearest,
I shall carry you away,
away to the meadows by the Ganges;
I know the loveliest place there.
A garden with red blooms
lies there in the still moonlight;
the lotus flowers await
their cherished sister.
The violets titter and flirt
and look up at the stars;
secretly the roses recount
fragrant tales in each other’s ears.
AIME-MOI
Chopin/Viardot
Tu commandes qu’on t’oublie,
J’ai grand peine à t’obéir;
Mais ainsi le veut ma mie,
Son désir est mon désir.
Vraiment, mon désir,
Lorsque joyeux je m’élance,
Tu rougis et veux me fuir;
Mon amour est une offense,
Pourquoi donc t’en souvenir?
Mais quoi! des pleurs, ma belle;
Ecoute, apaise-toi;
Plus de folle querelle,
Je t’adore, aime-moi.
LOVE ME
English translation by Barbara Miller
You command one to forget you,
I take great pains in obeying you;
But thus my ladylove wants it,
Her wish is my wish.
Truly, truly, my desire,
While, happy, I rush forward,
You blush and want to flee me
My love is an offense,
Why then do you remember it?
But what! tears, my beauty;
Listen, calm down;
No more crazy quarrelling,
I adore you, love me.

Tu commandes qu’on t’oublie [etc.]
...
Mais quoi! tu pleures ma belle
Sois clémente, apaise-toi,
Plus d’inutile querelle,
Je t’adore; Sois à moi!
You command one to forget you, [etc.]
...
But what! you weep, my beauty,
Be merciful, calm down,
No more useless quarrelling,
I adore you, be mine.
INTERMISSION
INTERMISSION
HEISS’ MICH NICHT REDEN
Schumann/Goethe
Heiss’ mich nicht reden, heiss’ mich schweigen,
Denn mein Geheimnis ist mir Pflicht;
Ich möchte dir mein ganzes Innre zeigen,
Allein das Schicksal will es nicht.
BID ME NOT SPEAK
English translation by Richard Stokes
Bid me not speak, bid me be Silent,
For I am bound to secrecy;
I should love to bare you my soul,
But Fate has willed it otherwise.
Zur rechten Zeit vertreibt der Sonne Lauf
Die finstre Nacht, und sie muss sich erhellen;
Der harte Fels schliesst seinen Busen auf,
Missgönnt der Erde nicht die tief verborgnen Quellen.
At the appointed time the sun dispels
The dark, and night must turn to day;
The hard rock opens up its bosom,
Does not begrudge earth its deeply hidden springs.
Ein jeder sucht im Arm des Freundes Ruh,
Dort kann die Brust in Klagen sich ergiessen;
Allein ein Schwur drückt mir die Lippen zu
Und nur ein Gott vermag sie aufzuschliessen.
All humans seek peace in the arms of a friend,
There the heart can pour out its sorrow;
But my lips, alas, are sealed by a vow,
And only a god can open them.
NUR WER DIE SEHNSUCHT KENNT
Schumann/Goethe
Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt
Weiss, was ich leide!
Allein und abgetrennt
Von aller Freude
Seh ich an’s Firmament
Nach jener Seite.
Ach! der mich liebt und kennt,
Ist in der Weite.
Es schwindelt mir, es brennt
Mein Eingeweide.
Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt
Weiss, was ich leide!
ONLY THOSE WHO KNOW LONGING
English translation by Richard Stokes
Only those who know longing
Know what I suffer!
Alone and cut off
From every joy,
I search the sky
In that direction.
Ah! he Who loves and knows me
Is far away.
My head reels,
My body blazes.
Only those who know longing
Know what I suffer!

SO LASST MICH SCHEINEN
Schumann/Goethe
So lasst mich scheinen, bis ich werde,
Zieht mir das weisse Kleid nicht aus!
Ich eile von der schönen Erde
Hinab in jenes feste Haus.
Dort ruh’ ich eine kleine Stille,
Dann öffnet sich der frische Blick;
Ich lasse dann die reine Hülle,
Den Gürtel und den Kranz zurück.
Und jene himmlischen Gestalten
Sie fragen nicht nach Mann und Weib,
Und keine Kleider, keine Falten
Umgeben den verklärten Leib.
Zwar lebt’ ich ohne Sorg und Mühe,
Doch fühlt’ ich tiefen Schmerz genung.
Vor Kummer altert’ ich zu frühe;
Macht mich auf ewig wieder jung.
THUS LET ME SEEM
English Translation by Richard Stokes
Let me appear an angel till I become one;
Do not take my white dress from me!
I hasten from the beautiful earth
Down to that impregnable house.
There in brief repose I’ll rest,
Then my eyes will open, renewed;
My pure raiment then I’ll leave,
With girdle and rosary, behind.
And those heavenly beings,
They do not ask who is man or woman,
And no garments, no folds
Cover the transfigured body.
Though I lived without trouble and toil,
I have felt deep pain enough.
I grew old with grief before my time;
O make me forever young again!
SINGET NICHT IN TRAUERTÖNEN
Schumann/Goethe
Singet nicht in Trauertönen
Von der Einsamkeit der Nacht;
Nein, sie ist, o holde Schönen,
Zur Geselligkeit gemacht.
Könnt ihr euch des Tages freuen,
Der nur Freuden unterbricht?
Er ist gut, sich zu zerstreuen;
Zu was anderm taugt er nicht.
Aber wenn in nächt’ger Stunde
Süsser Lampe Dämmrung fließt,
Und vom Mund zum nahen Munde
Scherz und Liebe sich ergießt;
Wenn der rasche, lose Knabe,
Der sonst wild und feurig eilt,
Oft bei einer kleinen Gabe
Unter leichten Spielen weilt;
Wenn die Nachtigall Verliebten
Liebevoll ein Liedchen singt,
Das Gefangnen und Betrübten
Nur wie Ach und Wehe klingt;
DO NOT SING IN MOURNFUL TONES
English translation by Richard Stokes
Do not sing in mournful tones
Of the solitude of night;
No, fair ladies, night is made
For conviviality.
Can you take delight in a day,
Which only curtails pleasure?
It may serve as a distraction;
But is good for nothing else.
But when in hours of darkness
The sweet lamp’s twilight flows,
And love as well as laughter
Streams from almost touching lips,
When impulsive, roguish Cupid,
Used to wild and fiery haste,
In return for some small gift,
Often lingers, dallying,
When, full of love, the nightingale
Sings a little song for lovers,
Which to the imprisoned and sad
Seems only to tell of grief and pain;

Mit wie leichtem Herzensregen
Horchet ihr der Glocke nicht,
Die mit zwölf bedächtgen Schlägen
Ruh und Sicherheit verspricht.
Darum an dem langen Tage,
Merke dir es, liebe Brust;
Jeder Tag hat seine Plage,
Und die Nacht hat ihre Lust.
With what lightly pounding heart
Do you then listen to the bell,
That with twelve solemn strokes
Pledges security and rest!
And so remember this, dear heart,
Throughout the livelong day;
Every day has its troubles,
And every night its joys.
ER IST’S
Schumann/ Mörike
Frühling lässt sein blaues Band
Wieder flattern durch die Lüfte;
Süsse, wohlbekannte Düfte
Streifen ahnungsvoll das Land.
Veilchen träumen schon,
Wollen balde kommen.
-- Horch, von fern ein leiser Harfenton!
Frühling, ja du bist’s!
Dich hab’ ich vernommen!
SPRING IS HERE
English translation by Richard Stokes
Spring is floating its blue banner
On the breezes again;
Sweet, well-remembered scents
Drift portentously across the land.
Violets, already dreaming,
Will soon begin to bloom.
Listen, the sound of a harp!
Spring, that must be you!
It’s you I’ve heard!
MARIENWÜRMCHEN
Schumann/Anon
Marienwürmchen, setze dich
auf meine Hand, auf meine Hand,
Ich tu’ dir nichts zuleide.
Es soll dir nichts zuleid geschehn,
Will nur deine bunten Flügel sehn,
Bunte Flügel meine Freude.
Marienwürmchen, fliege weg,
Dein Häuschen brennt, die Kinder schrein
So sehre, wie so sehre.
Die böse Spinne spinnt sie ein,
Marienwürmchen, flieg hinein,
Deine Kinder schreien sehre.
Marienwürmchen, fliege hin
Zu Nachbars Kind,
Sie tun dir nichts zuleide.
Es soll dir da kein Leid geschehn,
Sie wollen deine bunten Flügel sehn,
Und grüß sie alle beide.
LADYBIRD
English translation by Richard Stokes
Ladybird, come and settle
On my hand, on my hand,
I shall do you no harm,
No harm will come of you,
I just want to see your bright wings,
Bright wings are my joy!
Ladybird, fly away home,
Your house is on fire, the children are crying
So sorely, so very sorely,
The wicked spider’s spinning them in,
Ladybird, fly away home,
Your children are crying sorely.
Ladybird, fly off
To the children next door, next door,
They will do you no harm,
No harm will come of you there,
They want to see your bright wings,
And remember me to both of them.

DER HIMMEL HAT EINE THRÄNE GEWEINT
Schumann/Rückert
Der Himmel hat eine Thräne geweint,
Die hat sich in’s Meer zu verlieren gemeint.
Die Muschel kam und schloß sie ein:
Du sollst nun meine Perle sein.
Du sollst nicht vor den Wogen zagen,
Ich will hindurch dich ruhig tragen.
O du mein Schmerz, du meine Lust,
Du Himmelsthrän’ in meiner Brust!
Gieb, Himmel, daß ich in reinem Gemüthe
Den reinsten deiner Tropfen hüte.
HEAVEN SHED A TEAR
English translation by Richard Stokes
Heaven shed a tear
That thought to lose itself in the sea.
The mussel came and locked it in:
My pearl shall you now be.
You shall not fear the waves,
I shall bear you calmly through.
O you, my pain, O you, my joy,
You tear of Heaven in my breast!
Grant, Heaven, that, with a pure soul
I guard the purest of your drops.
DER NUSSBAUM
Schumann/Mosen
Es grünet ein Nussbaum vor dem Haus,
Duftig,
Luftig
Breitet er blättrig die Äste aus.
Viel liebliche Blüten stehen dran;
Linde
Winde
Kommen, sie herzlich zu umfahn.
Es flüstern je zwei zu zwei gepaart,
Neigend,
Beugend
Zierlich zum Kusse die Häuptchen zart.
Sie flüstern von einem Mägdlein, das
Dächte
Nächte,
Tagelang, wüsste, ach! selber nicht was.
Sie flüstern - wer mag verstehn so gar
Leise
Weise? -
Flüstern von Bräut’gam und nächstem Jahr.
Das Mägdlein horchet, es rauscht im Baum;
Sehnend,
Wähnend
Sinkt es lächelnd in Schlaf und Traum.
THE WALNUT TREE
English translation by Richard Stokes
A nut tree blossoms outside the house,
Fragrantly,
Airily,
It spreads its leafy boughs.
Many lovely blossoms it bears,
Gentle
Winds
Come to caress them tenderly.
Paired together, they whisper,
Inclining,
Bending
Gracefully their delicate heads to kiss.
They whisper of a maiden who
Dreamed
For nights
And days of, alas, she knew not what.
They whisper—who can understand
So soft
A song?
Whisper of a bridegroom and next year.
The maiden listens, the tree rustles;
Yearning,
Musing
She drifts smiling into sleep and dreams.

FRÜHLINGSNACHT
Schumann/Benedikt and Eichendorff
Über’n Garten durch die Lüfte
Hört’ ich Wandervögel ziehn,
Das bedeutet Frühlingsdüfte,
Unten fängt’s schon an zu blühn.
Jauchzen möcht’ ich, möchte weinen,
Ist mir’s doch, als könnt’s nicht sein!
Alte Wunder wieder scheinen
Mit dem Mondesglanz herein.
Und der Mond, die Sterne sagen’s,
Und im Träumen rauscht’s der Hain,
Und die Nachtigallen schlagen’s:
Sie ist deine! Sie ist dein!
SPRING NIGHT
Schumann/Benedikt and Eichendorff
Over the garden, through the air
I heard birds of passage fly,
A sign that spring is in the air,
Flowers already bloom below.
I could shout for joy, could weep,
For it seems to me it cannot be!
All the old wonders come flooding back,
Gleaming in the moonlight.
And the moon and stars say it,
And the dreaming forest whispers it,
And the nightingales sing it:
‘She is yours, is yours!’
AN DEN SONNENSCHEIN
Schumann/Reinick
O Sonnenschein! o Sonnenschein!
Wie scheinst du mir ins Herz hinein,
Weckst drinnen lauter Liebeslust,
Daß mir so enge wird die Brust!
Und enge wird mir Stub’ und Haus,
Und wenn ich lauf’ zum Thor hinaus,
Da lockst du gar ins frische Grün
Die allerschönsten Mädchen hin!
O Sonnenschein! Du glaubest wohl,
Daß ich wie du es machen soll,
Der jede schmucke Blume küßt,
Die eben nur sich dir erschließt?
Hast doch so lang’ die Welt erblickt,
Und weißt, daß sich’s für mich nicht schickt;
Was machst du mir denn solche Pein?
O Sonnenschein! o Sonnenschein!
TO THE SUNSHINE
English translation by Richard Stokes
O sunshine! O sunshine!
How you shine into my heart,
Waking there such sheer love,
That my breast becomes constricted!
House and room become constricted too,
And when I run out through the gate,
I see you’ve tempted the loveliest girls
Out into the fresh green countryside!
O sunshine! Do you really think
I should follow your example,
You that kiss all the lovely flowers,
That only open to your caress?
But you have observed the world so long,
And know that this does not become me;
So why do you torment me so?
O sunshine! O sunshine!