Schubertiade - Howard Arman, BR-Chor and Christina Landshamer sings Franz Schubert

In society music, or Gesellschaftsmusik, to which a large part of Franz Schubert's lied oeuvre belongs, polyphonic vocal compositions became very fashionable in around 1800 as part of bourgeois musical culture and communal singing. To describe Schubert's pieces for several male or female voices - some a cappella, some with piano or other instrumental accompaniment - as choral songs is not entirely accurate, however, since at the time they were usually sung by soloists. However, amateur choirs such as the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Vienna already existed and held regular concerts, and Schubert's polyphonic songs thus often came to the attention of a wider public more quickly than his solo songs performed in private circles. Society music had thus taken the step into the concert hall, and Schubert's name first appeared on a programme of the Musikfreunde on January 25, 1821.
Some of the composer’s best-known songs for men's or women's choir with piano are collected in this SCHUBERTIADE, including the gently swaying barcarole "Der Gondelfahrer", in which Schubert evokes the glitter of moonlight on the Venetian canals, or the "Ständchen", which was written as a birthday serenade. One of his five settings of Mignon's "Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt" from Goethe's Wilhelm Meister was written for five-part male choir – a special feature here among his polyphonic songs is that Mignon's tormented soul is expressed through a differentiated harmony and refined treatment of the text. A prominent position among Schubert’s religious pieces that were not intended for the church is occupied by "Mirjams Siegesgesang", where the male and female choirs finally unite and embody the Israelite people. The choir answers to a solo soprano as the precentor. This large-scale work depicts the exodus of the people of Israel from Egypt, with the prophetess Mirjam at their head; her three-movement hymn of praise leads into an impressive choral fugue.

These studio recordings, featuring the soloists Christina Landshamer, Merit Ostermann and Andrew Lepri Meyer, the Bavarian Radio Chorus conducted by Howard Arman, and the pianist Justus Zeyen, were made between July 20 and 23, 2021 in the Herkulessaal of the Munich Residenz. BR-KLASSIK will be releasing the new CD on February 4, 2022.
A grand piano from the piano manufactory of Sébastien Érard in Paris was used as the accompanying instrument for the recordings. In the 19th century, the instruments of this company were immensely popular in the salons of wealthy private individuals and were considered the epitome of bourgeois musical culture at that time. Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt and even Queen Victoria, among others, all owned Érard grand pianos. The instrument’s design and action exhibit a tonal closeness to the fortepiano of the Schubert era. The Érard is characterized by a clear but not percussive touch, well-balanced registers, a silvery treble as well as a profound and transparent bass - qualities which, both in terms of aesthetics and performance practice, make the grand piano the ideal accompaniment instrument for Schubert's choral songs, and successfully evoke the sound world of the Schubertiades.

Christina Landshamer, soprano
Merit Ostermann, alto
Andrew Lepri Meyer, tenor

Justus Zeyen, piano

Bavarian Radio Chorus
Howard Arman, Chorus Master

BR-KLASSIK CD 900528