chamberMichael Collins & Friendswith Ailish Tynan and Malcolm MartineauSchubert OctetShepherd on the Rock

Michael Collins & FriendsRecorded live at Wigmore Hall, London, on 14 October 2006

FRANZ SCHUBERT01 Der Hirt auf dem Felsen D. 965 12.24

The Shepherd on the Rock

Ailish Tynan sopranoMalcolm Martineau pianoMichael Collins clarinet

FRANZ SCHUBERTOctet in F major D. 803 61.33

02 Adagio — Allegro 14.5203 Adagio 11.3804 Allegro vivace 06.2905 Andante 11.3206 Menuetto: Allegretto 06.5407 Andante molto — Allegro 10.01

Michael Collins clarinetIsabelle van Keulen violinPeter Brunt violinLars Anders Tomter violaDaniel Müller-Schott celloPeter Riegelbauer double bassMartin Owen hornRobin O’Neill bassoon

Total time: 73.59

WHLive0017Made & Printed in England

b67551.qxd 06/06/2007 18:02 Page 12

11

Chamber music on Wigmore Hall Live

Available from all good record shops and from www.wigmore-hall.org.uk/live

NASH ENSEMBLEBeethoven Clarinet Trio in B flatMendelssohn OctetWHLive0001

ARDITTI QUARTETNancarrow String Quartet No. 3Ligeti String Quartet No. 2Dutilleux String Quartet ‘Ainsi la nuit’WHLive0003

ACADEMY OF ANCIENT MUSICConcerti and Concerti Grossi by

Handel, J S Bach and VivaldiWHLive0005

NASH ENSEMBLESchumann MärchenerzählungenMoscheles Fantasy, Variations & FinaleBrahms Clarinet Quintet in B minorWHLive0007

KOPELMAN QUARTETSchubert String Quartet in D minor,

‘Death and the Maiden’

Tchaikovsky String Quartet in E flat minorWHLive0010

YSAŸE QUARTETDebussy String Quartet in G minor, Stravinsky Concertino; Three PiecesFauré String Quartet Op. 121WHLive0012

FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797–1828)Der Hirt auf dem Felsen D. 965 (1828)According to Schubert’s lifelong friend Josef von Spaun, ‘Der Hirt auf dem Felsen’

was composed ‘at the request of the opera singer Anna Milder for her shortly before

his death’. Milder had been the first Leonore in Beethoven’s Fidelio. Schubert wasonly eight years old when that première took place, but some five years later Spaun

took him to see Milder in Iphigénie en Tauride. It was in Gluck that her dramatictalents were displayed at their most striking, and Spaun later described Schubert as

having been overwhelmed by the experience: ‘He said that Milder’s voice pierced

his heart, and Iphigenia’s aria with female chorus in the second Act was the most

beautiful thing he had ever heard.’

Within a decade Schubert’s own songs were sufficiently well known for Anna

Milder to make contact with him. She first wrote to him on 12 December 1824:During my stay in Vienna Herr [Johann] Schickh promised me I should havethe pleasure of making your personal acquaintance. I waited in vain, andunfortunately had to leave without my wish being granted. Allow me to tell you inwriting how very much your songs delight me, and how much enthusiasm theyarouse in the public when I perform them myself. All this makes me so bold asto send you a poem which I implore you, if the muse allows you, to compose forme. You would make me enormously happy with it; and inasmuch as I shouldwish to perform it in concerts I will allow myself only to ask you to make thecomposition suitable for a large audience.

From a second letter Milder sent Schubert some three months later, we know that

the poem she enclosed was ‘Der Jüngling und der Nachtschmetterling’ (‘The youth

and the night butterfly’) by Karl Gottfried von Leitner, whose ‘Drang in die Ferne’

Schubert had recently set to music. (He composed several further songs to texts by

Leitner in 1827.) Schubert did not take up Milder’s invitation to set ‘Der Jünglingund der Nachtschmetterling’, but on 9 June 1825 she gave the first performance of‘Suleika II’ (‘Ach um deine feuchten Schwingen’), and when the song appeared in

print shortly afterwards it bore a dedication to her. Milder described its effect to

Schubert:

Zuleika’s second song is heavenly and brings me to tears every time. It isindescribable: you have brought all possible magic and longing to it, as in

2

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Zuleika’s first song and in ‘Geheimes’. It is only a pity that all these endlessbeauties cannot be sung in public, as the masses unfortunately only want thingsthat are easy on the ear [Ohrenschmaus]. Should ‘Nachtschmetterling’ perhapsnot be suitable for the creation of more brilliant music for voice, I would ask youto choose another poem instead, and if possible by Goethe, which could be sungin various tempi, thereby presenting several different feelings.

Milder’s request for a song containing different tempi and emotions may make us

wonder if it was she who assembled the texts for ‘Der Hirt auf dem Felsen’. The bulk

of the setting is based on two poems by Wilhelm Müller, the author of Die schöneMüllerin and Winterreise; but it also incorporates some lines that have been attri-buted to Helmina von Chézy, who made something of a speciality out of supplying

poor libretti for great composers (she was the author of both Weber’s Euryanthe andSchubert’s Rosamunde). ‘Der Hirt auf dem Felsen’ may have been Schubert’s verylast composition, though it is possible that it preceded Johann Seidl’s ‘Die

Taubenpost’, also written in October 1828. It was first performed by Anna Milder, ata concert she gave in Riga in March 1830.

Like Schubert’s other song with an obbligato instrumental part – his setting of

Rellstab’s ‘Auf dem Strom’ for tenor, horn and piano – ‘Der Hirt auf dem Felsen’

begins with a substantial introduction before the voice enters. In its dramatic

opening bars the piano sets up the expectation of a work that is to be in the key of

G minor. However, with the clarinet’s almost imperceptible entrance on a long-held

note overlapping with the final chord of the piano’s opening paragraph, the music

glides effortlessly into the actual home key of B! major, for an anticipation of thetheme of the song’s first section. The melody itself, sung by the shepherd as he

looks down into the valley far below, from which his voice echoes, is written in

yodelling style. The further his voice penetrates, the more brightly its sound seems

to come back to him – and Schubert underlines the change in colour through a

modulation that takes the music from the ‘flatter’ region of G! major to the brightersound of D major. From there, it slips back into B!, in a manner forcibly reminiscentof the introduction’s opening bars.

The music’s mood, and with it the figuration of the piano accompaniment,

undergoes a notable change, as the shepherd dwells on the loneliness of the

life he leads. (The gently ‘rocking’ piano part here may remind us of Schubert’s

3

AILISH TYNAN

Ailish Tynan was born in Mullingar, Ireland, and studied

at Trinity College, the Royal Irish Academy of Music

and the Guildhall School of Music Opera School. The

recipient of many awards, in 2003 Ailish representedIreland in the BBC Singer of the World Competition,

winning the BBC Singer of the World Rosenblatt Recital

Prize and also became a BBC New Generation Artist.

As a former Vilar Young Artist for The Royal Opera her

roles included Papagena (Die Zauberflöte), First Niece(Peter Grimes) and Xenia (Boris Godunov). Recentengagements include Ännchen (Der Freischütz) at theEdinburgh Festival, Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Valen-cienne (The Merry Widow) for Welsh National Opera, and Marzelline (Fidelio) for TheRoyal Opera. Ailish has also appeared at the BBC Proms with Sir Roger Norrington.

Ailish has performed at Wigmore Hall, St Luke’s, St John’s Smith Square, and at

many prestigious festivals, as well as for BBC Radio 3.

MALCOLM MARTINEAU

Malcolm Martineau was born in Edinburgh, read Music at St Catharine’s College,

Cambridge and studied at the Royal College of Music. He has presented his own

concert-series at St John’s Smith Square (the complete songs of Debussy and

Poulenc), at Wigmore Hall (a Britten series broadcast by the BBC) and at the

Edinburgh Festival (the complete lieder of Hugo Wolf).

Recognized as one of the leading accompanists of

his generation he has worked with many of the world’s

greatest singers. He accompanied at masterclasses at the

Britten–Pears School in Aldeburgh for Dame Joan

Sutherland, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Suzanne Danco and

Ileana Cotrubas. His many recordings include recitals

with Bryn Terfel, Simon Keenlyside, Angela Gheorghiu,

Barbara Bonney and Susan Graham. He was awarded an

honorary doctorate at the Royal Scottish Academy of

Music and Drama in 2004.

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whom he performed many times in their trio with Stephen Hough; his long-standing

relationship with The Nash Ensemble, much of it centred on Wigmore Hall and with

whom he first performed Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, one of his mostloved works; a performance with the Takács Quartet which featured the Mozart and

Brahms clarinet quintets, so rarely performed together. Finally, Wigmore Hall has of

course been central to the two decades of Michael’s own ensemble, London Winds.

It retains a special place in the Winds’ activities as one of the few venues that is

sufficiently flexible to take the full spectrum of their repertoire, from the core quintet

works to Mozart’s monumental Gran Partita for thirteen winds. Fittingly, the guests in this autumn 2006 residency were some of Michael

Collins’ most regular collaborators, whilst London Winds provided the backbone

of the programming. This recording features concerto soloists of international

repute such as Isabelle van Keulen and Daniel Müller-Schott alongside principalsof world class orchestras: Peter Riegelbauer, a member of the Berlin Philharmonicand of the illustrious Scharoun Ensemble; Robin O’Neill of the Philharmonia (anda founder member of London Winds); Lars Anders Tomter – co-director of theRisor Chamber Music Festival and a renowned concerto soloist; Martin Owen of theRoyal Philharmonic Orchestra; and Peter Brunt, concertmaster of the AmsterdamSinfonietta and a guest concertmaster for orchestras such as the Rotterdam

Philharmonic and Kammerorchester Basel.

9

Produced by Andrew Keener

Engineered by Simon Eadon; Assistant Engineer: Hugh Walker

Recorded live at Wigmore Hall, London, 14 October 2006

Director: John Gilhooly

Wigmore Hall Live — General Manager: Helen Peate; Head of Sales and Marketing: Claire Hargrove

Front Photograph by Marcel Moré

Photograph of Michael Collins on page 8 by Castle Studios

Photograph of Ailish Tynan on page 10 by Sussie Ahlburg

Photograph of Malcolm Martineau on page 10 by Sussie Ahlburg

Manufactured by Repeat Performance Multimedia, London

famous setting of Rellstab’s ‘Ständchen’ from Schwanengesang, composed justa few weeks earlier.) But with the thought that spring is just around the corner

the atmosphere lightens again, for a closing section in a quicker tempo and a

different metre.

Der Hirt auf dem Felsen D. 965 (1828) The shepherd on the rockWenn auf dem höchsten Fels ich steh’, When I stand on the highest rock,

In’s tiefe Tal hernieder seh’, Look down into the deep valley

Und singe, And sing,

Fern aus dem tiefen dunkeln Tal From far away in the deep dark valley

Schwingt sich empor der Widerhall der Klüfte. The echo from the ravines rises up.

Je weiter meine Stimme dringt, The further my voice carries,

Je heller sie mir wieder klingt The clearer it echoes back to me

Von unten. From below.

Mein Liebchen wohnt so weit von mir, My sweetheart lives so far from me,

Drum sehn’ ich mich so heiß nach ihr Therefore I long so to be with her

Hinüber. Over there.

In tiefem Gram verzehr ich mich, Deep grief consumes me,

Mir ist die Freude hin, My joy has fled,

Auf Erden mir die Hoffnung wich, All earthly hope has vanished,

Ich hier so einsam bin. I am so lonely here.

So sehnend klang im Wald das Lied, The song rang out so longingly through the wood,

So sehnend klang es durch die Nacht, Rang out so longingly through the night,

Die Herzen es zum Himmel zieht That it draws hearts to heaven

Mit wunderbarer Macht. With wondrous power.

Der Frühling will kommen, Spring is coming,

Der Frühling, meine Freud’, Spring, my joy,

Nun mach’ ich mich fertig I shall now make ready

Zum Wandern bereit. To journey.

(Wilhelm Müller 1794–1827; stanzas 5–6 by Helmina von Chézy 1783–1856)

English translation by Richard Stokes, from The Book of Lieder – the original texts of over1000 songs, chosen, translated and introduced by Richard Stokes, with a foreword by IanBostridge, published by Faber and Faber, 2005; with thanks to George Bird, co-author ofthe Fischer-Dieskau Book of Lieder, published by Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1976.

4

b67551.qxd 06/06/2007 18:02 Page 4

FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797–1828)Octet in F major D. 803 (1824)Adagio — Allegro

Adagio

Allegro vivace

Andante

Menuetto: Allegretto

Andante molto — Allegro

‘I have composed 2 quartets for violins, viola & violoncello, and an octet, andintend to write another quartet’, Schubert told his friend Leopold Kupelwieser in an

often-quoted letter of 31 March 1824. ‘Altogether, in this way I intend to pave theway towards the grand symphony. The latest in Vienna is that Beethoven is giving a

concert in which he is having his new symphony [No. 9], three movements from hisnew Mass and a new overture [The Consecration of the House] performed. Godwilling, I am also thinking of giving a similar concert in the coming year.’

It was not by chance that Schubert evoked Beethoven’s name in connection

with his own long-thwarted symphonic ambitions. He was far too timid ever to

approach that awe-inspiring figure himself, but by making contacts within the great

composer’s circle he hoped to advance his own cause. He duly dedicated the first

of his 1824 string quartets to the leader of the famous Schuppanzigh Quartet,the ensemble closely associated with Beethoven’s quartets. The following year

Schubert’s first published piano sonata appeared with a dedication to Beethoven’s

pupil and principal patron, Archduke Rudolph of Austria. As for the Octet mentioned

in Schubert’s letter to Leopold Kupelwieser, it was commissioned by the Archduke’s

chief steward, Count Ferdinand Troyer, who was himself an enthusiastic clarinettist.

Just how keenly Schubert pursued his artistic goals at this time is shown by

another letter of March 1824, in which the artist Moritz von Schwind, who visitedthe composer almost daily, described his feverish activity to their mutual friend

Franz von Schober: ‘A new quartet is to be performed on Sunday at Schuppanzigh’s,

who is quite taken with it, and has apparently studied it with particular care. Now

he [Schubert] has been working for a long time on an octet with the greatest zeal. If

5

MICHAEL COLLINS & FRIENDS

Michael Collins’ dazzling virtuosity and

sensitive musicianship have made him one

of today’s most sought-after soloists and

he is regarded by many as the finest

clarinettist of his generation. At the age

of sixteen he won the woodwind prize in

the first BBC Young Musician of the Year

competition, and at twenty-two he made

his US debut at Carnegie Hall. Since then

he has performed as a soloist with many

of the world’s major orchestras. He is

passionate about commissioning and

performing new repertoire, and has had

many works written for him, including John

Adams’ Gnarly Buttons, Mark-AnthonyTurnage’s Riffs and Refrains, Erkki-SvenTüür’s Noesis and concertos by Lindbergand Rautavaara.

In autumn 2006 Michael Collinsassembled a gathering of colleagues and

friends to join him in his first Wigmore Hall residency. This series of concerts,

talks and masterclasses was testament to Michael Collins’ long affiliation with

Wigmore Hall and demonstrative of his diverse musical tastes and eclectic

musical relationships.

Michael Collins is one of a selection of stellar, international artists whose

careers are almost inextricably linked with Wigmore Hall. During the course of the

three decades of his career he has performed at the hall in almost every possible

guise, appearing thirty times in one particular, marathon season. With a history

such as this, highlights are naturally difficult to pinpoint, yet memories abound

when audiences ask Collins for his favourite moments from this very special

relationship: he immediately mentions the other artists’ residencies in which he

has participated, particularly those of Joshua Bell and also Steven Isserlis, with

8

b67551.qxd 06/06/2007 18:02 Page 8

change in tempo at this latter point – he simply writes the music in doubled note-

values, so that the music suddenly sounds as though it is proceeding at half-speed.

The serene second movement, with its expansive opening clarinet solo, is

followed by an infectiously cheerful scherzo, and then by a set of variations.

Schubert took his variation theme from a vocal duet in a Singspiel he had

composed nearly a decade earlier, under the title of Die Freunde von Salamanka(‘The friends from Salamanca’). As the seven variations unfold, Schubert throws

the spotlight onto various members of the ensemble by turns. Thus, the third

variation with its prominent horn solo is followed by a lyrical variation featuring the

cello. Variation 5 is in the minor, with its broad melody for clarinet and bassoongiven out against an agitated string accompaniment. The final variation is in a more

flowing tempo, but Schubert nevertheless allows the music to die away in a haze

of nostalgia.

The minuet fifth movement brings us down to earth again, though not for long.

Its trio is a yearning, gently lilting Ländler; and the coda, following the reprise of the

minuet, recalls the preceding music as if from afar.

Following the example of Beethoven’s Septet, Schubert sets the slow intro-

duction to his finale in the minor. But Schubert’s piece, beginning with mysterious

rumblings in the cello and double bass, is a much darker and more dramatic piece

than Beethoven’s, and its effect, following immediately on the heels of the relaxed

coda of the preceding minuet, is so striking that many players like to link the two

movements together. (Listeners may be reminded of the manner in which the

distant thunder of the storm interrupts the peasants’ merrymaking in Beethoven’s

‘Pastoral’ Symphony.) As in the opening movement, Schubert brings back his intro-

duction towards the end of the Allegro, this time not only making an actual returnto the original slow tempo, but also intensifying the music’s atmosphere through

the addition of dramatic violin arpeggios. In the closing pages the Allegro’s jauntymain theme returns in a quicker tempo, bringing the work to a rousing close.

Notes by Misha Donat © 2007

you visit him during the day he

says hello, how are you? “Good” –

and goes on writing, whereupon

you go away.’

In commissioning Schubert

to compose a large-scale chamber

work, Count Troyer apparently

wanted a piece modelled on Beet-

hoven’s popular Septet Op. 20.Schubert took the liberty of adding

a second violin to Beethoven’s

ensemble, thereby producing

greater weight of string sonority,

but he followed the six-movement

plan of the older composer’s

piece faithfully. Like Beethoven’s,

Schubert’s score is prefaced by a

slow introduction, and its scheme

also finds room for both a minuet

and a scherzo. Schubert’s fourth

movement, in common with Beet-

hoven’s, is a set of variations; and his slow second movement mirrors its model by

beginning with a broad clarinet theme. (Schubert’s melody was probably written

with a nod towards the clarinet-playing Count Troyer, just as the virtuoso violin-

writing elsewhere in the Octet must have been conceived with Ignaz Schuppanzigh

in mind. There are, indeed, one or two passages in the finale for violin and for

clarinet that are so tricky that older editions invariably simplified them, substituting

less rapid motion for Schubert’s original.)

Schubert’s slow introduction is closely integrated with the main part of the first

movement. Not only does it foreshadow the Allegro’s opening theme (followingthe initial sustained unison note, a tiny rhythmic figure in the strings forms the

springboard for the Allegro’s main theme), but it also makes a return at more or lessits original speed much later on in the piece. Schubert doesn’t actually indicate a

6 7

b67551.qxd 06/06/2007 18:02 Page 6

change in tempo at this latter point – he simply writes the music in doubled note-values, so that the music suddenly sounds as though it is proceeding at half-speed.

The serene second movement, with its expansive opening clarinet solo, isfollowed by an infectiously cheerful scherzo, and then by a set of variations.Schubert took his variation theme from a vocal duet in a Singspiel he hadcomposed nearly a decade earlier, under the title of Die Freunde von Salamanka(‘The friends from Salamanca’). As the seven variations unfold, Schubert throwsthe spotlight onto various members of the ensemble by turns. Thus, the thirdvariation with its prominent horn solo is followed by a lyrical variation featuring thecello. Variation 5 is in the minor, with its broad melody for clarinet and bassoongiven out against an agitated string accompaniment. The final variation is in a moreflowing tempo, but Schubert nevertheless allows the music to die away in a hazeof nostalgia.

The minuet fifth movement brings us down to earth again, though not for long.Its trio is a yearning, gently lilting Ländler; and the coda, following the reprise of theminuet, recalls the preceding music as if from afar.

Following the example of Beethoven’s Septet, Schubert sets the slow intro-duction to his finale in the minor. But Schubert’s piece, beginning with mysteriousrumblings in the cello and double bass, is a much darker and more dramatic piecethan Beethoven’s, and its effect, following immediately on the heels of the relaxedcoda of the preceding minuet, is so striking that many players like to link the twomovements together. (Listeners may be reminded of the manner in which thedistant thunder of the storm interrupts the peasants’ merrymaking in Beethoven’s‘Pastoral’ Symphony.) As in the opening movement, Schubert brings back his intro-duction towards the end of the Allegro, this time not only making an actual returnto the original slow tempo, but also intensifying the music’s atmosphere throughthe addition of dramatic violin arpeggios. In the closing pages the Allegro’s jauntymain theme returns in a quicker tempo, bringing the work to a rousing close.

Notes by Misha Donat © 2007

you visit him during the day hesays hello, how are you? “Good” –and goes on writing, whereuponyou go away.’

In commissioning Schubertto compose a large-scale chamberwork, Count Troyer apparentlywanted a piece modelled on Beet-hoven’s popular Septet Op. 20.Schubert took the liberty of addinga second violin to Beethoven’sensemble, thereby producinggreater weight of string sonority,but he followed the six-movementplan of the older composer’spiece faithfully. Like Beethoven’s,Schubert’s score is prefaced by aslow introduction, and its schemealso finds room for both a minuetand a scherzo. Schubert’s fourthmovement, in common with Beet-

hoven’s, is a set of variations; and his slow second movement mirrors its model bybeginning with a broad clarinet theme. (Schubert’s melody was probably writtenwith a nod towards the clarinet-playing Count Troyer, just as the virtuoso violin-writing elsewhere in the Octet must have been conceived with Ignaz Schuppanzighin mind. There are, indeed, one or two passages in the finale for violin and forclarinet that are so tricky that older editions invariably simplified them, substitutingless rapid motion for Schubert’s original.)

Schubert’s slow introduction is closely integrated with the main part of the firstmovement. Not only does it foreshadow the Allegro’s opening theme (followingthe initial sustained unison note, a tiny rhythmic figure in the strings forms thespringboard for the Allegro’s main theme), but it also makes a return at more or lessits original speed much later on in the piece. Schubert doesn’t actually indicate a

6 7

b67551.qxd 06/06/2007 18:02 Page 6

FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797–1828)Octet in F major D. 803 (1824)Adagio — AllegroAdagioAllegro vivaceAndanteMenuetto: AllegrettoAndante molto — Allegro

‘I have composed 2 quartets for violins, viola & violoncello, and an octet, andintend to write another quartet’, Schubert told his friend Leopold Kupelwieser in anoften-quoted letter of 31 March 1824. ‘Altogether, in this way I intend to pave theway towards the grand symphony. The latest in Vienna is that Beethoven is giving aconcert in which he is having his new symphony [No. 9], three movements from hisnew Mass and a new overture [The Consecration of the House] performed. Godwilling, I am also thinking of giving a similar concert in the coming year.’

It was not by chance that Schubert evoked Beethoven’s name in connectionwith his own long-thwarted symphonic ambitions. He was far too timid ever toapproach that awe-inspiring figure himself, but by making contacts within the greatcomposer’s circle he hoped to advance his own cause. He duly dedicated the firstof his 1824 string quartets to the leader of the famous Schuppanzigh Quartet,the ensemble closely associated with Beethoven’s quartets. The following yearSchubert’s first published piano sonata appeared with a dedication to Beethoven’spupil and principal patron, Archduke Rudolph of Austria. As for the Octet mentionedin Schubert’s letter to Leopold Kupelwieser, it was commissioned by the Archduke’schief steward, Count Ferdinand Troyer, who was himself an enthusiastic clarinettist.

Just how keenly Schubert pursued his artistic goals at this time is shown byanother letter of March 1824, in which the artist Moritz von Schwind, who visitedthe composer almost daily, described his feverish activity to their mutual friendFranz von Schober: ‘A new quartet is to be performed on Sunday at Schuppanzigh’s,who is quite taken with it, and has apparently studied it with particular care. Nowhe [Schubert] has been working for a long time on an octet with the greatest zeal. If

5

MICHAEL COLLINS & FRIENDSMichael Collins’ dazzling virtuosity andsensitive musicianship have made him oneof today’s most sought-after soloists andhe is regarded by many as the finestclarinettist of his generation. At the ageof sixteen he won the woodwind prize inthe first BBC Young Musician of the Yearcompetition, and at twenty-two he madehis US debut at Carnegie Hall. Since thenhe has performed as a soloist with manyof the world’s major orchestras. He ispassionate about commissioning andperforming new repertoire, and has hadmany works written for him, including JohnAdams’ Gnarly Buttons, Mark-AnthonyTurnage’s Riffs and Refrains, Erkki-SvenTüür’s Noesis and concertos by Lindbergand Rautavaara.

In autumn 2006 Michael Collinsassembled a gathering of colleagues andfriends to join him in his first Wigmore Hall residency. This series of concerts,talks and masterclasses was testament to Michael Collins’ long affiliation withWigmore Hall and demonstrative of his diverse musical tastes and eclecticmusical relationships.

Michael Collins is one of a selection of stellar, international artists whosecareers are almost inextricably linked with Wigmore Hall. During the course of thethree decades of his career he has performed at the hall in almost every possibleguise, appearing thirty times in one particular, marathon season. With a historysuch as this, highlights are naturally difficult to pinpoint, yet memories aboundwhen audiences ask Collins for his favourite moments from this very specialrelationship: he immediately mentions the other artists’ residencies in which hehas participated, particularly those of Joshua Bell and also Steven Isserlis, with

8

b67551.qxd 06/06/2007 18:02 Page 8

whom he performed many times in their trio with Stephen Hough; his long-standingrelationship with The Nash Ensemble, much of it centred on Wigmore Hall and withwhom he first performed Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, one of his mostloved works; a performance with the Takács Quartet which featured the Mozart andBrahms clarinet quintets, so rarely performed together. Finally, Wigmore Hall has ofcourse been central to the two decades of Michael’s own ensemble, London Winds.It retains a special place in the Winds’ activities as one of the few venues that issufficiently flexible to take the full spectrum of their repertoire, from the core quintetworks to Mozart’s monumental Gran Partita for thirteen winds.

Fittingly, the guests in this autumn 2006 residency were some of MichaelCollins’ most regular collaborators, whilst London Winds provided the backboneof the programming. This recording features concerto soloists of internationalrepute such as Isabelle van Keulen and Daniel Müller-Schott alongside principalsof world class orchestras: Peter Riegelbauer, a member of the Berlin Philharmonicand of the illustrious Scharoun Ensemble; Robin O’Neill of the Philharmonia (anda founder member of London Winds); Lars Anders Tomter – co-director of theRisor Chamber Music Festival and a renowned concerto soloist; Martin Owen of theRoyal Philharmonic Orchestra; and Peter Brunt, concertmaster of the AmsterdamSinfonietta and a guest concertmaster for orchestras such as the RotterdamPhilharmonic and Kammerorchester Basel.

9

Produced by Andrew Keener

Engineered by Simon Eadon; Assistant Engineer: Hugh Walker

Recorded live at Wigmore Hall, London, 14 October 2006

Director: John Gilhooly

Wigmore Hall Live — General Manager: Helen Peate; Head of Sales and Marketing: Claire Hargrove

Front Photograph by Marcel Moré

Photograph of Michael Collins on page 8 by Castle Studios

Photograph of Ailish Tynan on page 10 by Sussie Ahlburg

Photograph of Malcolm Martineau on page 10 by Sussie Ahlburg

Manufactured by Repeat Performance Multimedia, London

famous setting of Rellstab’s ‘Ständchen’ from Schwanengesang, composed justa few weeks earlier.) But with the thought that spring is just around the cornerthe atmosphere lightens again, for a closing section in a quicker tempo and adifferent metre.

Der Hirt auf dem Felsen D. 965 (1828) The shepherd on the rockWenn auf dem höchsten Fels ich steh’, When I stand on the highest rock,In’s tiefe Tal hernieder seh’, Look down into the deep valleyUnd singe, And sing,Fern aus dem tiefen dunkeln Tal From far away in the deep dark valleySchwingt sich empor der Widerhall der Klüfte. The echo from the ravines rises up.

Je weiter meine Stimme dringt, The further my voice carries,Je heller sie mir wieder klingt The clearer it echoes back to meVon unten. From below.

Mein Liebchen wohnt so weit von mir, My sweetheart lives so far from me,Drum sehn’ ich mich so heiß nach ihr Therefore I long so to be with herHinüber. Over there.

In tiefem Gram verzehr ich mich, Deep grief consumes me,Mir ist die Freude hin, My joy has fled,Auf Erden mir die Hoffnung wich, All earthly hope has vanished,Ich hier so einsam bin. I am so lonely here.

So sehnend klang im Wald das Lied, The song rang out so longingly through the wood,So sehnend klang es durch die Nacht, Rang out so longingly through the night,Die Herzen es zum Himmel zieht That it draws hearts to heavenMit wunderbarer Macht. With wondrous power.

Der Frühling will kommen, Spring is coming,Der Frühling, meine Freud’, Spring, my joy,Nun mach’ ich mich fertig I shall now make readyZum Wandern bereit. To journey.

(Wilhelm Müller 1794–1827; stanzas 5–6 by Helmina von Chézy 1783–1856)

English translation by Richard Stokes, from The Book of Lieder – the original texts of over1000 songs, chosen, translated and introduced by Richard Stokes, with a foreword by IanBostridge, published by Faber and Faber, 2005; with thanks to George Bird, co-author ofthe Fischer-Dieskau Book of Lieder, published by Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1976.

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Zuleika’s first song and in ‘Geheimes’. It is only a pity that all these endless

beauties cannot be sung in public, as the masses unfortunately only want things

that are easy on the ear [Ohrenschmaus]. Should ‘Nachtschmetterling’ perhaps

not be suitable for the creation of more brilliant music for voice, I would ask you

to choose another poem instead, and if possible by Goethe, which could be sung

in various tempi, thereby presenting several different feelings.

Milder’s request for a song containing different tempi and emotions may make uswonder if it was she who assembled the texts for ‘Der Hirt auf dem Felsen’. The bulkof the setting is based on two poems by Wilhelm Müller, the author of Die schöneMüllerin and Winterreise; but it also incorporates some lines that have been attri-buted to Helmina von Chézy, who made something of a speciality out of supplyingpoor libretti for great composers (she was the author of both Weber’s Euryanthe andSchubert’s Rosamunde). ‘Der Hirt auf dem Felsen’ may have been Schubert’s verylast composition, though it is possible that it preceded Johann Seidl’s ‘DieTaubenpost’, also written in October 1828. It was first performed by Anna Milder, ata concert she gave in Riga in March 1830.

Like Schubert’s other song with an obbligato instrumental part – his setting ofRellstab’s ‘Auf dem Strom’ for tenor, horn and piano – ‘Der Hirt auf dem Felsen’begins with a substantial introduction before the voice enters. In its dramaticopening bars the piano sets up the expectation of a work that is to be in the key ofG minor. However, with the clarinet’s almost imperceptible entrance on a long-heldnote overlapping with the final chord of the piano’s opening paragraph, the musicglides effortlessly into the actual home key of B! major, for an anticipation of thetheme of the song’s first section. The melody itself, sung by the shepherd as helooks down into the valley far below, from which his voice echoes, is written inyodelling style. The further his voice penetrates, the more brightly its sound seemsto come back to him – and Schubert underlines the change in colour through amodulation that takes the music from the ‘flatter’ region of G! major to the brightersound of D major. From there, it slips back into B!, in a manner forcibly reminiscentof the introduction’s opening bars.

The music’s mood, and with it the figuration of the piano accompaniment,undergoes a notable change, as the shepherd dwells on the loneliness of thelife he leads. (The gently ‘rocking’ piano part here may remind us of Schubert’s

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AILISH TYNANAilish Tynan was born in Mullingar, Ireland, and studiedat Trinity College, the Royal Irish Academy of Musicand the Guildhall School of Music Opera School. Therecipient of many awards, in 2003 Ailish representedIreland in the BBC Singer of the World Competition,winning the BBC Singer of the World Rosenblatt RecitalPrize and also became a BBC New Generation Artist.

As a former Vilar Young Artist for The Royal Opera herroles included Papagena (Die Zauberflöte), First Niece(Peter Grimes) and Xenia (Boris Godunov). Recentengagements include Ännchen (Der Freischütz) at theEdinburgh Festival, Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Valen-cienne (The Merry Widow) for Welsh National Opera, and Marzelline (Fidelio) for TheRoyal Opera. Ailish has also appeared at the BBC Proms with Sir Roger Norrington.

Ailish has performed at Wigmore Hall, St Luke’s, St John’s Smith Square, and atmany prestigious festivals, as well as for BBC Radio 3.

MALCOLM MARTINEAUMalcolm Martineau was born in Edinburgh, read Music at St Catharine’s College,Cambridge and studied at the Royal College of Music. He has presented his ownconcert-series at St John’s Smith Square (the complete songs of Debussy andPoulenc), at Wigmore Hall (a Britten series broadcast by the BBC) and at the

Edinburgh Festival (the complete lieder of Hugo Wolf). Recognized as one of the leading accompanists of

his generation he has worked with many of the world’sgreatest singers. He accompanied at masterclasses at theBritten–Pears School in Aldeburgh for Dame JoanSutherland, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Suzanne Danco andIleana Cotrubas. His many recordings include recitalswith Bryn Terfel, Simon Keenlyside, Angela Gheorghiu,Barbara Bonney and Susan Graham. He was awarded anhonorary doctorate at the Royal Scottish Academy ofMusic and Drama in 2004.

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Chamber music on Wigmore Hall Live

Available from all good record shops and from www.wigmore-hall.org.uk/live

NASH ENSEMBLEBeethoven Clarinet Trio in B flatMendelssohn OctetWHLive0001

ARDITTI QUARTETNancarrow String Quartet No. 3Ligeti String Quartet No. 2Dutilleux String Quartet ‘Ainsi la nuit’WHLive0003

ACADEMY OF ANCIENT MUSICConcerti and Concerti Grossi byHandel, J S Bach and VivaldiWHLive0005

NASH ENSEMBLESchumann MärchenerzählungenMoscheles Fantasy, Variations & FinaleBrahms Clarinet Quintet in B minorWHLive0007

KOPELMAN QUARTETSchubert String Quartet in D minor,

‘Death and the Maiden’Tchaikovsky String Quartet in E flat minorWHLive0010

YSAŸE QUARTETDebussy String Quartet in G minor, Stravinsky Concertino; Three PiecesFauré String Quartet Op. 121WHLive0012

FRANZ SCHUBERT (1797–1828)Der Hirt auf dem Felsen D. 965 (1828)According to Schubert’s lifelong friend Josef von Spaun, ‘Der Hirt auf dem Felsen’was composed ‘at the request of the opera singer Anna Milder for her shortly beforehis death’. Milder had been the first Leonore in Beethoven’s Fidelio. Schubert wasonly eight years old when that première took place, but some five years later Spauntook him to see Milder in Iphigénie en Tauride. It was in Gluck that her dramatictalents were displayed at their most striking, and Spaun later described Schubert ashaving been overwhelmed by the experience: ‘He said that Milder’s voice piercedhis heart, and Iphigenia’s aria with female chorus in the second Act was the mostbeautiful thing he had ever heard.’

Within a decade Schubert’s own songs were sufficiently well known for AnnaMilder to make contact with him. She first wrote to him on 12 December 1824:

During my stay in Vienna Herr [Johann] Schickh promised me I should have

the pleasure of making your personal acquaintance. I waited in vain, and

unfortunately had to leave without my wish being granted. Allow me to tell you in

writing how very much your songs delight me, and how much enthusiasm they

arouse in the public when I perform them myself. All this makes me so bold as

to send you a poem which I implore you, if the muse allows you, to compose for

me. You would make me enormously happy with it; and inasmuch as I should

wish to perform it in concerts I will allow myself only to ask you to make the

composition suitable for a large audience.

From a second letter Milder sent Schubert some three months later, we know thatthe poem she enclosed was ‘Der Jüngling und der Nachtschmetterling’ (‘The youthand the night butterfly’) by Karl Gottfried von Leitner, whose ‘Drang in die Ferne’Schubert had recently set to music. (He composed several further songs to texts byLeitner in 1827.) Schubert did not take up Milder’s invitation to set ‘Der Jünglingund der Nachtschmetterling’, but on 9 June 1825 she gave the first performance of‘Suleika II’ (‘Ach um deine feuchten Schwingen’), and when the song appeared inprint shortly afterwards it bore a dedication to her. Milder described its effect toSchubert:

Zuleika’s second song is heavenly and brings me to tears every time. It is

indescribable: you have brought all possible magic and longing to it, as in

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chamberMichael Collins & Friendswith Ailish Tynan and Malcolm MartineauSchubert OctetShepherd on the Rock

Michael Collins & FriendsRecorded live at Wigmore Hall, London, on 14 October 2006

FRANZ SCHUBERT01 Der Hirt auf dem Felsen D. 965 12.24

The Shepherd on the Rock

Ailish Tynan sopranoMalcolm Martineau pianoMichael Collins clarinet

FRANZ SCHUBERTOctet in F major D. 803 61.33

02 Adagio — Allegro 14.5203 Adagio 11.3804 Allegro vivace 06.2905 Andante 11.3206 Menuetto: Allegretto 06.5407 Andante molto — Allegro 10.01

Michael Collins clarinetIsabelle van Keulen violinPeter Brunt violinLars Anders Tomter violaDaniel Müller-Schott celloPeter Riegelbauer double bassMartin Owen hornRobin O’Neill bassoon

Total time: 73.59

WHLive0017Made & Printed in England

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