I'm not particularly fond of the music of Clara Schumann, but this song is one of the best and simplest examples of the lied: a perfect marriage of music and poetry. I decided it necessary to write down this simple solo arrangement. With such beautifully Callimachean yet potent writing, Heine speaks for the whole human experience of loss with twelve lines. An English translation (Richard Stokes):
I stood darkly dreaming
And stared at her picture,
And that beloved face
Sprang mysteriously to life.
About her lips
A wondrous smile played,
And as with sad tears,
Her eyes gleamed.
And my tears flowed
Down my cheeks,
And ah, I cannot believe
That I have lost you!
Arranged and performed by Aidan Módica
07/09/2023
6 сен 2023
