In recital at Oper Frankfurt
On March 18, Matthew Polenzani returns to Oper Frankfurt for a recital of German, British, and American art song, accompanied by pianist Julius Drake. Polenzani has a long relationship with the opera house, debuting there in 2008 and appearing in such roles as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor and the title role in La damnation de Faust.
The program opens with five popular lieder by Franz Schubert, followed by Gerald Finzi’s setting of texts by Thomas Hardy, A Young Man’s Exhortation. The recital continues with Robert Schumann’s beloved song cycle, Liederkreis, set to texts by Joseph von Eichendorff, a Romantic poet whose themes of longing, nature, and mystical encounters resonate deeply with Schumann’s expressive style, Polenzani concludes with five songs from American composer Charles Ives’ oeuvre.
Of a previous performance of a similar program at the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Parterre Box remarked that “the evening’s program of Lieder and art songs highlighted the unforced elegance and artistry that has made him a mainstay over the past three decades.”