Song Club

Join us for the very first Oxford Lieder Song Club: a lively and informal discussion group, meeting to chat about songs, recordings and performances, led by writer and broadcaster Richard Wigmore.

This session will be in two parts. Part One will explore settings of the text ‘Erlkönig’. Part Two will compare two of Clara Schumann’s most loved songs with settings of the same texts by Schubert and Mahler. Introductory recordings and discussion points are listed below, do take a listen in advance if you can!

This is a perfect opportunity for you to share your thoughts on song or simply relax and listen with a hot drink in hand. We are delighted to launch this song-world equivalent to a book club ahead of this year's Lieder Festival, the theme of which will be 'Friendship in Song'.

Ticket price includes tea or coffee from the Levine Building café. 

Introductory Listening and Points for Discussion

Part 1: Comparing settings of 'Erlkönig'

1. Johann Friedrich Reichardt: listen here (the free sample is all you need)

2. Emilie Mayer: listen here. This song will also be performed by Brindley Sherratt on Sunday evening.

3. Carl Loewe: listen here.

4. Franz Schubert: listen to Daniel Norman and Sholto Kynoch, or Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Gerald Moore, both on YouTube. Compare these to Sarah Walker and Roger Vignoles on YouTube and Reger’s orchestration (listen here).

Part 2: Clara Schumann in comparison to Schubert and Mahler

1. Compare Clara Schumann’s ‘Ihr Bildnis’ (listen here) to Franz Schubert's 'Ihr Bild' (listen here). 

2. Compare Clara Schumann’s ‘Liebst du um Schönheit’ (listen here) to Gustav Mahler's setting (listen here).

Discussion/thinking points:

• What elements of the poem do the composers under discussion seize on?

• Which settings do you prefer, and why?

• What about the gender of the singer: does it matter?

• How does orchestration change our perception of songs - especially for Schubert’s ‘Erlkonig’?