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Schubert Shadows -January 6, 2008
Southwest Premiere
a
brief description
"Every night
when I go to bed, I hope that I may never wake again, and every morning
renews my grief. "- Franz Schubert
 Harry Clark created "Schubert Shadows" as a gift
to his wife, pianist Sanda Schuldmann. As a student of great music
making, "the lied" is the most authentic resource. There is no greater
teacher than the human voice that teaches us about great timing and
correct musical breathing than the German lied.
In 1827, Beethoven, the most famous musician in Europe died at
age57. 6000 persons “the who is who” of Viennese society -
attended his funeral: Ludwig van Beethoven was now gone. Franz
Schubert, age 30, dying of a combination of syphilis and cholera, had
but one year left in his brief life. Unknown outside a small coterie of
friends, Schubert in his remaining months left on earth, created
masterpiece after masterpiece. With Beethoven’s death, Schubert
was freed from the severe, and at times paralyzing adoration he had for
his mentor.
The portrait is told in the character of the famed opera and lieder
singer Johann Michael Vogl, some 30 years older than Schubert, who
befriends the young genius and begins to sing his songs, telling the
world of the obscure but great composer emerging from the shadows of
Goethe and Beethoven.
About the music
Antonio Salieri upon meeting the young Franz
Schubert declared: "He must be taught by God himself".
Schubert was never good at earning money. He wrote music nobody
ordered. He wrote just for fun! During a couple years he composed two
symphonies and between 200 and 300 songs, including the masterpiece
"Gretchen am Spinnrade", written at the age of 17. His songs first
brought Schubert fame. He could virtually write songs without thinking.
In 1815 he met Franz von Schober, a law student of good family and free
of economic worries. Schober liked Schubert's music. He persuaded
Schubert to leave the teaching position, which was affecting his
composing in a bad way, and come and live with him instead. Schubert
was now a free musician, without a secure income.
It was at the home of Schober where Schubert met the great singer
Johann Michael Vogl. Together they started the Schubertiads, a group of
friends who met for the sole purpose of having fun. They amused
themselves, and together they listened to Schubert at the piano and
Vogl singing Schubert's songs. Schubert Shadows takes you back for a
inside view of those days. Comprised entirely of these songs, the
program includes such masterpieces as An Die Musik, Der
Erlkönig, Gretchen am Spinnrade, Die Forelle and Der Tod und Das
Madchen.
Performers
 Richard Moll portrays
Johann
Michael Vogl .
Six feet tall by the
time he was twelve, Richard Moll
would eventually peak at 6'8". To ward off jokes about his height, Moll
adopted the "class clown" pose in school, eventually developing a taste
for play-acting.
Moving from his hometown of Pasadena to Hollywood in 1968, Moll spent
the next decade or so with various theatrical troupes, and for a while
toured schools in the role of Abraham
Lincoln. Whenever he made the movie and TV casting rounds, Moll
was greeted with an astonished "What a monster!"; thus, a monster he
became, playing a steady succession of "bikers and snake men and
one-eyed mutants." He was one of the title characters in the 1972 TV
movie Gargoyles, was seen as
an abominable snowman in Caveman
(1981), and played various and assorted hulking goons in such adventure
flicks as Metalstorm (1982)
and The Sword and the Sorceror (1984). He was finally
allowed to exhibit his "human" side--not to mention his considerable
flair for light comedy--as court guard Bull Shannon on the long-running
(1984-92) TV sitcom Night Court.
Hal Erickson, All
Movie Guide
We are very pleased to welcome him to Tucson.
Performance details:
Show time: 3p.m.
Pre concert chat: 2:30 p.m.
Venue: Berger Performing Arts Center, 1200 West Speedway Blvd.
Directions- Click
here for directions to the hall.
Individual Ticket Price: $30
Chamber Music PLUS SW appreciates
your consideration for support. Tickets and grants cover 80% of our
budget. Your support is much appreciated. Thank You
You are listening to An Die Musik with Elizabeth
Schwartzkopf & Edwin Fisher
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