'Ständchen' by Schubert ~ Athens Recital ~ Jonathan Lasch, baritone & Spyros Souladakis, pianist

Schubert composed three major Song Cycles; Die schone Mullerin, Winterreise, and Schwanengesang. With Die schone Mullerin and Winterreise, Schubert took the song cycle medium that Beethoven started and greatly expanded upon it. These were essentially monodramas which told the story of a single character and their journey through multiple songs set to one poet. Schwanengesang, or Swan Song, was published in 1829 just a few months after Schubert’s death and was advertised as the composer’s third major song cycle by the publisher. However, this collection of songs was not a true cycle, as the poems came from three different poets; Ludwig Rellstab, Heinrich Heine, and Johann Seidl and the texts do not tell a continuous story. Schubert composed the first 13 of 14 songs in a single sitting on consecutive manuscript pages. Ständchen, or Serenade, is the fourth song from Schwanengesang and is quite possibly the most famous serenade ever written.

Serenade
Lightly flying my songs beckon
You through the night;
Down into the still forest,
Beloved, come to me!

Slender whispering trees are rustling
In the moonlight;
Do not fear the harsh intruders,
My dear.

Do you hear the nightingales singing?
Ah, they appeal to you,
With their sweet plaintive tones
They’re pleading for me.

They understand the heart’s yearning,
They know the pain of love,
They touch every feeling heart
With their silvery tones.

Let them move your heart too,
My darling, hear me!
Trembling, I await you!
Come, enrapture me.