Goethe: Songs / Ballads / Life [The innermost soul was revealed]

The publication "Der Seele Innerstes ward offenbar" (The Innermost Soul Was Revealed) on Walther von Goethe exclusively combines world premiere recordings with an extensive accompanying book (edited by Ulf Bästlein and Ariane Ludwig). A wide stylistic range characterizes the compositions of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's oldest, almost completely forgotten grandson: from delicate miniatures en musique and sarcastic, ironic scenes to expansive ballads. The pupil of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Carl Loewe set to music texts by his grandfather, Heinrich Heine, poets who are now largely unknown, and even his own poems. Compositionally, he took an independent, often experimental path. His aesthetics of inwardness are central. Some elements (harmonic refractions, surprising modulations) sound almost 'modern'. Von Goethe repeatedly explores the boundaries between sung tone and declamatory speech. Since he conceives the Lied from the perspective of vocal melody, many of his songs are immediately memorable. Featured performers are Ulf Bästlein (baritone) and Silke Evers (soprano). Their musical partners at the grand pianos – five historical instruments, including the Nannette Streicher piano of the Goethe family – are Christoph Ritter and Hedayet Jonas Djeddikar. Contributions on biographical, music-historical, and cultural-historical aspects were written by, among others, Ulf Bästlein, Dieter Borchmeyer, Jochen Golz, Peter Gülke, Christian Hain, Karsten Hein, and Ariane Ludwig.