A chorus of Nightingales
Robert Schumann and others compose Heine's "Dichterliebe"
Assaf Levitin Bass-Baritone and moderation
Dan Deutsch Piano

Robert Schumann's song-cycle "Dichterliebe" (The Poet's Love) is arguably one of the best examples in the music history of a perfect combination of text and musical setting. Schumann's fine selection of Heinrich Heine's texts from the latter's "Book of Songs", composed 1840, was Immediately recognized as a masterpiece, setting a new benchmark for the art song, opening new horizons that exceed Schubert's works, and in many respects predict Gustav Mahler.

During the process of learning Schumann's monumental work, I've asked myself: who else might have composed the same texts? I already knew that Heinrich Heine was the most composed poet in any language worldwide till the present time (only the Bible was composed more often). Who else might have tried to compose the texts selected by Schumann, and how very different from Schumann's those compositions might be?

I've come across an incredible amount of songs, sufficient for maybe 10 recitals. And so I had to restrict myself to composers who are still known to us, and to songs which I found worthy of being rediscovered. The short-list includes Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Modest Mussorgsky, Charles Ives, Hugo Wolf, Giaccomo Meyerbeer, Eduard Grieg and many others.
I then went again to libraries and archives in order to find out the stories behind the compositions. I was interested in the connection between Heinrich Heine and the composers who set his poetry to music, and again - I found much more than I could fit in a single evening. I really had to restrain myself to the most essential and most interesting.

My program "A Chorus of Nightingales" (the name is based on a line in Heine's 2nd song, referring to the big number of the world's finest composers who set Heine's texts to music) brings songs and stories relating to them, side by side with Schumann's original "Dichterliebe".

The program was part of the cultural program of the central council of Jews in Germany, and was also booked by the Israeli Heine Association in Tel Aviv for this year's event commemorating Heine's 212th birthday.

total duration of the concert (including a short intermission): about 1 hour 40 minutes. The Moderation is possible in English, German or Hebrew

The Repertoire (Listen to samples by clicking on the right upper side of the page):

1. Im wunderschönen Monat Mai
Robert Schumann (1810-1856), Robert Franz (1815-1892)

2. Aus meinen Tränen spriessen

Robert Schumann (1810-1856), Modest Mussorgski (1839-1881)

3. Die Rose, die Lilie, die Taube, die Sonne

Robert Schumann, Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791-1864)

4. Wenn ich in deine Augen seh'

Robert Schumann , Hugo Wolf (1860-1903)

5. Ich will meine Seele tauchen
Robert Schumann, Robert Franz

6. Im Rhein, im schönen Strome
Robert Franz, Franz Liszt (1811-1886), Robert Schumann

7. Ich grolle nicht
Robert Schumann, Charles Edward Ives (1874-1954)

8. Und wüßten's die Blumen

Fanny Hensel (1805-1847), Robert Schumann

9. Das ist ein Flöten und Geigen
Robert Schumann

10. Hör' ich das Liedchen klingen

Edvard Grieg (1843-1907), Robert Franz, Robert Schumann

11. Ein Jüngling liebt ein Mädchen
Robert Schumann

12. Am leuchtenden Sommermorgen
Robert Schumann, Robert Franz, Fanny Hensel

13. Ich hab' im Traum geweinet

Robert Schumann, Carl Loewe (1796-1869), Robert Franz

14. Allnächtlich im Traume seh' ich dich
Robert Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847)

15. Aus alten Märchen winkt es
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)

16. Die alten, bösen Lieder
Robert Schumann