European Poets, Vol. 1

"SCHUBERT got inspiration for his songs from more than 120 poets. Thematic programmes such as this seventh disc in Naxos's Deutsche-Lied-Edition offer an excellent way to appreciate individual aspects of his diverse output. This attractive concert of Scottish pieces contrasts the settings of Ossian's epic poetry that Schubert made when he was 18 with the Walter Scott songs he wrote while on holiday in Upper Austria 10 years later.

Ulrich Eisenlohr's apt touch at the piano evokes a vividly Caledonian fragrance in Roman Trekel's and Ruth Ziesak's touching account of the tragic love story of Shilrik and Vinvela. A rousing performance of the Lied nach dem Falle Nathos and lyrical rendering of Das Madchen von Inistore complete an absorbing Ossian selection.

The performances of the Walter Scott songs are only marginally less successful...Eisenlohr and his singers illustrate the scenes from The Lady of the Lake, in particular, with a true feeling for atmosphere."
- By Nicholas Rast, The Daily Telegraph (London), March 16, 2002

"It's great to have the team of baritone Roman Trekel and pianist Ulrich Eisenlohr back together for more Schubert. I've been waiting for their return ever since Volume 1 in this Naxos Schubert song series, where they made such profoundly beautiful music in their performance of Winterreise (type Q661 in Search Reviews). Here they join with soprano Ruth Ziesak to perform some of Schubert's more unusual songs--settings of poems by Ossian (James Macpherson) that are exceptional for their freer structures and near-pictorial musical storytelling. The young composer's imagination seemed to find special inspiration in the powerfully vivid images and fantastic tales embodied in these poems and he gives the singers and accompanist some bold and challenging music to perform. The latter part of the program is devoted to songs on texts by Walter Scott, primarily from Lady of the Lake.

Trekel is as strong of voice and eloquent of interpretation as before; he really takes over the stage in a tour de force such as the 11-minute-long Lodas Gespenst ('Loda's Ghost') and makes the most of the relatively short (less than two minutes) declamations of the opening Ossian's Lied. Soprano Ruth Ziesak is a lighter-voiced...interpreter whose sincere expression and clear-as-polished-glass tone (and impeccable but not fussy diction) makes her every contribution a pleasant listening experience. She doesn't push to create artificial largeness nor does she hold back the dramatic impact of songs such as Kolmas Klage ('It is night I am alone, forlorn on the hill of storms.') She just as easily handles the melancholic lyricism of Das Madchen von Inistore and the gentle lilt of Ellens Gesang I, showing off a lovely, warm quality in her lower-register. Ellens Gesang III, known most famously for its setting of Walter Scott¡≈s Ave Maria text, is delivered with direct, unsentimental style that perfectly suits the straightforward simplicity of the melody and accompaniment.

Eisenlohr is an ideal partner for both singers, generous of tone yet considerate of critical matters of balance and nuance. While we're handing out the praise, we shouldn't forget the composer, especially regarding his uniquely adventurous Ossian songs, often near-orchestral in their dramatic eloquence and textural complexity. The excellent sound caps another winning title in this increasingly important Schubert song series from Naxos."
- David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com, February 14, 2002

In 1816 Franz Schubert, together with his circle of friends, decided to publish a collection of all the songs which he had so far written. Joseph Spaun, whom Schubert had known since his school days, tried his (and Schubert's) luck in a letter to the then unquestioned Master of the German language, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe:

A selection of German songs will constitute the beginning of this edition; it will consist of eight volumes. The first two (the first of which, as an example, you will find in our letter) contains poems written by your Excellency, the third, poetry by Schiller, the fourth and fifth, works by Klopstock, the sixth by Mathison, Hölty, Salis etc., the seventh and eighth contain songs by Ossian, whose works are quite exceptional.

The Deutsche Schubert-Lied-Edition follows the composer's original concept. All Schubert's Lieder, over 700 songs, will be grouped according to the poets who inspired him, or according to the circle of writers, contemporaries, members of certain literary movements and so on, whose works Schubert chose to set to music. Fragments and alternative settings, providing their length and quality make them worth recording, and works for two or more voices with piano accompaniment will also make up a part of the edition.

Schubert set the poetry of over 115 writers to music. He selected poems from classical Greece, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, from eighteenth-century German authors, early Romantics, Biedermeier poets, his contemporaries, and, of course, finally, poems by Heinrich Heine, although sadly the two never met.

The entire edition is scheduled for completion by 2005. Thanks to the Neue Schubert Ausgabe (New Schubert Edition), published by Bärenreiter, which uses primary sources - autograph copies wherever possible - the performers have been able to benefit from the most recent research of the editorial team. For the first time, the listener and the interested reader can follow Schubert's textual alterations and can appreciate the importance the written word had for the composer.

The project's Artistic Advisor is the pianist Ulrich Eisenlohr, who has chosen those German-speaking singers who represent the élite of today's young German Lieder singers, performers whose artistic contribution, he believes, will stand the test of time.