Hyperion Records

Two books of Vogl songs (fifteen altogether) were published by Artaria in Vienna, including a setting of Schiller’s Der Jüngling am Bache, and settings of Goethe and Baumberg. It was probably Vogl who introduced Schubert to the work of Walter Scott during their holiday together in 1825—the results were the spectacular Lady of the Lake settings. He was almost certainly capable of reading the poet in the original, and the same applies to Shakespeare. This song (it appears as No 6 of the first volume of published songs) was probably written for a performance of Othello in Vienna. It would certainly have been within the singer’s capabilities to translate the lyric himself from the original English into German.

from notes by Graham Johnson © 2006