Virtual Schubertiad

[Alpha Centauri]

The idea of the "Schubertiad" - a salon evening devoted to singing and playing Schubert's music - used to be quite common, although this marvellous kind of event seems on the wane these days.

If you were putting a Schubertiad together today (ie without recourse to the artistes of yesteryear!) what kind of program would you plan?

Let's say that you have a beautiful and pleasant performing space, with a lovely grand piano, and to make it pleasantly intimate we can make the audience a maximum of 150 people. Let's say you have a "Festival" budget, but equally you don't want famous players sitting around for just one 3-minute piece. Will you choose song-cycles or individual songs? How will you group them - by theme, by poet, by contrasting mood?

What are you going to programme? What balance of instrumental music to vocal music?

And who would you like to be your performers?

[haydnguy]

Wow, you just piqued my interest Reiner! We have a place in our town that would be just perfect for something like that!

Probably HERE I would maybe "feature" a song cycle or two and then set up the rest with contrasting moods.

It's kinda too bad that Schubert never wrote any waltzes. Then everyone could dance! :sad2:

[Alpha Centauri]

Originally Posted by haydnguy

It's kinda too bad that Schubert never wrote any waltzes. Then everyone could dance! :sad2:

Well, he wrote quite a few Ländler (for piano/four hands) - they're like waltzes in most respects, and it's generally considered that the Ländler were the immediate antecedents of the waltz Wikipedia mentions that the "traditional" Ländler were in 3/4 time, with some heavy stomping required, along with some impromptu yodelling...

[Jeff]

Cool!!! This is something that certainly needs to take place again! I think I'd program some either chamber music or solo piano music, followed by a group of maybe 6-8 lieder. After some kind of short intermission in the music, I'd end the night either with Die Schoene Mullerin or Winterreisse..

All on period instruments, of course

[Alpha Centauri]

Originally Posted by Jeff

All on period instruments, of course

Sadly not everyone shares our love for the sound of the fortepiano, Jeff... I think quite a few people find it unpleasantly like a saloon piano in a spaghetti western

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UTXRFfGAb0"]Schubert - Arpeggione Sonata, played on an Arpeggione, with Fortepiano[/ame]

What a lovely sound Note the absence of a spike on the arpeggione