Wings of Spring performance at the Mahaiwe Theater

On Sunday, April 19, at 4 p.m., Close Encounters With Music (CEWM) presents On the Wings of Song at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington.

The program focuses on Robert Schumann’s spellbinding song cycle Dichterliebe (“A Poet’s Love”), a setting of sixteen poems by Heinrich Heine that explores love, longing, and the redemptive power of beauty. Featured artists include John Moore, baritone; Adam Golka, pianist; Miranda Cuckson, viola; and Yehuda Hanani, cello.

In a recent interview, Artistic Director Yehuda Hanani said,“Audience members will bask in the glow of Romanticism at its apex with Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, Felix Mendelssohn and the poet whose verse underlies their music—Heinrich Heine.‘In beautiful May, when the buds sprang, love sprang up in my heart: in beautiful May, when the birds all sang, I told you my desire and longing.’”

Dichterliebe strips away the distance between singer and listener, capturing the age-old themes of love and betrayal with exquisite sensitivity. Romanticism here is at its most personal and refined.

Heine’s poetry also captivated Felix Mendelssohn, who set several of the poet’s verses to music, including the iconic “On the Wings of Song,” which lends the concert its title. Mendelssohn’s majestic Piano Trio in D minor—one of the towering chamber works of the nineteenth century—completes the program. Radiant, urgent, and expansive, the trio reflects the composer’s unwavering belief in the possibility of a harmonious, enlightened world and the triumph of beauty through music.

“How can you not fall in love with a song cycle about a sorrowful knight that begins with these beguiling sentiments? This is the start of Dichterliebe, or Poet’s Love, Robert Schumann’s musical rendering of Heine’s Lyrical Intermezzo.Alas, like many love stories, it does not end well. Cupids weep and mourn, and the poet packs his love andhis suffering into a coffin that will be thrown into the sea—so heavy that twelve giants must carry it. All the various states of Poet’s Love—a hothouse of responses to flowers, dreams and fairy tales—end in anger, bitterness, resignation and bewilderment. Yet, despite love betrayed, ardent faith in the power of art leads the way to a harmonious and better world. A timely message,” Hanani added.

On the Wings of Song weaves together poetry and music, intimacy and grandeur, offering audiences a rare opportunity to experience Romantic masterpieces in the uniquely close, immersive spirit that defines Close Encounters With Music.

After each performance, audiences are invited to an “Afterglow” reception to meet the artists and mingle with fellow music lovers. Select concerts will also be available online, extending CEWM’s reach to listeners far beyond the Berkshires.

For tickets and information, go to mahaiwe.org