This multimedia concert performance features the music by Franz Schubert, Ludwig van Beethoven and Aaron Copland, complete with projected translations.
We hear Schubert songs inspired by Shakespeare, with a special guest appearance from a renowned Shakespearian actor from the Los Angeles theater scene; Beethoven songs inspired by the poetry of an enlightenment-era titan, Christian Fürchtegott Gellert; and Copland songs inspired by American history and folk traditions.
Dates
6:00 p.m. October 12, 2025 (Location by invitation. Please join our mailing list and request an invitation in the comments section. Or you can reach out to us using the Contact Us link above.)
Program
Schubert
- An Sylvia
- Ständchen D. 889
- Trinklied
Beethoven
- Sechs Lieder von Gellert
- An die Hoffnung Op. 94
Copland
- Simple Gifts
- At The River
- Zion’s Walls
Details
Franz Schubert died young , at the age of 31. But, during his short life, he composed more than 600 songs – many considered masterpieces of a niche genre in classical music known as the art song.
For lyrics, Schubert relied on a host of contemporary poets. But for three of his songs, he turned to Shakespeare.
In the song entitled “To Sylvia,” one of Schubert’s most well-known, he uses a sung section of verse from Shakespeare’s play Two Gentlemen of Verona. In a song simply titled “Serenade,” the words come from Shakespeare’s play Cymbeline. And in the short piece titled “Drinking Song,” Schubert turns to Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra.
Ludwig van Beethoven was a product of the German Enlightenment. His early teachers, who had a strong influence on him, taught him about the works of Enlightenment writers, including Christian Fürchtegott Gellert (1715-1769).
Beethoven was not particularly religious. He was, what we would today consider, spiritual. And, he identified with one particular book of Gellert’s writings, which featured reflections based on Christian religious teachings.
He picked six fragments from Gellert’s book, which was very popular in its time, to put to music. Little is known about why Beethoven picked these particular sections from the book. But, they do reflect, in religious form, many of the enlightenment ideals in which Beethoven strongly believed.
With the poem “To Hope,” written by German poet Christoph August Tiedge (1752-1841), Beethoven did something unusual. He wrote the poem into music twice, revisiting the poem 10 years after his first effort.
The second version is in performance during this program. And it is a deeply moving, complicated musical journey that paralleled Beethoven’s struggles and acceptance that he was growing deaf due to an unknown ailment.
Aaron Copland was born in 1900, and was one of the founders of contemporary American classical music. He infused his work with the country’s unique folk and jazz melodies and rhythms.
In this concert, we focus on some of his inspirations from American folk music. The most well known is his reimagining of the Shaker song “Simple Gifts,” complete with his signature rhythmic variety. “At The River” is a reverent retelling of an American Christian hymn dating back to 1868, in which Copland removed sectarian references to make the song more universal. And, Zion’s Walls is a spirited andhighly rhythmic retelling of a Southern revivalist song — emanating from a religious tradition dating back to the 1720s.
InterArts Fresno 