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Track(s) taken from CDJ33004

Alte Liebe rostet nie, D477

composer
September 1816; published in 1895
author of text

Philip Langridge (tenor), Graham Johnson (piano)
Recording details: September 1988
Rosslyn Hill Unitarian Chapel, Hampstead, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Martin Compton
Engineered by Antony Howell
Release date: December 1989
Total duration: 2 minutes 56 seconds
 

Reviews

‘Performed with wonderful artistry by Langridge and Johnson’ (Gramophone)

‘A constant joy’ (Hi-Fi News)

‘A highly enjoyable disc and an ideal next step for those touched by the magic of Müllerin or Winterreise’ (Opera Now)

‘A wonderful recording … delivered with such style and conviction that you almost feel Schubert is speaking directly to you’ (The Audio Critic, USA)

‘An absorbing hour-and-a-half or more of rich musical experience. This is a wholly exceptional Lieder record which must be a strong contender for an annual award’ (Music and Musicians)
This entirely enchanting song is of a deceptive simplicity. The lover's restless quest is mirrored by a tonal scheme which reaches a tonic close only at the end of each verse. How masterful it is that even the first chord is on the first inversion of the tonic; this sows a seed of doubt which is only banished in the affirmative postlude. In this song the maxim is like a spell or a litany and the moving harmonic sequences which end each verse of Schubert's Litanei are also used here. But a quotation from that great song honouring the dead has another significance. The tune for the words 'Alte Liebe rostet nie' is Mozart's favourite motto theme, which reaches its apotheosis in the finale of the 'Jupiter' Symphony. In a passage from his diary (earlier in 1816) Schubert had written 'The magic notes of Mozart's music still haunt me … Mozart, immortal Mozart, how endlessly many comforting perceptions of a better life have you brought to our souls.' Schubert's old love for Mozart was never to tarnish, much less die. After the failure of his love affair with Therese Grob it is perhaps Schubert's way of saying that only in music can he hope to find faithful companionship.

from notes by Graham Johnson © 1989

Other albums featuring this work

Schubert: The Complete Songs
CDS44201/4040CDs Boxed set + book (at a special price) — Download only
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