Brahms: Die schöne Magelone

Featuring

Martin Walser
Christian Gerhaher
Gerold Huber
Johannes Brahms

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Compositional Technique

Despite the long period of composition, Brahms's Magelone Romances maintain a consistent style, with no stylistic breaks, appearing as a unified work.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Brahms considered the individual Romances as lyrical-dramatic reflections, aiming to convey romantic moods rather than strictly follow the narrative of the underlying story.

Composer Biography

Johannes Brahms, the composer, met Julius Stockhausen, a renowned concert singer, at a music festival in 1856, leading to a lifelong friendship and artistic collaboration.

Composition History

The idea for Brahms's Magelone Romances came from Julius Stockhausen, who encouraged Brahms to set poems from Ludwig Tieck's Magelone story to music.

Interpretation

This recording includes spoken interlude texts by Martin Walser, who condensed Ludwig Tieck's original story to provide necessary context for the songs, a practice Brahms himself eventually suggested.

Critical Reception

At its 1862 premiere in Hamburg, the first song from the cycle, 'Keinen hat es noch gereut,' received only weak applause, partly because its context was unclear to the audience.

Composition History

Brahms composed the 15 Romances from Ludwig Tieck's 'Wundersame Liebesgeschichte der schönen Magelone und des Grafen Peter aus der Provence' over eight years, between 1861 and 1869.