Franz Schubert: Die Schöne Müllerin 1-6 (Lee Moore & Robert Hitz) 1) Das Wandern 2) Wohin? 3) Halt! 4) Danksagung an Den Bach 5) Am Feierabend 6) Der Neugierige Franz Schubert: Fantasie in F Minor Op. 103, D. 940: (Felicia Clarke & Robert Hitz) 7) Allegro molto moderato Largo 8) Largo 9) Allegro vivace 10) Tempo 1 Gustav Mahler: Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen (Lee Moore & Felicia Clarke) 11) Wenn Mein Schatz 12) Geng Heut Morgen 13) Ich Hab Ein Gluck 14) Die Zwei Blauen 15) Bonus: Improvisation on Die Zwei Blauen Augen Artist Bios Robert Hitz , an award-winning pianist and composer, is the quintessential modern artist. His music spans many genres and influences, and he is open to all great musical ideas. Robert has performed throughout the United States. As a performer and composer, he can be found almost anywhere — from the concert stage to a yoga studio — playing to diverse and appreciative audiences. His performances are powerful and celebrated for the “passion [that] permeates his music.” Robert is a noted recording artist and composer. His solo piano albums include “Appassionata” and “Afternoon Nocturnes.” His music has been described as “touching the soul by inspiring a broad spectrum of emotion.” Robert is also known for his choral compositions and film work. He is a past president of the Baltimore Composers Forum. As a music educator, Robert teaches piano and composition, as well as voice coaching. He is classically trained at the Peabody Institute with Walter Hautzig, and at Syracuse University with George Pappastaverou. Robert is the artistic director of the Robert Hitz Studio, a writing and performance collective of professionals musicians, emerging artists, and young students. Members of the studio examine human concepts, misconceptions, and truths through music and theater. Since 2005 the studio has premiered more than 200 new works and donated nearly $55,000 to Maryland charities. Robert’s improvisational approach has provided opportunity to perform at programs and conferences with new thought luminaries such as Gary Zukav, Wayne Dyer, Mark Victor Hansen, Deepak Chopra, and Barbara Marx Hubbard. He is a featured artist for universities, corporate events, conferences, and churches/spiritual centers nationwide. For more information visit www.roberthitz.com. Lee Moore is a classically trained baritone who has studied and performed a diverse range of music. His nuanced, colorful, and expressive singing excels in Lieder, Chanson, and Art Song from the early 19th to early 20th century. His voice has the size and presence to carry in large venues, but he is most at home in the intimacy of a smaller hall. Collaborating with a pianist, he can take listeners on an authentic and transformative emotional journey. Lee majored in vocal performance under full scholarship at New World School of the Arts, a fine arts conservatory in Miami. He has studied and worked with a number of outstanding teachers, conductors, and coaches including Lisa Braden, Willy Waters, Steven White, Joy Davidson, Eric Thorn, Amy Zorn, Virginia Grasso, Gran Wilson, and Robert Hitz. He has performed leading roles in a variety of operas including “The Barber of Seville,” “Die Fledermaus,” and “The Medium.” His larger concert works include Mahler’s “Songs of a Wayfarer,” Vaughan-Williams’ “Songs of Travel” and “Five Mystical Songs,” Barber’s “Dover Beach,” Haydn’s “Creation,” and the Mozart and Brahms Requiems. He currently lives in Baltimore with his awesome, beautiful, and charming wife Sharon, and the best stepson ever Noah. As a member of the Robert Hitz studio, he credits Robert with providing the space, encouragement, and safety to unlock creativity and expression through improvisation. In addition to singing, Lee plays guitar and piano and teaches voice. Last year, Lee launched a recording studio where he records and produces his own music as well as original works by gifted local musicians. Felicia Clarke is a budding composer, accompanist, and music educator who strives to exemplify the most fragile human experiences using only 88 keys. Classically grounded and modernly inspired, she has performed with the Robert Hitz Studios since 2007. A native of Jessup, Maryland, Felicia has been a music educator at the Century School of Music in Columbia, MD since 2005. Felicia possesses a virtuosic compositional style that spans many musical genres, and has been praised as “courageous, overwhelming, rhythmic, intense, fiery, and powerful.“ She considers music as an extraordinary means to express a range of personal emotions from daily life. Triumph, defeat, love, suffering, tranquility, curiosity, loneliness, chaos, joy, beauty, and gratitude…are a few of those wide-ranging emotions. Felicia encourages her audience to be vulnerable enough to embrace each of these emotions through her music. When not submerged in music, Felicia is a practicing Speech Language Pathologist in a sub-acute care facility. Felicia hopes to one day combine the two fields. She has discovered that composing, playing, and teaching have allowed her to communicate on a deeply personal level within her professional career. Felicia has recently premiered multiple original compositions at Germano’s Cabaret in Little Italy and at Slayton House in Columbia, MD. In 2014 she performed Rachmaninoff’s “Prelude in G Minor” at An Die Musik. She is excited to return to An Die Musik and honored perform with Robert Hitz and Lee Moore in this program of Schubert and Mahler. Program Notes Die schöne Müllerin OP. 25 In 1820, Wilhelm Müller published Die schöne Müllerin, a cycle of poetry following the travels and exploits of a young journeyman miller finding his way in the world. Our hero falls in love with the millers daughter and failing to win her affection, descends into a dark depression. In 1823, Franz Schubert set 20 of the poems into a single musical work for voice and piano while attempting to launch his career as an operatic composer. Although never achieving success or acclaim with his operas, Schubert’s songs and song cycles elevated the form of solo voice and piano to a full fledged concert format. A reasonable case can be made that Schubert and his legacy of song is one of the reasons the popular music we listen to today is generally vocal oriented music accompanied by a small group of instruments. In the first 6 songs, the young miller is called to his destiny, which is to wander (Das Wandern). He finds a guide in a stream and follows it (Wohin?). He encounters a mill, takes up work there and expresses deep gratitude to the stream for leading him to the mill where he meets the lovely miller’s daughter (Halt!, Danksagung an Den Bach). He works tirelessly to impress the miller’s daughter (Am Feierabend) and then asks the stream the most important question of all: “Does she love me?” (Der Neugierige). Fantasia in F minor for piano four-hands, D 940 Schubert dedicated the Fantasia in F minor to Caroline Esterhazy, a former pupil, 4-hand piano partner, and unrequired love of Schuberts. She was his “miller’s daughter” and only true love interest in his life. He wrote the Fantasie in 1828 shortly before his death. Most of Schuberts four hand piano compositions were designed for amateurs and students to enjoy in the comfort of their homes and salons. The Fantasie in F minor is a masterwork intended for concert venues. It is a refinement and maturation of his groundbreaking Wanderer Fantasie with a structure and form not seen in works titled Fantasie prior to Schubert. The Fantasie essentially follows Sonata form and with it, Schubert demonstrates his mastery of theme development and brilliantly coherent transitions. Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen Gustav Mahler wrote the song cycle Lieder Eines Fahrenden Gesellen from 1884-1885 while working as a conductor at the opera house in Kassel, Germany. The cycle was inspired by a breakup with soprano Johanna Richter. Mahler wrote both the poetry and music for voice and piano. After orchestrating and revising, the full cycle premiered on March 16, 1896. It is widely considered his first mature work. The cycle is believed to be auto-biographical in nature and features a young traveling journeyman (Mahler would have been journeyman musician at the time this was written) walking through nature and moving between deep sorrowful lament at the loss of his love, joyful embrace of nature, and anger. By the end of the final song in the cycle, the traveler comes across a Lindenbaum tree. The Lindenbaum is a significant symbol of surrender and redemption. Under this tree, the traveler releases his pain and sorrow, and lies down to sleep as the blossoms of the tree softly rain down on him. Translations Die schöne Müllerin 1. Das Wandern (Wandering) Das Wandern ist des Müllers Lust, Wandering is the miller’s joy, Das Wandern! Wandering! Das muß ein schlechter Müller sein, A man isn’t much of a miller, Dem niemals fiel das Wandern ein, If he doesn’t think of wandering, Das Wandern. Wandering! Vom Wasser haben wir’s gelernt, We learned it from the stream, The stream! Vom Wasser! The stream! Das hat nicht Rast bei Tag und Nacht, It doesn’t rest by day or night, Ist stets auf Wanderschaft bedacht, And only thinks of wandering, Das Wasser. The stream. Das sehn wir auch den Rädern ab, We also see it in the mill wheels, Den Rädern! The mill wheels! Die gar nicht gerne stille stehn, They’d rather not stand still Die sich mein Tag nicht müde drehn, and don’t tire of turning all day, Die Rädern. the mill wheels! Die Steine selbst, so schwer sie sind, Even the millstones, as heavy as they are, Die Steine! The millstones! Sie tanzen mit den muntern Reihn They take part in the merry dance Und wollen gar noch schneller sein, And would go faster if they could, Die Steine. The millstones! O Wandern, Wandern, meine Lust, Oh wandering, wandering, my passion, O Wandern! Oh wandering! Herr Meister und Frau Meisterin, Master and Mistress Miller, Laßt mich in Frieden weiterziehn Give me your leave to go in peace, Und wandern. And wander! 2. Wohin Ich hört’ ein Bächlein rausche I heard a little brook rushing Wohl aus dem Felsenquell, From its source in the rocky spring, Hinab zum Tale rauschen Bubbling down to the valley So frisch und wunderhell. So clean and wonderfully bright. Ich weiß nicht, wie mir wurde, I don’t know what came over me, Nicht, wer den Rat mir gab, Or who advised me to act, Ich mußte auch hinunter I just had to go down with it, Mit meinem Wanderstab. Carrying my walking staff. Hinunter und immer weiter Downward, still further and further, Und immer dem Bache nach, Always following the brook, Und immer frischer rauschte And the stream bubbled ever more briskly Und immer heller der Bach. And became ever clearer and brighter. Ist das denn meine Straße? Is this my path, then? O Bächlein, sprich, wohin? Oh brook, tell me, whither? Du hast mit deinem Rauschen You have completely captivated me Mir ganz berauscht den Sinn. With your flowing. Was sag ich denn vom Rauschen? What can I say about the rushing? Das kann kein Rauschen sein: That can’t be an ordinary sound. Es singen wohl die Nixen It must be the pixies singing Tief unten ihren Reihn. Deep under their stream. Laß singen, Gesell, laß rauschen Sing on, friend, keep rushing, Und wandre fröhlich nach! And travel gladly along. Es gehn ja Mühlenräder There are mill wheels moving In jedem klaren Bach. In every clear stream. 3. Halt! (Stop) Eine Mühle seh ich blinken I see a mill glinting Aus den Erlen heraus, From among the elder trees, Durch Rauschen und Singen The rushing and singing Bricht Rädergebraus. Are pierced by the roar of wheels. Ei willkommen, ei willkommen, Ah welcome, ah welcome, Süßer Mühlengesang! Sweet song of the mill! Und das Haus, wie so traulich! And the house, how cozy! Und die Fenster, wie blank! And the windows, how shiny! Und die Sonne, wie helle And the sun, how brightly Vom Himmel sie scheint! It glows in the sky! Ei, Bächlein, liebes Bächlein, Oh brook, dear brook, War es also gemeint? Was this destined for me? 4. Danksagung an Den Bach (Gratitude to the Brook) War es also gemeint, Was this destined for me, Mein rauschender Freund? My bubbling friend? Dein Singen, dein Klingen, Your singing, your ringing, War es also gemeint? Was this destined for me? Zur Müllerin hin! To the miller’s daughter, So lautet der Sinn. That’s what you meant. Gelt, hab’ ich’s verstanden? Right? Did I understand it? Zur Müllerin hin! To the miller’s daughter! Hat sie dich geschickt? Did she send you to me? Oder hast mich berückt? Or have you enchanted me? Das möcht ich noch wissen, I’d like to know, Ob sie dich geschickt. Did she send you to me? Nun wie’s auch mag sein, No matter what happens, Ich gebe mich drein: I commit myself. Was ich such, hab ich funden, I sought after work, Wie’s immer mag sein. Now I have enough, Nach Arbeit ich frug, For my hands, for my heart, Nun hab ich genug Now I have enough, Für die Hände, fürs Herze For my hands, for my heart, Vollauf genug! I have more than enough! 5. Am Feierabend (After Work) Hätt ich tausend If I had a thousand Arme zu rühren! arms to move! Könnt ich brausend I could drive Die Räder führen The wheels with a roar! Könnt ich wehen I could blow Durch alle Haine! Through all the copses! Könnt ich drehen I could turn Alle Steine! All the millstones! Daß die schöne Müllerin Then the miller’s daughter Merkte meinen treuen Sinn! Could sense my true purpose! Ach, wie ist mein Arm so schwach! Oh, how weak my arms are! Was ich hebe, was ich trage, What I lift, what I carry, Was ich schneide, was ich schlage, What I cut, what I hammer, Jeder Knappe tut mir’s nach. Any fellow can do as well. Und da sitz ich in der großen Runde, And there I sit among all the others In der stillen kühlen Feierstunde, In the quiet, cool time of rest, Und der Meister spricht zu allen: And the master says to all of us: Euer Werk hat mir gefallen; I am pleased with your work, Und das liebe Mädchen sagt And the lovely maiden said Allen eine gute Nacht. Goodnight to everyone. 6. Der Neugierige (The Eager Question) Ich frage keine Blume, I don’t ask any flower, Ich frage keinen Stern, I don’t ask any star, Sie können mir alle nicht sagen, None of them can tell me Was ich erführ so gern. What I’d like to know so much. Ich bin ja auch kein Gärtner, I am not a gardener, Die Sterne stehn zu hoch; The stars are too far above; Mein Bächlein will ich fragen, I’ll ask my little brook, Ob mich mein Herz belog. If my heart has deceived me. O Bächlein meiner Liebe, Oh, little brook of my love, Wie bist du heut so stumm? Why are you so silent today? Will ja nur eines wissen, I only want to know one thing, Ein Wörtchen um und um. One word, one way or the other. Ja heißt das eine Wörtchen, Yes, is the one word, Das andre heißet Nein, The other is No. Die beiden Wörtchen The two words together Schließen die ganze Welt mir ein. Make up my entire world. O Bächlein meiner Liebe, Oh, little brook of my love, Was bist du wunderlich! How strange you are! Will’s ja nicht weitersagen, If you won’t say anything else, Sag, Bächlein, liebt sie mich? Tell me, little brook, does she love me? Lieder EinesFahrenden Gesellen 1. Wenn mein Schatz Hochzeit macht Wenn mein Schatz Hochzeit macht, When my darling has her wedding-day, Fröhliche Hochzeit macht, her joyous wedding-day, Hab’ ich meinen traurigen Tag! I will have my day of mourning! Geh’ ich in mein Kämmerlein, I will go to my little room, Dunkles Kämmerlein, my dark little room, Weine, wein’ um meinen Schatz, and weep, weep for my darling, Um meinen lieben Schatz! for my dear darling! Blümlein blau! Verdorre nicht! Blue flower! Do not wither! Vöglein süß! Sweet little bird Du singst auf grüner Heide. you sing on the green heath! Ach, wie ist die Welt so schön! Alas, how can the world be so fair? Ziküth! Ziküth! Chirp! Chirp! Singet nicht! Blühet nicht! Do not sing; do not bloom! Lenz ist ja vorbei! Spring is over. Alles Singen ist nun aus! All singing must now be done. Des Abends, wenn ich schlafen geh’, At night when I go to sleep, Denk’ ich an mein Leide! I think of my sorrow, An mein Leide of my sorrow! 2. Ging heut morgen übers Feld Ging heut morgen übers Feld, I walked across the fields this morning; Tau noch auf den Gräsern hing; dew still hung on every blade of grass. Sprach zu mir der lust’ge Fink: The merry finch spoke to me: “Ei du! Gelt? Guten Morgen! Ei gelt? “Hey! Isn’t it? Good morning! Isn’t it? Du! Wird’s nicht eine schöne Welt? You! Isn’t it becoming a fine world? Zink! Zink! Schön und flink! Chirp! Chirp! Fair and sharp! Wie mir doch die Welt gefällt!” How the world delights me!” Auch die Glockenblum’ am Feld Also, the bluebells in the field Hat mir lustig, guter Ding’, merrily with good spirits Mit den Glöckchen, klinge, kling, tolled out to me with bells (ding, ding) Ihren Morgengruß geschellt: their morning greeting: “Wird’s nicht eine schöne Welt? “Isn’t it becoming a fine world? Kling, kling! Schönes Ding! Ding, ding! Fair thing! Wie mir doch die Welt gefällt! Heia!” How the world delights me!” Und da fing im Sonnenschein And then, in the sunshine, Gleich die Welt zu funkeln an; the world suddenly began to glitter; Alles Ton und Farbe gewann everything gained sound and color Im Sonnenschein! in the sunshine! Blum’ und Vogel, groß und Klein! Flower and bird, great and small! “Guten Tag, “Good day, ist’s nicht eine schöne Welt? Is it not a fine world? Ei du, gelt? Schöne Welt!” Hey, isn’t it? A fair world?” Nun fängt auch mein Glück wohl an? Now will my happiness also begin? Nein, nein, das ich mein’, No, no – the happiness I mean Mir nimmer blühen kann! can never bloom! 3. Ich Hab Ein Gluhend Messer Ich hab’ ein glühend Messer, I have a red-hot knife, Ein Messer in meiner Brust, a knife in my breast. O weh! Das schneid’t so tief O woe! It cuts so deeply in jede Freud’ und jede Lust into every joy and delight. Ach, was ist das für ein böser Gast! Alas, what an evil guest it is! Nimmer hält er Ruh’, Never does it rest, nimmer hält er Rast, never does it relax, Nicht bei Tag, nich bei Nacht, not by day, not by night, wenn ich schlief! when I would sleep. O weh! O woe! Wenn ich den Himmel seh’, When I gaze up into the sky, Seh’ ich zwei blaue Augen stehn! I see two blue eyes there. O weh! Wenn ich im gelben Felde geh’, O woe! When I walk in the yellow field, Seh’ ich von fern das blonde Haar I see from afar her blond hair Im Winde weh’n! waving in the wind. O weh! O woe! Wenn ich aus dem Traum auffahr’ When I start from a dream Und höre klingen ihr silbern Lachen, and hear the tinkle of her silvery laugh, O weh! O woe! Ich wollt’, ich läg auf der I wish I could lay down on my Schwarzen Bahr’, black bier, Könnt’ nimmer die Augen aufmachen! Would that my eyes never open again! 4. Die Zwei Blauen Augen Die zwei blauen Augen The two blue eyes von meinem Schatz, of my darling Die haben mich in die they sent me into the weite Welt geschickt. wide world. Da mußt ich Abschied nehmen I had to take my leave of this vom allerliebsten Platz! most-beloved place! O Augen blau, O blue eyes warum habt ihr mich angeblickt why did you gaze on me? Nun hab’ ich ewig Leid und Grämen! Now I have eternal sorrow and grief. Ich bin ausgegangen I went out into the in stiller Nacht quiet night wohl über die dunkle Heide. well across the dark heath. Hat mir niemand Ade gesagt Ade! To me no one bade farewell. Mein Gesell’ war Lieb und Leide! My companions are love and sorrow! Auf der Straße stand ein Lindenbaum, By the road stood a linden tree, Da hab’ ich zum ersten Mal Where, for the first time, im Schlaf geruht! I found rest in sleep! Unter dem Lindenbaum, Under the linden tree Der hat seine Blüten that snowed its blossoms über mich geschneit, over me, Da wußt’ ich nicht, wie das Leben tut, I did not know how life went on, War alles, alles wieder gut! and all was well again! Alles! Alles, Lieb und Leid All! All, love and sorrow Und Welt und Traum! and world and dream!