Hugo Wolf - Michelangelo Lieder Nr 2 of 3

On September 20, 1897 Hugo Wolf was taken to Dr. Svetlins sanatorium in Vienna, and on February 22, 1903, he died there, insane, at the age of only 43. The last songs he wrote in March 1897, were the three Michelangelo Lieder. The settings of German translations by Robert-Tornow of the original poems of Michelangelo are for low voice. It goes without saying that the sculptor must sing bass, Wolf remarked. These are verses of retrospection, old age and resignation, with a streak of the pessimism of the ancients, contemplating the inevitable.

The second poem, "Alles endet, was entstehet", which was particularly close to Wolf's heart, is a fragment of a ballad a song of the dead, an inexorable utterance in the face of eternity, the cruel truth about the passing of all that is earthly. Wolf intended to use the title "Vanitas vanitatum" for the composition, which moves along slowly and steadily, and whose tonality of C sharp minor, from which there is no escape, is only briefly illuminated by a ray of light in F major, at the words of the dead "Menschen waren wir ja auch" (We also were human beings).

Above from program notes by Karl Schumann



Alles endet, was entstehet

Alles endet, was entstehet.
Alles, alles rings vergehet,
Denn die Zeit flieht, und die Sonne
Sieht, daß alles rings vergehet,
Denken, Reden, Schmerz, und Wonne;

Und die wir zu Enkeln hatten
Schwanden wie bei Tag die Schatten,
Wie ein Dunst im Windeshauch.
Menschen waren wir ja auch,
Froh und traurig, so wie ihr,

Und nun sind wir leblos hier,
Sind nur Erde, wie ihr sehet.
Alles endet, was entstehet.
Alles, alles rings vergehet.

Original poem by Michelangelo
German version by Walter Heinrich Robert-Tornow (1852-1895)



All that is created must end.
All that is around us passes away,
For time flies, and the sun
Sees, that everything passes away,
Thinking, talking, pain and joy;

And those we had as grandchildren
Vanished as does the day into shadows,
As does a vapor in a breath of wind.
We were human beings also
Happy and sad just like you,

And now we are lifeless here,
Are only earth as you can see.
All that is created must end.
All that is around us passes away.

English translation by FiDiTanzer528


Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (baritone)
Daniel Barenboim (piano)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• classical
• lieder
• Hugo
• Wolf
• Michelangelo
• Fischer-Dieskau
• Barenboim
• vocal
• baritone

[Hjadlowker]

Wonderful. Great job. I can't wait for No. 3 (Fühl meine Seele)...

[FiDiTanzer528]

Thank you so much. I had hoped to finish No. 3 today but that didn't happen. I'll be working on it this week though. I appreciate your interest.

[megansspark]

deeply affecting...great work on this

[FiDiTanzer528]

These songs are rather bleak. I love them though. Blame my winter mood.

[JanetteHeffernan]

Beautiful recording. Very moving!

[wangdasan]

God bless Herr Wolf. I feel for him after hearing these lieder.

[linow666]

Wolf is great, great. Every lieder is beautiful and amazing.

[Horusdragon]

Such a beautiful song! And such an honest sentiment.