One of Europe’s most acclaimed opera singers, Andrè Schuen, will swap the grandeur of the international opera stage for the intimacy of London’s historic Temple Church this November, in an evening of music exploring falling in love, rejection and heartbreak.
The internationally acclaimed baritone will appear with celebrated pianist Julius Drake on Thursday 12 November for A Poet’s Love – Schuen sings Schumann, presented by the Temple Music Foundation.
Schuen is one of Europe’s most sought-after baritones and has performed at some of the world’s leading opera houses, including the Vienna State Opera, La Scala in Milan, the Bavarian State Opera and London’s Royal Opera House, as well as the Salzburg and Aix-en-Provence festivals.
He is particularly celebrated for playing one of opera’s most famous characters, Don Giovanni, most recently taking the title role in director Robert Icke’s production at Aix-en-Provence, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle.
But at Temple Church, audiences will encounter Schuen in a very different setting.
Rather than an orchestra, scenery and a cast of hundreds, the performance will feature simply a singer and pianist, telling intensely human stories through music and poetry.
At the heart of the evening is Robert Schumann’s Dichterliebe, meaning ‘A Poet’s Love’ – a sequence of songs tracing the emotional course of a love affair, from the exhilaration of its beginnings to rejection, bitterness and loss.
Written in 1840 and based on poems by Heinrich Heine, the work is regarded as one of Schumann’s masterpieces. Yet its themes remain immediately recognisable: infatuation, hope, jealousy, disappointment and the painful business of trying to move on.
Schuen will be joined by Julius Drake, one of the world’s leading pianists specialising in working with singers, whose collaborators have included many of the outstanding vocal artists of his generation.
Robert Ogden, Chief Executive of Temple Music Foundation, said: “Andrè Schuen brings extraordinary warmth, insight and dramatic intensity to this music. Schumann may have written these songs almost two centuries ago, but the emotions within them are completely timeless.
“This is music about falling in love, having your heart broken and everything that happens in between. You certainly don’t need to be an expert in classical music to respond to it. To hear an artist of Andrè’s stature with Julius Drake, in the intimacy and remarkable surroundings of Temple Church, promises to be a very special experience.”
Alongside Dichterliebe, the programme will feature Schumann’s Liederkreis, Op.24, another group of songs inspired by Heine’s poetry and centred on love, longing and loneliness.
The German tradition of setting poetry to music is known as Lied – literally “song” – and Schuen has become internationally renowned as one of its leading interpreters. The stripped-back format allows a singer and pianist to create an entire dramatic world together, sometimes within the space of only a few minutes.
The London recital comes shortly after the release of Schuen’s new album devoted to the songs of Gustav Mahler, recorded with pianist Daniel Heide and released on 9 October.
His previous recordings of Schubert’s major song cycles have received international acclaim, with his recording of Schwanengesang winning an Opus Klassik award.
Born in La Val in South Tyrol, Schuen grew up speaking Ladin, Italian and German in a musical family. He originally trained as a cellist before turning to singing, and today performs repertoire ranging from Mozart and Italian opera to German song and the traditional music of his native Ladin culture.
For one exclusive evening in November, audiences can experience one of Europe’s leading voices in one of London’s most atmospheric historic spaces, telling a centuries-old story about the universal experience of love and loss.
A Poet’s Love – Schuen sings Schumann, Andrè Schuen, baritone, Julius Drake, piano: Thursday 12 November, Temple Church, London
Temple Song: A Poet’s Love – Schuen sings Schumann
ENDS
Notes to Editor
The Temple Music Foundation
Temple Music, a year-round classical music season, was established to bring world-class musicians to the unique and historic venues of Inner and Middle Temple. It continues to develop year on year an increasingly established and acclaimed programme of choral and chamber concerts, song recitals, organ recitals and occasional staged performances of dramatic works and operas.
Since its inception in 2005, Temple Song has become an integral part of the Temple Music season. Curated by internationally-renowned pianist Julius Drake, Temple Song comprises recitals featuring the very best singers in the world.
Recent and future artists include Pinkas Zukerman, Dame Sarah Connolly, the Belcea Quartet, András Schiff, The Sixteen, Alice Coote, The OAE, Julius Drake, Gerald Finley, Angelika Kirchschlager, The Doric Quartet and Natalie Clein.
Temple Music concerts are presented in the historic Temple Church, the magnificent Elizabethan Middle Temple Hall and various other stunning venues on the Temple estate.