“Starry Night over the Rhone” (1888, Musee d’Orsay)When summer night is balmy, I like to go out and walk and if it’s too late to be out then I used to get searching for stars in the night sky, which is not that easy now though, as I moved into a flat. Anyways, last night, I woke up really abruptly in the middle of the night, and I was quite lethargic to do any productive activities, so I opted to listen to one of my favourite songs and appreciate some paintings that I’m fond of, instead of looking up to the sky.
The song was Franz Schubert’s “Night and Dreams”. Among his lieder, this lied is my favourite. Its tone is so romantic and lyrics nicely dreaming.
Holy night, you sink down
Dreams also float down
As your moonlight fills the room
Fills the sleeping hearts of men
They listen with pleasure
They listen with pleasure
Crying, when the day awakes
Return, fair night!
Fair dreams, return!
Fair dreams, return!
Dreams also float down
As your moonlight fills the room
Fills the sleeping hearts of men
They listen with pleasure
They listen with pleasure
Crying, when the day awakes
Return, fair night!
Fair dreams, return!
Fair dreams, return!
Alongside Schubert was there Vincent van Gogh with his expressive dreaming night skies. Personally, I adore Gogh’s night skies. Each of them definitely has something in it, something special, something to provoke you into the deep inside…
“The Café Terrace” (1888)
“The Starry Night” (1889)
7 comments:
Thanks! You don't hear a lot of "pretty" songs in German. I don't think I had ever heard that one before.
I've always been a fan of van Gogh.
I'm so glad to know you enjoyed it. :) *bisous*
The Schubert song is nice and Fischer-Dieskau was a fabulous voice. Someone assembled an impressive collection of music on YouTube. I didn't listen to all of them, but I think I've been on that playlist before. I'm a Fischer-Dieskau fan.
My favorite Schubert though is his setting of the Goethe poem, Heidenröslein. The Kings Singers do a very nice Heidenröslein.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VUTUy7rvmw
My favorite line is "Und der wilde Knabe brachs'" I dunno, there's something about the mad, impetuous boy that appeals to me, I guess.
Can't argue with van Goh as a favorite, either.
My Schubert Lieder CD album is also with Fischer-Dieskau and Gerald Moore~! :) The Kings Singers are great and, about the lyrics, for some reason, “Heidenroslein” always reminds me of the short story “The Nightingale and The Rose” by Oscar Wilde.
http://www.shortstoryarchive.com/w/nightingale_and_the_rose.html
And, yes, van Gogh rules~! :) *bisous*
What a sad yet touching little story, The Nightingale and the Rose. I can't help feeling sorry for the Nightingale, the only character who really understood love and sacrificed all only to have it wasted on vanities. I can see the similarities to Heidenröslein, too.
I should add that you have an impressive playlist there yourself! I just "wasted" the last 20 minutes or so listening to the whole bunch. After a Billie Holiday intro, I wasn't expecting a Shostakovitch cello sonata and the Boccherini (there is a Haydn symphony that starts almost exactly like La Musica...does, I wonder it that was no accident). Splendid playlist! How do you get the YouTube selections to play on this kind of player? From the site it looks like you are supposed to choose songs from their library, or am I not seeing all the options.
When I decided to add music to this page, I came up with the site MixPod, as my imeem account has vanished, and on MixPod I searched for what I wanted and added them to the playlist.
I'll add more to the initial selections, one by one. I'm really glad you enjoyed my selections. :) *bisous*
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