Program for Jill Morgan Brenner – July 5, 2024
Friday, July 5, 2024 at 8 pm
download a copy of this program here.
the song texts and translations can be downloaded here.
An Evening of German Lied
Jill Morgan Brenner, soprano
Alexander Katsman, piano
Program
Franz Schubert (1797–1828)
Gretchen am Spinnrade
Richard Wagner (1813–1883)
Wesendonck Lieder
Der Engel
Stehe still!
Im Treibhaus
Schmerzen
Träume
Intermission
Alma Schindler-Mahler (1879–1964)
Ekstase
Der Erkennende
Lobgesang
Richard Strauss (1864–1949)
Vier letzte Lieder
Frühling
September
Beim Schlafengehen
Im Abendrot
About the music
Franz Schubert’s composition Gretchen am Spinnrade and his collection of around 600 other songs were groundbreaking, reshaping the Lied genre. Composed in October 1814, just before his eighteenth birthday, Gretchen am Spinnrade is one of Schubert’s most famous songs. It tells the story of Gretchen and her spinning emotion, as she sits and spins thread at a spinning wheel. The piano melodies mirror both the perpetual motion of the wheel and the bewildered, almost cyclical despair of her emotions.
The circumstances under which Richard Wagner composed his Wesendonck Lieder are nearly legendary. After seeking asylum with his wife at the Wesendonck estate in Zürich, Richard Wagner engaged in a passionate affair with Mathilde Wesendonck. This led to the composition of the Wesendonck Lieder in 1857 while working on the first act of Tristan und Isolde. While they were still in touch, Wagner wrote to Mathilde of their lieder series: “I have not written anything better than these songs and very few of my works will be remembered besides them.” Although history has contradicted his statement, the Wesendonck Lieder remains a captivating testament to Wagner’s intricate connections, showcasing the composer in his most vulnerable state. The songs were publicly performed in 1862 under the title “Five poems for a female voice.” It was only in 1902, after Mathilde’s death, that it became known that the text was hers.
Identified primarily as Alma Schindler-Mahler in her role as a composer, she composed most of her songs before marrying Gustav Mahler, with publications starting post-marriage in 1910. Despite this, Schindler-Mahler displayed a genuine dedication to composing at a young age, as evidenced by her diaries where she assessed potential suitors based on their support for her composition endeavors. Her decision to marry Mahler, who was significantly older, raises questions as he demanded she give up composing or end their engagement.
Similar to her peers Brahms and Berg, Schindler-Mahler initiated her compositional journey with songs and might have ventured into larger genres if circumstances had been more encouraging. It was a marital conflict that eventually led Gustav to acknowledge her creative talents and arrange for her works to be published. Throughout her life, she released three sets of songs: Fünf Lieder (1910), Vier Lieder (1915), and Fünf Gesänge (1924). Her diary indicates the presence of approximately forty unpublished songs mainly from 1898–1901, which include adaptations of works by Goethe, Rilke, Heine, and Falke in various cycles.
In 1948, Richard Strauss completed his Vier letzte Lieder (Four Last Songs), marking one of his final works. Comprising of four songs designed for soprano and orchestra, this piece is a standout amongst his extensive operatic and orchestral repertoire. The composition of Four Last Songs was sparked by Joseph von Eichendorff’s poem Im Abendrot (At Sunset), reflecting on an elderly couple watching the sun set together. At the age of 84, Strauss resonated with the poem’s contemplation of mortality, particularly in the poignant closing line, “Is this perhaps death?”
The remaining three songs, Frühling (Spring), September, and Beim Schlafengehen (When Falling Asleep), draw on poems by Hermann Hesse. These pieces share a common theme of embracing death with serenity, acceptance, and fulfillment. Following Strauss’s passing in September 1949, music publishers Boosey & Hawkes posthumously released them as Four Last Songs in 1950.
About the musicians
Hailed for her “vivid tone and expressive elegance” by the San Francisco Chronicle, dramatic soprano Jill Morgan Brenner channels a deep sense of connection to music and poetry, allowing her to communicate with conviction and nuance. Previous seasons include performances as Agar in Agar dans le Désert, Elektra in Strauss’ Elektra, Lady Macbeth in Verdi’s Macbeth, the title role in Ottorino Respighi’s Lucrezia, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, Countessa in Le nozze di Figaro, Julie in David Conte’s Firebird Motel, First Lady in Die Zauberflöte, Ottavia in L’incoronazione di Poppea.
She is a recipient of the Paul L. & Phyllis Wattis Foundation Scholarship and the Anna Freeland Memorial Prize. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Syracuse University’s Setnor School of Music and a Master of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. In addition to performing, she also maintains a private music studio.
Alexander Katsman, piano, has been sought after as a conductor, solo recitalist, collaborative pianist and opera coach. He is in his 25th year on the coaching staff at the San Francisco Conservatory. An alumnus of the San Francisco Opera’s Merola Program, Alex received his formal education in St. Petersburg, Russia. Alex’s conducting credits encompass over 90 opera, operetta, and musical theater productions including three by local composers: Three Decembers by Jake Heggie, The Gift of the Magi by David Conte and The Three Feathers by Lori Laitman. Currently he is a Music Director and Conductor at Livermore Valley Opera and Solo Opera. His most recent productions were highly-acclaimed Carlisle Floyd’s Of Mice and Men and Mozart’s The Magic Flute.