7 years ago
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Von Ewiger Liebe (Brahms)
Brahms (1833-1897) wrote 196 art songs. This is one of his masterpieces.
Fassbaender's recording was the one I listened to, many years ago — along with Fischer Dieskaus's — when I first learned this piece. Fassbaender is a great singer, who sings with commitment, passion, beauty of tone, great phrasing and attention the text. Never sentimental, she tells the story in the most direct and compelling way. I can't think of a better recording of this great piece. Irwin Cage plays beautifully.
It is important to note that the text has been falsely attributed in many additions to Joseph Wenzig. The error was made by Brahms when the piece was published and has been passed down by subsequent editions, but the text is from August Heinrich Hoffman von Falersleben's Gedichte of 1837 and is a free transcription of a translation from the Wendish by Leopold Haupt.
Von Ewiger Liebe/ Eternal Love
Dark, how dark it is in the forest and field!
It's already evening; now the world is silent.
Nowhere anymore light and nowhere anymore smoke.
Yes, and the lark is now silent too.
The lad is coming from the village,
He escorts his sweetheart home.
He leads her past the willow bushes,
Talking so much, and of so many things:
"If you suffer shame and if you grieve,
If you suffer disgrace before others because of me,
Then our love shall break apart as quickly as we came together.
Depart with the rain and depart with the wind,
As we were once united."
The maiden says, the maiden says:
"Our love cannot be torn asunder!
Steel is firm and iron very much so,
Yet our love is firmer still.
Iron and steel can be reforged.
But our love--who will transform it?
Iron and steel can disintegrate;
Our love, our love must endure eternally!"
Translation: Milagro Vargas
Here's Alexander Kipnis' version with Gerald Moore playing the piano for an excellent version with a male voice.
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Thanks for posting the translation. It wasn't easy to find one for this song. My comment might be one you would not like, but here it is. No, I don't like the male version you posted at all, but the problem with this song is that it is very hard to find ANY version which does not treat this song, which is a hymn to undying unshakeable love, as a funereal dirge about love which will inevitably be lost. Everybody sings about the darkness and silence as if it were the gloom and doom of the grave. It isn't necessarily that at all; it only comes out that way if you approach the story with a preconceived bias. The moment is ethereal, like a kind of eternal moment where none of the usual temporal events are happening. It is a moment when what is eternal can be perceived. I mean, that is what the title implies. That is not death or gloom, and everybody sings this song like they are in a funeral procession across the moors. And the POINT of the song is that love is eternal and unshakeable, undying. There is NOTHING gloomy about that. This song needs an interpretation which opens with great tenderness, not gloom, which presents the young man's worries with wisdom and understanding, knowing that the truth is coming in the magnificent affirmation by the woman. More pastels, less black and white, more shades of eternal grey suffused with the wisdom of eternal love. My take, anyway.
ReplyDeleteI believe that interpretation of a song is a personal journey, probably influenced by ones own life experience. The fact that this songs starts out in minor implies to me that an awakening is coming for the singer.
ReplyDeleteI have sung this song often professionally and always found that the awakening is the most important part of the song. Perhaps for the first time in one's life, feeling eternal love for another person!
It is a profound and beautiful song, hard to do well, but worth the effort to add to one's repertoire!