http://www.wgbh.org/ WGBH Content Relevant to the Topic of: Vocal Music RSS en-us Sun, 26 May 2013 00:00:00 EST Thu, 10 Jan 2013 12:46 PM +0000 http://www.wgbh.org//programs/The-Bach-Hour--Classical-New-England-803/episodes/Tackling-the-Enigmatic-Fourth-Cello-Suite-43531 translation).

On-demand at Classical New England
]]> http://www.wgbh.org//programs/The-Bach-Hour--Classical-New-England-803/episodes/Tackling-the-Enigmatic-Fourth-Cello-Suite-43531 Thu, 04 Oct 2012 22:51 PM +0000 http://www.wgbh.org//programs/The-Bach-Hour--Classical-New-England-803/episodes/Pianist-Ramin-Bahrami-and-the-Cantata-No-69a-41570 Lobe den Herrn, meine, Seele (translation).

On-demand at Classical New England
]]> http://www.wgbh.org//programs/The-Bach-Hour--Classical-New-England-803/episodes/Pianist-Ramin-Bahrami-and-the-Cantata-No-69a-41570 Thu, 13 Sep 2012 08:52 AM +0000 http://www.wgbh.org//programs/The-Bach-Hour--Classical-New-England-803/episodes/The-Brilliance-of-Cantata-No-51-24917 Jauchzet Gott (translation) in concert at Unser Lieben Frauen Church in Bremen, Germany.

On-demand at Classical New England
]]> http://www.wgbh.org//programs/The-Bach-Hour--Classical-New-England-803/episodes/The-Brilliance-of-Cantata-No-51-24917 Wed, 12 Sep 2012 20:47 PM +0000 http://www.wgbh.org//articles/The-Ring-Wagners-Genius-Through-the-Prism-of-Our-Time-7143 Ring cycle continues from the Met, as the hero arrives, with Jay Hunter Morris in the title role.

Tonight at 9pm on WGBH 2
]]> http://www.wgbh.org//articles/The-Ring-Wagners-Genius-Through-the-Prism-of-Our-Time-7143 Sat, 08 Sep 2012 13:49 PM +0000 http://www.wgbh.org//programs/The-Bach-Hour--Classical-New-England-803/episodes/Collegium-Vocale-in-Concert-from-Lausanne-41060 translation), in concert at the Lausanne Bach Festival in Switzerland.

On-demand at Classical New England
]]> http://www.wgbh.org//programs/The-Bach-Hour--Classical-New-England-803/episodes/Collegium-Vocale-in-Concert-from-Lausanne-41060 Wed, 08 Aug 2012 08:54 AM +0000 http://www.wgbh.org//programs/The-Bach-Hour--Classical-New-England-803/episodes/Bach-in-the-Berkshires-40596 Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied (translation) in a celebration of Bach's music at Tanglewood.

On-demand at Classical New England
]]> http://www.wgbh.org//programs/The-Bach-Hour--Classical-New-England-803/episodes/Bach-in-the-Berkshires-40596 Fri, 03 Aug 2012 16:59 PM +0000 http://www.wgbh.org//programs/Arias-and-Barcarolles-1515/episodes/Chopin-Liszt-and-Szymanowski-40534 Songs of a Fairy-Tale Princess.

On-demand at Classical New England
]]> http://www.wgbh.org//programs/Arias-and-Barcarolles-1515/episodes/Chopin-Liszt-and-Szymanowski-40534 Thu, 02 Aug 2012 22:16 PM +0000 http://www.wgbh.org//995/bso.cfm Don Quichotte à Dulcinée, with conductor Lorin Maazel.

Tonight at 8pm on Classical New England
]]> http://www.wgbh.org//995/bso.cfm Fri, 27 Jul 2012 16:21 PM +0000 http://www.wgbh.org//programs/The-Bach-Hour--Classical-New-England-803/episodes/Concerto-for-Three-Violins-and-Cantata-No-178-40408 translation).

On-demand at Classical New England
]]> http://www.wgbh.org//programs/The-Bach-Hour--Classical-New-England-803/episodes/Concerto-for-Three-Violins-and-Cantata-No-178-40408 Mon, 23 Jul 2012 12:53 PM +0000 http://www.wgbh.org//programs/Arias-and-Barcarolles-1515/episodes/Remembering-Shirley-Verrett-40340
On-demand at Classical New England
]]> http://www.wgbh.org//programs/Arias-and-Barcarolles-1515/episodes/Remembering-Shirley-Verrett-40340 Tue, 17 Jul 2012 21:06 PM +0000 http://www.wgbh.org//programs/Arias-and-Barcarolles-1515/episodes/Evelyn-Lear-Sings-Strauss-40236
On-demand at Classical New England
]]> http://www.wgbh.org//programs/Arias-and-Barcarolles-1515/episodes/Evelyn-Lear-Sings-Strauss-40236 Mon, 09 Jul 2012 11:19 AM +0000 http://www.wgbh.org//programs/The-Bach-Hour--Classical-New-England-803/episodes/Andreas-Scholls-Cantata-No-170-and-Albrecht-Mayers-Oboe-Concerto-40103 translation).
On-demand at Classical New England
]]> http://www.wgbh.org//programs/The-Bach-Hour--Classical-New-England-803/episodes/Andreas-Scholls-Cantata-No-170-and-Albrecht-Mayers-Oboe-Concerto-40103 Fri, 29 Jun 2012 17:59 PM +0000 http://www.wgbh.org//programs/Arias-and-Barcarolles-1515/episodes/Voices-from-Canada-39919
Sunday at 6pm on Classical New England
]]> http://www.wgbh.org//programs/Arias-and-Barcarolles-1515/episodes/Voices-from-Canada-39919 Thu, 07 Jun 2012 13:17 PM +0000 http://www.wgbh.org//programs/The-Bach-Hour--Classical-New-England-803/episodes/Cantata-No-75-with-Emmanuel-Music-39204 translation), the first work Bach wrote for his adopted hometown.

On-demand at Classical New England
]]> http://www.wgbh.org//programs/The-Bach-Hour--Classical-New-England-803/episodes/Cantata-No-75-with-Emmanuel-Music-39204 Sat, 26 May 2012 11:17 AM +0000 http://www.wgbh.org//articles/Dietrich-Fischer-Dieskaus-Winter-Journey-6325 Winterreise (translation), with pianist Gerald Moore.

On-demand at Classical New England
]]> http://www.wgbh.org//articles/Dietrich-Fischer-Dieskaus-Winter-Journey-6325 When Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau died on May 18, the world lost a towering figure who changed his artform forever. While he sang in larger forms (including the world premiere of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem) and opera, it was in the art of lieder that Fischer-Dieskau had his greatest impact.

Art songs challenge performers in the same way the short story form challenges writers: the juxtapositions of character and dramatic arc demand attention to the subtlest of details. But unlike literature, and as with all forms of music, that attention has to be executed in real time. This is where Fischer-Dieskau was in a class of his own.

His ability wasn't just special in its quality, though. Because of the age in which he lived, technological advancements in recording allowed him to reach a wider audience than any lieder singer ever had before. His body of recordings no doubt changed the musical landscape forever.

He recorded Winterreise (Winter's Journey), one of Franz Schubert's most heart-wrenching and powerful pieces, numerous times, and it's my pleasure to bring you his 1972 account with pianist Gerald Moore. You can listen to each episode of Arias and Barcarolles below (with translation of the text, if you like). I invite you to also watch the video of the final song from Winterreise, from a performance with pianist Alfred Brendel:

Hear Part 1

Hear Part 2

Hear Part 3

]]> Fri, 18 May 2012 14:02 PM +0000 http://www.wgbh.org//programs/Arias-and-Barcarolles-1515/episodes/The-Depth-of-Wagner-and-the-Lightness-of-Faur-38755 Wesendonck-Lieder, and Jean-François Lapointe sings songs by Fauré.

On-demand at Classical New England
]]> http://www.wgbh.org//programs/Arias-and-Barcarolles-1515/episodes/The-Depth-of-Wagner-and-the-Lightness-of-Faur-38755 Fri, 18 May 2012 08:50 AM +0000 http://www.wgbh.org//articles/Dietrich-Fischer-Dieskau-1925-2012-6268 ]]> http://www.wgbh.org//articles/Dietrich-Fischer-Dieskau-1925-2012-6268 Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau: the name practically defines the art of singing lieder. Throughout the second half of the 20th century, Fischer-Dieskau sang opera and was one of the most respected teachers of his time. But as a singer of art songs by Schubert, Schumann, and Wolf, his performances and recordings were simply in a category all their own.

Fischer-Dieskau died on Friday morning, May 18, just 10 days shy of his 87th birthday. Born in Berlin in 1925, he was drafted into the Wehrmacht in 1943 and was captured by Allied forces in 1945. Following the war, he returned to the study of music and embarked on a remarkable career.

He was one of those rare musicians who transcended the formal techniques of performance to utterly and absolutely inhabit the music he sang. While that phenomenon can lead to incredible performances on the opera stage, it is art song, or lieder, with its lack of contextual scenery, broad narrative, and supporting production, that is arguably the greatest challenge for a singer. In this arena, Fischer-Dieskau had no peer, demonstrating an ability, through tone color and physical expression, to shift voices and characters in an instant.

Here is one example of his work. Franz Schubert's heartbreaking Erlkönig depends on the singer's ability to communicate the gravity of the narrator, the concern and protectiveness of the father of a young boy, that young boy's terror at his visions, and the evil seductiveness of the Erl-king.

]]> Thu, 17 May 2012 13:20 PM +0000 http://www.wgbh.org//programs/The-Bach-Hour--Classical-New-England-803/episodes/The-Ascension-Oratorio-38706 translation), and Peter Sykes and Mahan Esfahani perform a harpsichord concerto.

On-demand at Classical New England
]]> http://www.wgbh.org//programs/The-Bach-Hour--Classical-New-England-803/episodes/The-Ascension-Oratorio-38706 Thu, 10 May 2012 22:21 PM +0000 http://www.wgbh.org//programs/The-Bach-Hour--Classical-New-England-803/episodes/Trevor-Pinnock-in-Boston-38547 translation).

On-demand at Classical New England
]]> http://www.wgbh.org//programs/The-Bach-Hour--Classical-New-England-803/episodes/Trevor-Pinnock-in-Boston-38547 Fri, 04 May 2012 18:52 PM +0000 http://www.wgbh.org//programs/Arias-and-Barcarolles-1515/episodes/The-World-of-Schubert-38371
On-demand at Classical New England
]]> http://www.wgbh.org//programs/Arias-and-Barcarolles-1515/episodes/The-World-of-Schubert-38371