Schubert: Schwanengesänge

Featuring

Markus Schäfer
Tobias Koch
Stephan Katte
Franz Schubert

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Album & Artwork

The collection of songs known as 'Schwanengesang' (Swan Song) was compiled and published by Viennese publisher Tobias Haslinger half a year after Schubert's death.

Performer Biography

Tobias Koch, the fortepiano player, is known for his work with historical keyboard instruments and has collaborated with many notable artists and ensembles, including a long-standing partnership with tenor Markus Schäfer.

Composition History

The manuscript with Ludwig Rellstab's poems, which Beethoven had marked for potential composition, was passed to Schubert after Beethoven's death by his factotum Anton Schindler.

Composition History

The poem for 'Auf dem Strom,' a large-scale song for voice, horn, and piano, was written by Ludwig Rellstab, who had previously offered his poems to Beethoven for setting.

Instruments

The album features a fortepiano by Friedrich Hippe, built in Oberweimar between 1820-1830, with a Viennese action and five pedals, restored by Clavierwerkstatt Christoph Kern.

Composition History

Schubert's final year, 1828, was particularly fruitful, yielding large-scale works like the String Quintet and Mass in E Flat Major, alongside numerous songs.

Interpretation

The performers on this album embrace a historically informed approach, incorporating spontaneous improvisation, ornamentation, and changes to the score, which was common practice in Schubert's time.