Goethe: The Sorrows of Young Werther: A Romantic Liederabend
Napoleon read The Sorrows of Young Werther seven times — the same book that sparked a wave of suicide throughout Europe. In this novella, which stands at the birth of the Romantic movement, Goethe traces the inner life of Werther, who goes mad and commits suicide because of unrequited love. This dramatic love story, which provided a mirror for thousands of forlorn young men through its depiction of an imagined love life, is presented in the context of an evening song recital.
This Liederabend features Schumann’s magnificent song cycle Dichterliebe, one of the most compelling musical depictions of unrequited love, interspersed with songs for mezzo-soprano by Schubert, Liszt, Brahms, Hugo Wolf, Mahler, and Pfitzner.
Goethe: The Sorrows of Young Werther: A Romantic Liederabend was part of our 2007-2008 and 2003-2004 Seasons.
2007-2008 Season
Imaginings
Ensemble for the Romantic Century celebrated its seventh season by embarking on a revealing journey through the imaginations of four writers. Delving into a broad spectrum of the Romantic sensibility, each of the four concerts presented a highly individual vision of an imaginary life, from the sublimation of reality into poetry and fiction to a visionary voyage to the outer limits of space. The concerts contemplated the myriad facets of human fantasy and creativity, of our desire to transcend reality by constructing alternative narratives, and of our belief in the limitless potential of the human mind.
More from our 2007-2008 Season: