Schumann & Heine
- Introduction
Heine's Prolog
The Songs
The Genesis of the Cycle
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Schumann & Heine: The Original "Dichterliebe"
When Thomas Hampson set about to prepare his first performance of Robert Schumann's "Dichterliebe", a cycle of songs based on poems by Heinrich Heine, he decided to consult the composer's manuscript, only to find, to his surprise, that the original version, entitled "20 Lieder und Gesänge aus dem 'Lyrischen Intermezzo'", was a completely distinctive work containing numerous musical and textual differences. Intrigued by the changes which had occurred between Schumann's composing his "great Heine cycle" in 1840 and its eventual publication in the shortened, altered version now familiar as "Dichterliebe" in 1844, Hampson, together with musicologist Renate Hilmar-Voit, began a detective hunt which led to the world premiere performances and recording of the original version, as well as to the publication of a critical edition by Universal Wien.
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