Brahms presented his Wiegenlied (Lullaby) to the singer Bertha Porubszky, whom he had courted, after she gave birth to her second child, as a declaration of love to both mother and baby.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Brahms' lieder celebrate a world where everything is in dialogue, listening, and answering, seeking tension to dissipate anguish, with each lied functioning as a 'pocket' opera.
Performer Biography
Soprano Barbara Hendricks sang an audition for conductor Herbert von Karajan in 1974, who then asked her to prepare the soprano solo from Brahms' Requiem.
Interpretation
Barbara Hendricks waited until her voice matured in its lower range to sing Brahms' lieder, desiring a larger palette of color in her timbre to achieve the necessary expressive range.
Performer Biography
Barbara Hendricks first heard Brahms' lieder performed by Jennie Tourel, and was also touched by interpretations from lower voices like mezzo-sopranos, contraltos, and baritones.
Recording & Production
This Brahms recording is a continuation of a long-standing partnership between soprano Barbara Hendricks and pianist Roland Pöntinen, who have previously recorded works by Hugo Wolf, Robert Schumann, Nordic songs, and Schubert's Schöne Müllerin.
Composer Biography
Despite never marrying or having children, Johannes Brahms had a great passion for them, often taking children for merry-go-round rides or rewarding good pupils.
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