Louïze Labé, whose sonnets are set by Ullmann, was the most famous poetess of the French Renaissance.
Composition History
Viktor Ullmann's Six Sonnets de Louïze Labé, published in 1941, are believed to have autobiographical overtones, depicting the passion of a female for a distant lover.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in July 2015 at Studio 2 of Bayerischer Rundfunk in Munich, in co-production with OehmsClassics Musikproduktion GmbH.
Composer Biography
Robert Schumann was the most comprehensive Lieder composer of the German Romantic period, with 260 of his 600 Lieder still surviving.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The album's program focuses on love in all its facets, specifically from the narrative perspective of women who are spurned, pining, waiting, or jealous.
Compositional Technique
Viktor Ullmann's Three Sonnets from the Portuguese, Op. 29, are dedicated to his teacher Alexander von Zemlinsky and also pay homage to Arnold Schönberg and the Viennese School.
Interpretation
The singer, Christina Landshamer, found it a 'surprisingly modern discovery' that Ullmann gave voice to two poetesses, contrasting with Schumann's male-authored female perspectives.
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