The Pilgrimage of the Rose

Soirées Musicales Quintette

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Annie Lower – soprano

Rachael Griffin – soprano

Mattias Lower – tenor

Leon Warnock – baritone

Peter Roennfeldt – piano

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with associate artists

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Ireni Utley – soprano

Anne Fulton – mezzo soprano

Jessica Low – mezzo soprano

Shannon Leonard – tenor

Tomasz Holownia – tenor

Matthew Broadbent – bass-baritone

Old Government House, 2 George Street Brisbane

Two performances:

Saturday 24 August 2024 at 7pm

Sunday 25 August 2024 at 4pm

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Ständchen (Serenade) D.920 (1827) for soprano, male quartet and piano               Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
Der Gondelfahrer (The gondolier) D.809 (1824) for male quartet and piano                                            Schubert
Der Rose Pilgerfahrt (The pilgrimage of the rose) Op.112 (1851)                         Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
        dramatic cantata for solo voices, vocal ensemble and piano

To celebrate our tenth season of presenting vocal chamber recitals in heritage venues, Soirées Musicales Quintette performs a special work in collaboration with several associate artists, ten singers in all!

Robert Schumann’s Der Rose Pilgerfahrt (The Pilgrimage of the Rose) dates from the composer’s first years in Düsseldorf and not long before the onset of his final illness. The text of the dramatic cantata by Moritz Horn of Chemnitz was offered to Schumann in early 1851, who recommended some alterations before setting it for solo and ensemble voices and piano. In this form it was first heard in a private performance at the Schumann’s home in July that year and subsequently the composer reluctantly orchestrated it. In recent years the original piano version has become rather popular. The narrative work invites a lightly staged production approach, for which the fine setting of Old Government House will be ideal.

The title role of Rose symbolises an innocent in search of a deeper experience of life’s fullest range of
emotions. The elf princess offers Rose her namesake flower as protection against danger, accompanied by the warning that it must remain with her at all times. After some initial disappointments, Rose is introduced to a miller and his wife, who take her in as a surrogate for their own young daughter who has recently died. Rose then finds her true love and marries to the general rejoicing of the villagers, and a year later has a child. But when Rose surrenders her flower as a gift for her newborn, she dies and is welcomed into heaven by the angels.

Schumann’s gift for vocal melody is ever present, as is his skill in creating rich piano textures which add another layer of characterisation. The numerous named and unnamed characters who populate the story are treated to fine duets, trios, quartets and choruses, with the story linked by a tenor soloist as narrator.

To begin the program, we present two fine ensemble works by Franz Schubert, a composer who Schumann admired and strongly advocated for by seeking out supposedly lost manuscripts. In contrast to the first part of the Schumann work in which female voices dominate, we have selected two male quartets, the first of which is the well-known Serenade in which the ensemble is juxtaposed with a soprano soloist.

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