Katharsisdrill recommends - Vier Letzte Lieder by Richard Strauss

@twinner noticed that there might be better ways of learning German than my last post, and that is of course correct. The first thing I though of was the small collection of lieder by Richard Strauss called Vier Letzte Lieder (Four last songs). They were written in 1948 and was the final work of the composer as it is implied in the title, but also in some way the final songs of the the old Europe.

Richard Strauss had contrary to other German speaking composers remained in Germany throughout the war, and had experienced the nazi possessiveness of his art, which, as a bonus, gave him the power to save his Jewish daughter-in-law. And so in the last years of his life came the liberation and with that the complete annihilation of his country, both physically and culturally. It is interesting to compare the peaceful acceptance of death and finality in these four songs to the haunted and despairingly string quartets of Shostakovich.

The text for the four songs where written by Strauss's contemporary Herman Hesse and the early romantic poet Joseph von Eichendorff. Below is his poem Im Abendrot, the last of the four songs:

1. Wir sind durch Not und Freude
   gegangen Hand in Hand;
   vom Wandern ruhen wir beide
   nun überm stillen Land.

2. Rings sich die Täler neigen,
   es dunkelt schon die Luft.
   Zwei Lerchen nur noch steigen
   nachträumend in den Duft.

3. Tritt her und lass sie schwirren,
   bald ist es Schlafenszeit.
   Dass wir uns nicht verirren
   in dieser Einsamkeit.

4. O weiter, stiller Friede!
   So tief im Abendrot.
   Wie sind wir wandermüde--
   Ist dies etwa der Tod?

This is what you should read if you want to learn German!