Theodor 2023

Close to the Schumanns and admired by Mendelssohn and Wagner, Theodor Kirchner (1823–1903) was an accomplished pianist, organist and composer in his own right. His lifelong friendship with Brahms began when the two men met at the spa town of Baden-Baden in 1865. Robert Schumann had already mentioned him in the same breath as Brahms in the influential 1853 article which effectively launched Brahms’s career.

Like many composers of his time, Friedrich Theodor Fröhlich (born on February 20, 1803) displayed signs of musical talent from a young age. After a short-lived pursuit of studying law in Basel in 1822 and the year thereafter in Berlin, Fröhlich devoted himself to his musical studies. In Berlin, he received instruction from the music pedagogues, Karl Friedrich Zelter, Bernhard Klein and Ludwig Berger.

The songs on this release – volume 2 – continue the chronological list from volume 1.The album begins with the remarkably special cycle Wartburg, encompassing an enormous range of singing pathos. The text by Theodor Caspari has to do with Wartburg Castle, with its sweeping history. Martin Luther sought refuge there from May 1521 to March 1522. Saint Elisabeth of Thuringia resided there from 1211 to 1228, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe visited the castle several times, and, notably, the famous "minstrel contest" at the castle was an inspiration for Wagner when he composed his opera Tannhauser. So it is not so unusual that Theodor Caspari was also inspired by the castle's history and reputation when he wrote his Wartburg texts.

The soprano Kathrin Hottiger and her accompanist Edward Rushton have dedicated their new album to the much-sung about earth satellite. You can hear compositions by Theodor Kirchner, Claude Debussy, Edvard Grieg and the little-known Vaudois composer Pierre Maurice. A delightful compilation of songs and piano compositions that revolve around the themes of night and moon.