Paradise and the Peri, in German Das Paradies und die Peri, is a secular oratorio for soloists, choir, and orchestra by Robert Schumann. Completed in 1843, the work was published as Schumann's Op. 50.
The work is based on a German translation (by Schumann and his friend Emil Flechsig) of a tale from Lalla-Rookh by Irish poet and lyricist Thomas Moore. The peri, a creature from Persian mythology, is the focus of the story, having been expelled from Paradise and trying to regain entrance by giving the gift that is most dear to heaven. Eventually the peri is admitted after bringing a tear from the cheek of a repentant old sinner who has seen a child praying.
Peter Ostwald in his biography Schumann: The Inner Voices of a Musical Genius records that Schumann "confided to a friend that 'while writing Paradise and the Peri a voice occasionally whispered to me "what you are doing is not done completely in vain,"'" and that even Richard Wagner praised this work. The cantata is generally held to be a significant achievement by Schumann, and it perhaps appeals less than it might otherwise to modern audiences due to the flowery, Eastern-inspired verbiage of the libretto, which represents a vogue for orientalism that was in full swing in the 19th century but has receded considerably today. This oratorio premiered under the composer's baton on 4 December 1843 in Leipzig. It was well received, and performances in Dresden and Berlin followed.
Peter Ostwald, Schumann: The Inner Voices of a Musical Genius (Boston: Northeast University Press, 1985). ISBN1-55553-014-1. pp.182–3.
John Daverio, "Expressing The Highest Through Chorus and Orchestra"—Liner notes to the recording Das Paradies und die Peri as performed by the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantiques under the direction of John Eliot Gardiner (Archiv Production 289 457 660-2, released in 1999).
Robert Schumann was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber groups, orchestra, choir and the opera. His works typify the spirit of the Romantic era in German music.
Joseph Joachim was a Hungarian violinist, conductor, composer and teacher who made an international career, based in Hanover and Berlin. A close collaborator of Johannes Brahms, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant violinists of the 19th century.
Sir William Sterndale Bennett was an English composer, pianist, conductor and music educator. At the age of ten Bennett was admitted to the London Royal Academy of Music (RAM), where he remained for ten years. By the age of twenty, he had begun to make a reputation as a concert pianist, and his compositions received high praise. Among those impressed by Bennett was the German composer Felix Mendelssohn, who invited him to Leipzig. There Bennett became friendly with Robert Schumann, who shared Mendelssohn's admiration for his compositions. Bennett spent three winters composing and performing in Leipzig.
Edda Moser is a German operatic soprano. She was particularly well known for her interpretations of music by Mozart. Her 1973 recital LP Virtuose Arien von W.A. Mozart received the Grand Prix du Disque.
Susanna Phillips (Huntington) is an American singer who has sung leading lyric soprano roles at leading American and international opera houses.
Kreisleriana, Op. 16, is a composition in eight movements by Robert Schumann for solo piano, subtitled Phantasien für das Pianoforte. Schumann claimed to have written it in only four days in April 1838 and a revised version appeared in 1850. The work was dedicated to Frédéric Chopin, but when a copy was sent to the Polish composer, "he commented favorably only on the design of the title page".
Armin Jordan was a Swiss conductor known for his interpretations of French music, Mozart and Wagner.
The Vienna Singverein is the concert choir of the Vienna Musikverein with around 230 members. It is regularly requested by top orchestras and conductors for large and varied projects.
August Kindermann was a German bass-baritone singer and regisseur, particularly noted for his performances in the operas of Richard Wagner.
John Francis Barnett was an English composer, pianist and teacher.
Christian Gerhaher is a German baritone and bass singer in opera and concert, particularly known as a Lieder singer.
Annette Dasch is a German soprano. She performs in operas and concerts.
Werner Güra is a German classical tenor in opera, concert and Lied, also an academic teacher in Zurich.
Frédéric Chopin's Variations on "Là ci darem la mano" for piano and orchestra, Op. 2, was written in 1827, when he was aged 17. "Là ci darem la mano" is a duet sung by Don Giovanni and Zerlina in act 1 of Mozart's 1787 opera Don Giovanni. In a manuscript of this composition, dedicated to his schoolfriend Tytus Woyciechowski, the latter replied on the title page in written form „J’accepte avec plaisir“. Chopin's work inspired Robert Schumann's famous exclamation: "Hats off, gentlemen, a genius." The work is often recorded and played in concert. A typical performance lasts from 17 to 19 minutes. One autograph of the version for solo piano is held by the Austrian National Library.
Manfred: Dramatic Poem with Music in Three Parts is a work of incidental music by Robert Schumann. The work is based on the 1817 poem Manfred by Lord Byron and consists of an overture, and 15 pieces of music: an entracte, melodramas, and several solos and choruses.
The Julius Caesar overture, Op. 128, is a concert overture written in 1851 by Robert Schumann, inspired by Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar and influenced by the Egmont and Coriolan overtures of Ludwig van Beethoven.
Virginia Livia Frege, née Gerhardt was a German singer (soprano), Prima Donna of the Leipzig Stadttheater, arts patron and co-founder of the Leipzig Bach Society. She was referred to as the "Queen of Leipzig's romantic song singing". Frege is best known for her performances of the works by Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. Her repertoire included songs by Heinrich Marschner, Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann and Mendelssohn.
Max Bruch composed a number of choral works that were, during his lifetime, judged to be his most successful pieces. Instrumental music makes up only about a third of Bruch’s total output, while vocal music forms a considerably larger proportion. These works are described variously as oratorios and cantatas. His oratorios are generally held to represent the best of his vocal writing. Some were of a religious character but many were based on mythological themes.
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