BENJAMIN APPL / JAMES BAILLIEU
To mark the centenary of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau's birth, Benjamin Appl set off in the footsteps of his mentor to create a concert in the form of a tribute, combining works dear to the Master with anecdotes and excerpts from letters, revealed to the world for the first time in an original way.
Programme
Works by Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf, Fischer-Dieskau, Britten, Barber, Walter…
FIRST ENCOUNTER
FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
Der Musensohn D. 764
Auf dem Strom D. 943 (with A. Kobekina)
CHILDHOOD IN BERLIN
ALBERT FISCHER-DIESKAU (1865-1937)
Sesenheim: Heidenröslein
KLAUS FISCHER-DIESKAU (1921-1994)
Nocturne I (excerpt) Op. 1 No. 1
Aus Schmerzen und Freuden geboren Op. 22 No. 1 (with A. Kobekina)
YOUTH AND FIRST STEPS AS A SINGER
JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Wie bist du meine Königin Op. 32 No. 9
WAR TIMES AND BEING A SOLDIER 1944/45
HUGO WOLF (1860-1903)
Andenken
ARIBERT REIMANN (1936-2024)
Tenebrae
PRISONER OF WAR 1945-1947
CHRISTIAN SINDING (1856-1941)
Sylvelin op. 55 No. 1
PIOTR ILYITCH TCHAÏKOVSKI (1840-1893)
Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt Op. 6 No. 6
EDUARD KÜNNEKE (1885-1953)
Ich bin nur ein armer Wandergesell
RETURN TO BERLIN 1947
HANNS EISLER (1898-1962)
Die Heimkehr
EDVARD GRIEG (1843-1907)
Der Traum
Interval
FIRST STEPS OF A WORLD CAREER
JOHANNES BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Vier ernste Gesänge Op. 121
- Denn es gehet dem Menschen wie dem Vieh
- Ich wandte mich, und sahe an
- O Tod, wie bitter bist du
- Wenn ich mit Menschen
SONG ACCOMPANISTS AND FRIENDS
FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
An mein Klavier D. 342
SAMUEL BARBER (1910-1981)
A Green Lowland of Pianos Op. 45 No. 2
BENJAMIN BRITTEN (1913-1976)
Proverb III Op. 74 No. 5
LOSS OF HIS FIRST WIFE IRMEL 1963
CARL LOEWE (1796-1869)
Süßes Begräbnis Op. 62 No. 4
DEATH OF MOTHER THEODORA 1966
MANNS EISLER (1898-1962)
Mutterns Hände
MARITAL LIFE (Ruth Leuwerik 1965-1967 // Kristina Pugell 1968-1975 // Julia Varady 1977-2012)
FRANZ GROTHE (1908-1982)
Excerpt from film music of Vater braucht eine Frau (1952)
FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
Liebhaber in allen Gestalten D. 558
CLARA SCHUMANN (1819-1896)
Liebst du um Schönheit Op. 12 No. 2
EPILOGUE
CARL MARIA VON WEBER (1786-1826)
Meine Lieder, meine Sänger Op. 15 No. 1
FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
Litanei auf das Fest Allerseelen D. 343
An die Musik D. 547
Distribution
- Benjamin Appl baritone
- Anastasia Kobekina cello
- James Baillieu piano
- James Garnon narrator
Benjamin Appl met Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau first in Austria in the summer of 2009. Artistic love was immediate for the two artists. Appl learned from the master the secrets of interpretation and how to embody the narrator’s voice, a mastery made Fischer-Dieskau’s recordings so famous, but Appl also discovered how to be a complete artist, perfecting his stage presence and the framework of his concerts, understanding how to construct his recitals dramaturgically, so as always to hold the audience spellbound. Benjamin Appl was still with Fischer-Dieskau a few weeks before the master’s death. So, for the centenary of his birth, the German baritone wanted to pay tribute to this immense artist, of whom he is surely one of the most natural heirs. Over and above the myth, Appl has carried out genuine research, having had access to the master’s private documents, and dissecting his correspondence and tour memories. This tribute concert will reveal personal anecdotes and extracts from the master’s letters, while Benjamin Appl will perform the most essential pieces in Fischer-Dieskau’s repertoire.