Brahms - Duet op 75, n°1 "Edward"

FOUR BALLADS AND ROMANCES (BALLADEN UND ROMANZEN) FOR TWO VOICES AND PIANO, OP. 75
Recording: Edith Mathis, soprano (Nos. 2-4); Brigitte Fassbaender, alto (Nos. 1-2) and soprano 2 (No. 4); Peter Schreier, tenor (Nos. 1, 3); Karl Engel, piano [DG 449 641-2]
Published 1878. Dedicated to "his friend" Julius Allgeyer.
Text by Johann Gottfried Herder, adapted from a Scottish-English ballad collected by Thomas Percy. Allegro. Varied double strophic form. F MINOR, 4/4 time. Alto/Tenor.
This is by far the greatest set of Brahms duets, but because all four of them are for different vocal combinations, at least two of them have become very difficult to find in later publications. Nos. 2 and 4 are often published with the soprano/alto duets of Opp. 20, 61, and 66. The other two, which feature a tenor (a voice not otherwise utilized in the duets) have become orphans, very difficult to find outside the old complete edition and its out-of-print reprints. This is a sorry situation, as No. 1 is, again by far, the greatest Brahms duet of all and No. 3 is his only true love duet. Despite the different vocal types, the set has some unity. All four songs are dialogues, which is not the case with any set other than the "optional" duets, Op. 84 (which are usually included with the solo songs). There are also some parallels to the alto/baritone set, Op. 28. There is a long and highly dramatic opening number, a cheerful, teasing second duet, a highly lyrical third one, and a closer that is brief and exciting, but highly complex. The first duet, Brahms's only mother/son dialogue, is absolutely riveting and bone-chilling in its effect. It sets a German translation of the grisly Scottish balled "Edward," the poem that was the inspiration for the piano ballade, Op. 10, No. 1 (the two pieces are musically unrelated, however). The exchanges of the dialogue gradually and inexorably reveal a terrible, but inescapable truth. This is also true of the last duet in the set, the thrilling mother/daughter exchange that reveals the mother as a witch who has celebrated a Faustian Walpurgis Night. The duet is indicated for two sopranos rather than the expected soprano/alto. The mother's lowest and highest notes are both more extreme than the daughter's. In this recording, the mother is sung by a true alto, making her final high notes strained and frightening, as they should be. The middle duets are more lyrical and relaxed. The second is another mother/daughter dialogue, but it is similar to those that will be found in the "optional" duets of the Op. 84 set, with the mother protesting the daughter's feelings for a potential suitor. The genuine love duet of No. 3 is different from those of tragic regret and unrequited teasing found in Op. 28. The only real parallel is another of the "optional" duets, Op. 84, No. 5. It is extremely serene and satisfying, and was unjustly criticized by Brahms's female friends, Clara Schumann and Elisabeth von Hezogenberg. It is the only one of the four where the two voices sing together at length.
[kellydeanhansen...]
I HAVE PERSONALLY TRANSLATED THIS SONG TEXT INTO ENGLISH: I AM NOT A MOTHER TONGUE, SO I'D BE GLAD IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS ;-) ANYWAY, SOME PARTS OF IT ARE TAKEN FROM THE ENGLISH VERSION I HAVE FOUND HERE:
www.recmusic.or...
AS REGARDS THE GERMAN TRANSCRIPTION, I'VE DONE A "COPY AND PAST" FROM THIS INTERESTING WEBSITE: kellydeanhansen...
Here you can find an accurate analysis of most of the Brahms' works.

[@TaoCampina]

Very dramatic story. Note the last phrase "Denn ihr, ihr rietet's mir! O!" ("Sic counsels ye gave to me, O!")!!

[@alessandro2421]

Considero migliore il risultato di brahms con le ballate op10

[@JeanNicolasDiatkinePianiste]

Beautiful ! But the tenor is certainly Peter Schreier, not Mrs Fassbaender.

[@zonaras83]

Thank you! Can you show me where I wrote that the tenor was Mrs Fassbaender? I don't find it... Regards!

[@Coolcat607]

Is there somewhere I can get this mp3?

[@cmb2628]

A better word instead of "espiate" would be "atone".
Amazing performance, though. Wow.

[@urmorph]

I might suggest "And what will you do now for penance," which echoes the grammatical structure of the German. I'll try to get back to you with the original Scottish of the whole ballad. See (hear) also Carl Loewe's Op.1 No.1 (solo) setting; several versions are here on YT.