Work of the Week – Jörg Widmann: Schumannliebe

He has always admired composer Robert Schumann and often drawn inspiration from his works: Jörg Widmann’s new piece, Schumannliebe (“Love for Schumann”), for voice and ensemble will have its world premiere at the Casa da Música in Porto, Portugal on October 4th, 2023. Baritone Matthias Goerne will perform alongside the Remix Ensemble under the direction of Peter Rundel. 

For his new composition Schumannliebe, Widmann takes the 16 poems by Heinrich Heine, which were originally set to music in Schumann's famous song cycle Dichterliebe (“A Poet’s Love”). Widmann presents the poems in the same sequence as the original and keeps the vocal part almost unchanged, using the version for medium voice. 

However, the similarities between the two pieces end there. The shift in perspective from Schumann's own stance to seeing him from a greater vantage point is achieved through various means including instrumentation, harmonic accents, sound incorporation, and advanced playing techniques. Widmann's approach to Schumann varies, at times drawing closer and at others taking a more distant view of the original.

Schumannliebe by Jörg Widmann: There is a fluting and fiddling

To the well-known 16 poems Widmann adds the song "Dein Angesicht" as an epilogue. While in Schumann song editions this song is at best included in the appendix, here it is an essential part and conclusion of the work. This section of the cycle is also the most personal, with Widmann adding his own dedication "für Maria." 

One cannot help but be amazed by Schumann's song cycle, especially his ability to set negative words like "suffering" or "death" to music, as minor chords are rarely used for such purposes. Or when it comes to Schumann music, major chords are rarely used in the context of the word "happiness". Even in the famous lines of Dichterliebe "Es ist eine alte Geschichte / Doch bleibt sie immer neu / Und wem sie just passieret / Dem bricht das Herz ent-" - a major chord suddenly appears on the word "entzwei", which serves as a dissonance. (Jörg Widmann)

Along with Casa da Música, Schumannliebe has been commissioned by KölnMusik and Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. A few days after the premiere, on October 8, 2023, the German premiere will take place in Cologne, followd by concert at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg two days later.

Links:

Jörg Widmann: Composer Profile 

Schumannliebe: Work Details and Online Score  

Website Casa da Música Porto 

Photo: Marco Borggreve