GRETCHEN AM SPINNRADE - Royal Palace Amsterdam - Paula Bär-Giese soprano & pianist

PAULA BAR-GIESE SOPRANO & PIANIST
High Quality QuickTime: http://web.me.com/hortense1/F._SCHUBERT_-_Gretchen_am_Spinnrade/Gretchen_am_S...
SCHEPENZAAL ROYAL PALACE AMSTERDAM
MEINCKE & PIETER MEIJER PIANO 1808

Gretchen am Spinnrade is a selection of text from Goethe's Faust. It was set to music by Schubert in 1814, op.2, D.118. A challenging work for both pianist and singer, Gretchen is singing at her spinning-wheel while thinking of Faust and all that he promises. The accompaniment mimics the spinning-wheel, speeding up and slowing down in response to the text, to show Gretchen's excitement or distraction. Schubert ingeniously uses the piano to imiate the rhythmic repetition of of the spinning wheel, perhaps mirroring either the hypnotic effect of temptation and the devil and/or love. The alliteration and rhyming are incomparable.

Magistrates' Chamber

The piano in the former Magistrates' Chamber, now the Throne Room, of the Royal Palace formed part of the furnishings and accessories that were installed in the Palace in 1808-1810, when King Louis Napoleon took up residence in what had previously been Amsterdam's Town Hall. Music was important at the court of Holland's French king—musicians were actually members of the Royal Household. Chamber music was played at intimate gatherings and light dance music at balls in the Grande Salle, the Citizens' Hall. In fact, there were several pianos in the Palace in the early nineteenth century, all of them manufactured either in France or the Netherlands. This rectangular table piano was made at the leading Amsterdam workshop of Meincke and Pieter Meyer. The Meyer brothers produced three pianos in all for Louis Napoleon, two of which were for the Palace in Dam Square. After completing the commission they were honoured with a Royal Warrant to call themselves Pianoforte Manufacturers by Appointment to Their Majesties.

Schepenzaal

In de Schepenzaal werd door de schout (Officier van Justitie en hoofd van de politie) en negen schepenen (rechters) van de stad Amsterdam recht gesproken.
Aan beide zijden van de zaal is een schoorsteen. Aan de zuidwand is er boven een schilderij van Ferdinand Bol met Mozes die met de tien geboden de berg Sinai afdaalt. Het marmeren fries onder het schilderij beeldt de aanbidding van het Gouden Kalf uit. Aan de noordzijde is een schilderij van Jurgen Ovens. Het beeldt de Gerechtigheid af met aan haar zijden Vrede en Voorzichtigheid.
Op twee middagen in de week vonden er in deze zaal huwelijksvoltrekkingen plaats. De architraaf onder de insteekkamer is daarom versierd met tortelduifjes en kinderkopjes.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Royal-Palace-Amsterdam
• Koninklijk-Paleis-Amsterdam
• Schubert
• GRETCHEN-AM-SPINNRADE
• Paula-Bar-Giese

[SissiStrakovinch]

I loved!

[Asfrandi]

che voce!

[Tchaca77]

Impressionante!

[figaro0127]

Wonderful