7. Carl Loewe - Master Storyteller: Christina Gansch, Martin Hässler, Richard Stokes & Laura Tunbridge
12 October 2019, 11:00 - 15:30

‘For many years, Carl Loewe, our most outstanding ballad composer and quite likely the most productive one in this genre, completely disappeared from the collective memory of the public at large, this even though hardly any leading music expert would dispute his importance.’
This assessment by Walther Wossidlo is more than 100 years old – but misperceptions about the composer abide. In the 150th anniversary of his death, we explore the prolific and brilliant song composer Carl Loewe and his astonishing gift for storytelling, showing the breadth and depth of his work, and reasserting his place as one of the most important song composers.
11am - 11.45am
Richard Stokes gives an overview of the long and fruitful life of the composer, introducing key poets, influences and legacy. He also shows how Loewe was not just a storyteller, but also a composer of profound and beautiful lyric songs.
11.45am - 12.15pm
Every song tells a story, so what is it that makes a ‘ballad’? This question, key to understanding the works of Carl Loewe and their reception, is addressed by Laura Tunbridge.
12.15pm - 1.15pm
A light lunch is available for purchase in advance (£7).
1.15pm - 2.15pm
Christina Gansch and Martin Hässler perform a programme of Loewe’s glittering ballads and beautifully expressive songs, alongside works by Schubert, Robert Schumann, and Clara Schumann.
2.30pm - 3.30pm
Richard Stokes focuses on two poems by Goethe, both set by Loewe and others, offering rich contrasts and opening questions about different approaches to narrative in song. The event concludes with a general discussion of Loewe, drawing together today’s speakers and performers.
Please note: Blue Badge parking should be arranged directly with St Hilda's Lodge. Oxford Lieder is unable to allocate onsite spaces.
Programme
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Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828)
Wandrers Nachtlied II (D768) - Nähe des Geliebten (D162)
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Carl Loewe (1796 - 1869)
Ich denke Dein - Die wandelnde Glocke
- Mädchenwünsche
- Erlkönig (Op. 1 no.3)
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Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828)
Gretchens Bitte (D564) - Gretchen am Spinnrade (D118)
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Carl Loewe (1796 - 1869)
Lynceus der Thürmer, auf Fausts Sternwarte singend (Faust II) I (Op. 9 Book VIII no.3) - Gretchens Bitte
- Gretchen am Spinnrade
- ~~~ Interval ~~~
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Carl Loewe (1796 - 1869)
Tom der Reimer - Odins Meeresritt
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Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856)
Nachtlied (Op. 96 no.1) from Lieder und Gesänge, iv - Die Lotosblume (Op. 25 no.7) from Myrthen
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Clara Schumann (1819 - 1896)
Sie liebten sich beide (Op. 13 no.2) from Sechs Lieder -
Carl Loewe (1796 - 1869)
Sie liebten sich beide - Die Lotosblume
- Wandrers Nachtlied II

Christina Gansch
Christina Gansch
Soprano
Austrian soprano Christina Gansch is the winner of the 2014 Kathleen Ferrier Award and is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and the Mozarteum in Salzburg. In the 2019/20 season Christina makes her debut at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Munich as Gretel Hansel und Gretel; Marzelline Fidelio for the Teatro Comunale di Bologna and in a new production for the Glyndebourne Festival and the title role in a new production of Rodelinda for the Händel-Festspiele Göttingen. In concert she sings Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 at the BB... Read Full Biography
Martin Häßler
Martin Häßler
Baritone
Since becoming a member of the Vienna State Opera ensemble in the 20/21 season Martin Häßler has appeared in roles including Dr. Falke in Otto Schenk’s iconic production of Fledermaus, 1st Nazarener (Salome), Moralès (Carmen), Wagner (Faust) and in Jossi Wieler’s new production of Henze’s Das verratene Meer. Role debuts in his forthcoming season at the Vienna State Opera include Masetto in Barrie Kosky’s new production of Don Giovanni, Steuermann in Calixto Bieito’s premiere of Tristan und I... Read Full Biography
Sholto Kynoch
Sholto Kynoch
Pianist
Sholto Kynoch is a sought-after pianist who specialises in song and chamber music. He is the founder and Artistic Director of the Oxford Lieder Festival, which won a prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Award in 2015, cited for its ‘breadth, depth and audacity’ of programming. In July 2018, Sholto was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in the RAM Honours. Recent recitals have taken him to Wigmore Hall, Heidelberger Frühling in Germany, the Zeist International Lied Festival in Holland, the LIFE Victoria festi... Read Full Biography
Richard Stokes
Richard Stokes
Speaker & Translator
Richard Stokes, Professor of Lieder at the Royal Academy of Music, is a regular juror at international Song Competitions. For the operatic stage he has translated Wozzeck and La voix humaine (Opera North), and Parsifal, Lulu, L’Amour de loin and Jakob Lenz (ENO). His books include The Spanish Song Companion (with Jacqueline Cockburn), J.S. Bach – The Complete Cantatas (Scarecrow Press), A French Song Companion (with Graham Johnson) (OUP), The Book of Lieder (Faber), a translation of Jules Renard’s complete Histoires Naturel... Read Full Biography
Laura Tunbridge
Laura Tunbridge
Speaker
Laura Tunbridge is a musicologist whose research has centred on German Romanticism, with a particular interest in vocal and chamber music and its reception through criticism, performance, and composition. She studied at Oxford (B.A.), Nottingham (M.A.) and Princeton (PhD) and taught at the Universities of Reading and Manchester before joining the Faculty of Music at Oxford in 2014, where she is now a Professor and Henfrey Fellow and tutor in music at St Catherine’s College. Laura’s books include Schumann’s Late Style (C... Read Full BiographyFestival Passes
This event is part of a series:
Tales of Beyond - Magic, Myths and Mortals
The 18th Oxford Lieder Festival will explore life, death, and the mysterious areas between and beyond. Sprites and nymphs cause mayhem and mischief, while legends abound from Greco-Roman sagas to the Lorelei and the Erlking. Storytelling with the Crick Crack Club, a ghost tour, a magic show and more all complement the myriad concerts, masterclasses and study events over a packed fortnight....