Schubert "Premiere": Kosegarten Cycle - A Liederspiel Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford Saturday 11th September 1999 at 8.00pm This has been released on CD by Dogstar Records Ian Partridge, tenor Jennifer Bates, soprano Ruth Peel, mezzo soprano David Owen Norris, piano UK premiere of 20 settings of the poet Gotthard Ludwig Kosegarten performed as a song cycle. Investigation (by Morten Solvik) has shown that there are musical connections - especially the use of key areas and the persistence of certain motivic ideas - that make it clear that Schubert had constructed an elaborate, unified musical work spanning all 20 songs. The conclusion: that Schubert wrote a large scale collection of songs to a single poet in 1815, eight years before Die schöne Müllerin, long considered Schubert's first song cycle. Huldigung, D. 240 Alles um Liebe, D. 241 Von Ida, D. 228 Die Erscheinung, D. 229 Das Finden, D. 219 Idens Nachtgesang, D. 227 Die Sterne, D. 313 Nachtgesang, D. 314 Die Täuschung, D. 230 Das Sehnen, D. 231 Die Mondnacht, D. 238 Abends unter der Linde, D. 237 Das Abendrot, D. 236 Geist der Liebe, D. 233 Der Abend, D. 221 Idens Schwanenlied, D. 317 Schwanengesang, D. 318 Luisens Antwort, D. 319 An Rosa I, D. 315 An Rosa II, D. 316 The CD also features: Mignon, D. 321 Harfenspieler D. 478-480 Songs from Wilhelm Meister, D. 877

SCHUBERT: SPIRIT OF LOVE Ian Partridge (tenor), Jennifer Partridge (piano) Meridian CDE 84395 Available at Amazon.co.uk The Schubert songs on this disc are amongst my most favourite by this amazing composer. Geist der Liebe is full of energy and drama, whilst Wanderers Nachtlied manages to compress such poignancy within so few bars of music. The recurring theme in An die untergehende Sonne is hauntingly beautiful. In Geheimnis, the poet Mayrhofer seeks to explain the genius of his friend, Schubert, to portray all the aspects of nature in his wonderfully evocative settings. Ihr Bild, Das Fischermädchen, Liebesbotschaft and Die Taubenpost are four beautiful songs from his last year of composing, whilst Verklärung was written when Schubert was only 15. Im Frühling is arguably his finest song, and is like a set of variations. Listen for the clever way Schubert evokes the death knell in Der Jüngling auf dem Hügel, and to the wistfulness of Der Jüngling an der Quelle. Ian Partridge, 1998 Geist der Liebe Wanderers Nachtlied An den Mond (Füllest) Lachen und Weinen An die untergehende Sonne Der Fischer An den Mond (Geuss) Geheimnis Ihr Bild Das Fischermädchen Die Sterne Liebesbotschaft Litanei Geheimes Hoffnung Die Taubenpost An die Laute Im Frühling Der Jüngling auf dem Hügel Der Wanderer an den Mond Verklärung Minnelied Der Musensohn Der Jüngling an der Quelle