Dichterliebe is one of Schumann’s most beloved works. This song cycle, based on texts by the German poet Heinrich Heine, tells the story of a young man who loses himself in his feelings, first ecstatically in love, later deeply disappointed. Baritone Raoul Steffani, one of today’s greatest singing talents and 2023 winner of the prestigious Dutch Music Prize, and pianist Severin von Eckardstein perform the original version as Schumann wrote it in 1840.

Heine published his Lyrisches Intermezzo in 1827 as part of his Buch der Lieder. The collection consists of a series of short, romantic and sometimes ironic poems. Schumann chose twenty poems from it but did not initially find a publisher. In the following years he deleted four songs, made a considerable number of changes, after which it was published as Dichterliebe. In this recital, the original and complete version as conceived by Schumann in 1840 is heard for the first time. The original mood of Heine’s texts – a mixture of longing, happiness, sadness and sarcasm – is beautifully reflected in the songs.

Before intermission, Severin von Eckardstein will play another famous and beloved work by Schumann: Waldszenen, nine short piano pieces that take you on an imaginary walk through a forest.

Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Waldszenen
Dichterliebe (oorspronkelijke versie: Lyrisches Intermezzo)