Julian Prégardien zingt Beethoven en Schubert

Julian Prégardien

'The art song exists,' believes tenor Julian Prégardien, 'to question: why are we here?' On stage, you can hear him sing almost questioningly, rather than proclaiming an absolute truth. Prégardien is a regular guest at the Concertgebouw, in major productions and intimate recitals. For him, the most beautiful songs are about love, without expectation or anything of the sort, simply about love itself. Tonight, he opens his song recital with Beethoven’s An die ferne Geliebte , Beethoven’s secret love letter.

Beethoven and Schubert

Who, oh who was the Immortal Beloved , to whom Beethoven wrote a passionate but never sent love letter in 1812? And would he have dedicated his An die ferne Geliebte to the same lady four years later? This work is considered the first through-composed song cycle in music history. Memory and longing merge into an intimate, closed circle. Related feelings resonate in Schubert: in Einsamkeit , the 21-year-old composer gave a hushed, slightly depressive voice to his inner isolation. Schubert, the song composer par excellence—Beethoven attributed a 'divine spark' to him—turned the song into a personal monologue. Together, they make the genre sound like the ultimate medium for human emotions.