Schubert's settings of Heinrich Heine's poems in this collection intensify lyrical singing into dramatic monologues, with the piano playing an expressive, almost declamatory role.
Interpretation
Baritone Roman Trekel and pianist Oliver Pohl have reordered Schubert's "Schwanengesang" and expanded it with a prologue of five thematically appropriate pieces to emphasize themes of life and death.
Performer Biography
Pianist Oliver Pohl, who also teaches at the 'Hanns Eisler' Academy of Music in Berlin, was the pianist for Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau's Lieder class for several years.
Composition History
Schubert's "Schwanengesang" is not a unified song cycle like his earlier works, but rather two sequences of Lieder based on poems by Ludwig Rellstab and Heinrich Heine, plus an additional song by Johann Gabriel Seidl.
Performer Biography
Baritone Roman Trekel is a principal singer at the Berlin State Opera and has performed at major opera houses across Europe and Japan, including La Scala in Milan and the Royal Opera House in London.
Composition History
The title "Schwanengesang" (Swansong) was chosen by Viennese publisher Tobias Haslinger for this collection of Schubert's late songs, published a few months after the composer's death.
