Richard Strauss:  Ständchen

Richard Strauss: Ständchen

It’s a day for favorites: My favorite composer, Richard Strauss, my favorite song, “Ständchen”, and my favorite singer, Kathleen Battle. As soon as I declare a favorite, my mind immediately thinks of a dozen other “favorites,” but I don’t intend to be...
Schubert:  An Emma

Schubert: An Emma

I’m going to have to make an admission that I’m positive will get me in a lot of trouble: I don’t really like Schubert. I know he’s meant to be brilliant and the father/king of traditional Art Song but I just don’t get it!! I find his...
Carl Loewe: Erlkönig

Carl Loewe: Erlkönig

It’s January 1996 at the 92nd Street Y in NYC. The great German baritone Hermann Prey is rehearsing a recital devoted entirely to songs by Carl Loewe (just weeks before The Schubertiade, the celebrated 10-year examination of Schubert’s works, which Prey had...