As part of the ongoing exhibition of installation art and shows themed around the ‘Embrace Our Rivers,’ DAMned Art project, the Goethe Institut, Max Mueller Bhavan, featured German vocalist Benjamin Appl and British pianist, Simon Lepper in a collaborative recital at the Lalit Kala Akademi. Both musicians have won critical acclaim for their performances at globally renowned venues, including Carnegie Hall.
Recognised as one of the finest artistes among the new generation of Lied (German art song, plural Lieder) singers, Benjamin started out as a choir singer at age six and was later mentored by the noted German vocalist, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. His honeyed baritone that blends dynamism with sensitivity is an ideal vehicle to convey the emotive spectrum of his chosen genre. “The Lieder tradition has existed for over 200 years. Here, voice is used akin to a brush in watercolour painting – nuances and delicate tints are crucial when contrasted with the dramatic canvas of operatic vocals. My singing reflects life experiences. It’s also about being brave and comfortable on stage since there’s just solo voice; no instruments or orchestra to hide behind!” says Benjamin.
About performing on an open stage in the courtyard adjacent to the gallery, Benjamin reveals, “This is my first recital with a mike. As Lied is an intimate art form, with the artistes usually performing in living rooms or amidst a group of people enjoying the country air, my concerts are mikeless.”
More than accompaniment
Having studied music at King’s College, Cambridge and collaborative piano under the guidance of Michael Dussek, Royal Academy of Music, London, Simon specialises in song accompaniment, imbuing his playing with singular dynamics that raise it beyond customary accompaniment.
How close is the vocal-instrumental connect in Lieder? And what degree of freedom exists in interpreting compositions?
“Most composers are pianists. From that starting point, the musical grammar is influenced by the grammar of speech. Initially, one learns the rules and later assimilates, to discover the freedom within this genre. The art exhibits here threw up some striking visual imagery that drew forth fresh ideas.”
Inspired by the exhibition, their choice for the evening’s programme was ‘Die schone Mullerin’ (The Lovely Maid of the Mill) a famous song cycle celebrating water and Nature, written by the famed composer Franz Schubert (1797-1828) when he was just 26, based on poems by the German poet Wilhelm Muller (1794-1827), the father of Friedrich Max Mueller after whom the German cultural institute is named. Considered the acme of Lieder, the compositions traverse the gamut from joy to despair and tragedy. They describe the narrative of a journeyman, Miller, who in the course of his wanderings, begins working at a picturesque mill and falls in love with the miller’s daughter, who initially appears to reciprocate, but soon turns her attention to a passing hunter. The heartbroken young Miller laments the fickleness of her love, obsesses about a death fantasy and by implication, drowns himself in the brook.
In evoking the idyllic countryside in ‘Wohin’ and the cool, clear gush of the brook in ‘Danksagung an den Bach’, and in likening blue spring flowers to the maiden’s eyes in ‘Des Mullers Blumen’, Benjamin alternated between carefree ebullience and a palpable tenderness. Of note, were the powerful voice throw and voice texturing, the latter conveying nuances ranging from exultation and nostalgia to melancholy and anguish in ‘Mein’, ‘Der Muller und der Bach’ and ‘Des Baches Wiegenlied.’ An excellent, well-monitored sound system complemented the artistes’ efforts.
Simon’s insight transformed the piano into the voice of the brook which, as life force, confidante and final resting place, assumed as much significance as the principal characters. Broken chord patterns imaged babbling waters and a churning mill wheel and underscored the lover’s contemplative spells. The power point projection of the lyrics in English, translated by Uri Liebrecht, painted word vignettes to which the listeners could correlate the changing colours of voice and piano.
