Voices of Connection: 07/08 Schubert: Gesang der Geister über den Wassern
SCHUBERT Gesang der Geister über den Wassern, D. 714
RIAS Kammerchor · Marcus Creed · Scharoun Ensemble
Guest curator, Bob Lee
Schubert’s Gesang der Geister über den Wassern (Song of the Spirits over the Waters) has to have one of the weirdest vocal/instrumental combinations written before the mid-20th century: four tenors, four basses, two violas, two cellos and a double bass. It is also one of the most mesmerizing choral pieces I have ever encountered. The opening (and closing) section in particular is so hauntingly profound that I think once heard it will stick with you forever. The poem compares the soul of man to water; his destiny being the wind. Even for Schubert, I feel the words and music match each other in a very rare height of inspiration.
– Bob Lee