Schumann described his Op. 35 Kerner-Lieder as a "Lieder-Novelle" (novella-songs), a loose sequence with textual and musical cross-references, rather than a circular song cycle.
Composition History
Schumann's earliest attempts at Lieder were inspired by his acquaintance with Agnes Carus, an amateur singer who introduced him to Franz Schubert's songs.
Performer Biography
Hans Jörg Mammel, the tenor on this recording, studied with notable figures like Elisabeth Schwarzkopf and Reinhard Goebel, and has a special interest in composers of the second Berlin Lieder School.
Composer Biography
Robert Schumann was initially known purely as a piano composer, with his first 23 published works written exclusively for keyboard.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Schumann was drawn to Justinus Kerner's poems because of their "mysterious heavenly power" and the way each word felt like a "celestial" tone that needed precise musical setting.
Critical Reception
Clara Schumann praised her husband Robert's Kerner settings, stating he understood the texts "more deeply than any other composer I know."
Composition History
Schumann reworked some of his youthful Kerner songs into slow movements for his piano sonatas, such as "An Anna I" becoming the Aria from his Sonata in F sharp minor, Op. 11.
