This song was recorded live at the Oxford Lieder Festival as part of Hugo Wolf: The Complete Songs on Stone Records.
Click here to listen to this song with William Berger and Sholto Kynoch, or click here to buy the CD from Stone Records.
Text & Translation
Sehnsucht
German source:
Johann Gustav Droysen
Wohl mir, um mich her ist Schweigen
Auf der Flur.
Zu dem vollen Herzen nur
Will nicht Ruh' sich neigen.
Horch! die Nacht schwebt durch die Räume,
Ihr Gewand durchrauscht die Bäume
Lispelnd leis'.
Ach! so schweifen liebeheiß
Meine Wünsch' und Träume.
Longing
English translation ©
Oxford Song
How well for me, that around me is silence
On the plain.
Only my full heart
Will not bow to rest.
Listen! The night glides through the spaces,
Its garments rustle through the trees,
Whispering softly.
Ah! So lovingly wander
My wishes and dreams.
Sehnsucht
German source:
Johann Gustav Droysen
Longing
English source:
Oxford Song
Fern und ferner schallt der Reigen.
Farther and farther echoes the dance.
Wohl mir, um mich her ist Schweigen
How well for me, that around me is silence
Auf der Flur.
On the plain.
Zu dem vollen Herzen nur
Only my full heart
Will nicht Ruh' sich neigen.
Will not bow to rest.
Horch! die Nacht schwebt durch die Räume,
Listen! The night glides through the spaces,
Ihr Gewand durchrauscht die Bäume
Its garments rustle through the trees,
Lispelnd leis'.
Whispering softly.
Ach! so schweifen liebeheiß
Ah! So lovingly wander
Meine Wünsch' und Träume.
My wishes and dreams.
Composer
Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel
Fanny Hensel, née Mendelssohn (1805-47), was an exceptionally gifted musician whose potential was stifled by the gendered social conventions of her upper-middle-class background in mid-19th-century Berlin. She came from a wealthy and cultivated…
Performances
Previously performed at:
- A Tale of Two Cities: Leipzig & Berlin 12 Oct 2024
- 6. Cinderella: Clara Orif & Jack Redman 22 Apr 2023
- 53. Roderick Williams, Susie Allan: The Distant Beloved 24 Oct 2022