The concert opens with Brahms' Vier Ernste Gesänge (Four Serious Songs), poignant meditations on death, love, and life, set to biblical texts. These songs represent Brahms’ penultimate composition, deeply influenced by the grief of losing friends, particularly his lifelong romantic interest, the composer Clara Schumann. While the first three songs contemplate death and its aftermath, the concert concludes on a brighter note with the final song, celebrating love.

Following this, Andrè Schuen will perform a selection of Gustav Mahler’s songs. Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn is a compilation of folksongs and poems reflecting the breadth of human experiences, both joyous and sorrowful. Mahler’s compositions, infused with wit, irony, and a deep respect for simple folklore, depict scenes of charming peasant girls, proud soldiers, and tumultuous rivers.

Baritone Andrè Schuen, steeped in folk music from an early age in his South Tyrolean family on the Italian side of the Alps, is an ideal interpreter of these songs. Fluent in Ladin, Italian, and German, Schuen’s musical roots lie in his family ensemble, where he performed traditional Ladin Tyrolean music alongside his singing and instrument-playing sisters and parents.

Initially a cellist as well as a vocalist in the ensemble, Schuen eventually focused solely on singing, revealing a remarkable vocal talent. Today, he boasts a distinguished career as a classical singer, excelling in opera and particularly in lied, as showcased in this concert. His dedication to the lied genre, passionately pursued with pianist Daniel Heide, has led to multiple album releases on the prestigious Deutsche Grammophon label.

The concert is staged in association with the Copenhagen Opera Festival.

The Stellar Moments Festival is supported by Louis-Hansens Fond and Summer Classical is supported by Augustinus Fonden.

Photo: Andrè Schuen. Credit: Guido Werner.