Gretchen Am Spinnrade-(Schubert) Lorna Kelly (Audio)

Lorna Kelly and (the late) Fortune Sorrell, live Lieder Concert 1984 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
(painting "The Kiss" by Josephine Wall, with kind permission to use this)
http://www.lornakelly.co.uk/

(Wikipedia
Gretchen is singing at her spinning wheel while thinking of Faust and all that he promises. The accompaniment mimics the spinning-wheel in constantly revolving semiquaver figurations in the right hand, the foot treadle back and forth in the left — speeding up and slowing down in response to the text, to show Gretchen's excitement or distraction. At the climax of the piece, the piano stops as Gretchen becomes overly distracted by the thought of Faust's kiss, and then only hesitatingly begins again as she realizes she has forgotten to keep spinning. Schubert ingeniously uses the piano to imitate the rhythmic repetition of the spinning wheel, perhaps mirroring either the hypnotic effect of temptation and the devil and/or love. The constancy of Gretchen's infatuation is alluded to not only by constancy of the spinning, but also by the repetition of the first stanza periodically throughout the song and the emphatic repetition of the final stanza three times.
Gretchen's beginning words (in German) are:
Meine Ruh ist hin
Mein Herz ist schwer
Ich finde, ich finde sie nimmer
und nimmermehr - in English...
My peace is gone,
My heart is heavy,
I will find it never
and never more.
Where I do not have him,
That is the grave,
The whole world
Is bitter to me.
My poor head
Is crazy to me,
My poor mind
Is torn apart.
For him only, I look
Out the window
Only for him do I go
Out of the house.
His tall walk,
His noble figure,
His mouth's smile,
His eyes' power,
And his mouth's
Magic flow,
His handclasp,
and ah! his kiss! My peace is gone,
My heart is heavy,
I will find it never
and never more.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Gretchen am Spinnrade
• Lieder
• Schubert
• Lorna Kelly

[teejied]

That's my mom on the piano. Thanks so much for putting this up.

[lornabegbie]

@teejied Hi, lovely to get this message! You were very little when we did that concert! Do you have any ties in Zimbabwe now? I have more songs with your mom and I, and if you like will upload them as well. She was a fantastic pianist, a dear friend and a lovely person! Do tell me a little about yourself...mail me at lorna.landed@gmail.com. Thanks!

[andiegirl43]

very beautiful!

[PATRICKoxoEthafulm]

this is the best recording i have heard of this song

[rainerh1938]

Hi Lorna, Gretchen sounds very young and the voice is beautiful. I think this is an interesting performance that is very much your own. Greetings from the Netherlands.