A characteristic feature of Robert Schumann's 'Frauenliebe und Leben' cycle is that the solo voice always starts on the dominant, creating a strangely floating atmosphere.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Robert Schumann was deeply inspired by the poems of Elisabeth Kulmann, a child-poetess who died at 17, seeing in her work his idea of childlike creative imagination and spiritual freedom.
Composition History
Robert Schumann's Liederkreis op. 39, from his 'year of song' in 1840, emerged during a period of thwarted love between him and Clara Wieck, involving legal proceedings against her father.
Compositional Technique
In Robert Schumann's song compositions from 1840 onwards, the word became the inspiration for musical invention, creating a new symbiosis between voice and piano.
Composition History
The 'Sieben Lieder von Elisabeth Kulmann' op. 104 cycle dates from Robert Schumann's later Düsseldorf period, specifically June 1851.
Performer Biography
Vivian Hanner, the mezzo-soprano on this recording, studied voice with Kammersänger Prof. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau at the Hochschule der Künste Berlin.
Composition History
The 'Frauenliebe und Leben' op. 42 cycle was also composed in 1840, during the happy period immediately before Robert Schumann's wedding to Clara Wieck.
