Contemporary Classical - Thea DerksSoprano Elise Caluwaerts: ‘The songs of Alma Mahler are grand, intense and compelling’
Elise Caluwaerts not only smoothly sings the most acrobatic coloraturas, but also impresses in pieces of which the ink is still wet. Together with Marianna Shirinyan she has recorded all of Alma Mahler‘s songs for CD – on Alma’s own grand piano.
‘The period of the late 19th and early 20th centuries has always fascinated me’, says Elise Caluwaerts. ‘From the paintings of Gustav Klimt over Claude Debussy’s Poèmes de Baudelaire to characters in novels such as Eline Vere and Hans Castorp, and the symphonies of Gustav Mahler.’
Elise CaluwaertsHer interest was nurtured by her environment: ‘I grew up in a family with five children, where reading books and making music were greatly stimulated. My parents, my sisters and my brother are all very well–read, and everyone plays at least one instrument. My childhood consisted of exchanging books and playing the piano four–handed or singing polyphonically with my sisters.
FEMALE ARTISTS
When she read the letters of Camille Claudel, the soprano was deeply moved: ‘She was a great artist, who was unjustly hidden away in a madhouse by her mother and brother. Through her story, I became obsessed with the fate of other female artists and eventually came across the early diaries of Alma Mahler.’
‘What struck me – apart from her rich love life – was the duality between Alma’s desire for freedom and her willingness to submit to the male artists around her. – The seed had been planted to search for her music and bring it to the stage one day.’
Alma Mahler was not the only female composer she discovered: ‘I had been singing and programming composers such as Pauline Viardot and the sisters Lili and Nadia Boulanger for some time, but I also presented contemporary work by my compatriot Annelies Van Parys, for example.
IRRESISTABLE CHARM
Her fascination with Alma Mahler was given a firm boost when she met Marina Mahler, the granddaughter of Alma and Gustav: ‘We met in London a few years ago through common friends. It was a defining experience: ‘Marina’s mother Anna was the second daughter of Alma and Gustav. I immediately inquired about her grandmother, which pleasantly affected Marina. Usually people enquire after her grandfather Gustav, but I was curious to know how she remembered her grandmother, whose impressive diaries I had read.’
The acquaintance was extra special, because of the likeness between Marina and her grandmother, says Caluwaerts: ‘When contemporaries described Alma, they invariably emphasised her magnetism and irresistibility. Marina has inherited these qualities for one hundred percent, you feel inescapably attracted to her. – This goes for everyone who meets her.’
Conversely, Marina Mahler also felt a click with Caluwaerts: ‘In the meantime we have built a fine friendship. Marina told me that her mother Anna had lived and worked in Italy for years and that Alma’s grand piano still resides in her house in Spoleto. In 2010 she founded the Anna Mahler Association, which has opened the villa and Sol LeWitt’s adjacent studio to artists and musicians. I immediately decided to record Alma’s songs there, ordered all her scores and started to study them in depth.’
ALMA MAHLER SONGS: NATURAL AND SENSUAL
Alma MahlerWhen Caluwaerts perused the scores, she was quite impressed: ‘Her work is full of romance, at times almost Wagnerian through-composed, complex and fascinating. What really appealed to me was her genius and spirit, which shines through all her songs. I was awed and surprised: how can the music of such a young girl be so natural and passionate, so full of sex/sensuality?’
Taken with the quality and charm of alma Mahler’s songs, the soprano immediately performed some in the Dead Ladies Show, a literary-musical programme based on the work of remarkable women from the past. ‘It is an initiative from New York that was introduced in Belgium by the writer Gaea Schoeters. I also programmed a cycle by Alma in a “regular” recital, which, due to Covid-19 I have unfortunately not been able to perform very often.’
Programming music by Alma Mahler may sound more obvious than it is, Caluwaerts continues: ‘Many programmers appear to be unfamiliar with her work. They often respond positively when I propose to sing her songs, but mainly because they think it an ‘original’ idea. After the concert I regularly get somewhat surprised reactions, when they share how brilliant they found her music. Apparently, they had different expectations.’
Soprano Elise Caluwaerts: ‘The songs of Alma Mahler are intense and sensual, and make one crave for more. If only her talent would not have been cut short!’
POST ROMANTIC
Before Alma married Gustav Mahler, she had a relationship with his total opposite, Alexander von Zemlinsky, a composer who was exploring new ways. Unlike Gustav, he wholeheartedly supported Alma in her artistic aspirations; she studied composition with him. He was also the teacher of Arnold Schönberg, who eventually developed atonality, and established the so-called ‘Second Viennese School’, together with his students Anton Webern and Alban Berg.
Caluwaerts previously recorded Berg’s songs on CD. How do they compare with Alma Mahler’s? ‘Her style is clearly influenced by Zemlinsky, but I also hear similarities with Berg’s Sieben frühe Lieder, especially in the excursions into more late- and post-romantic harmonies.’
‘Her songs are beautiful, grand, intense and compelling; they are all gems, well written and wonderful to sing! You inevitably crave for more, but unfortunately only seventeen of her songs have survived. As with Lili Boulanger, I wonder what would have happened if her talent had not been cut short.’
ALMA MAHLER’S GRAND PIANO
Alma Mahler’s grand piano in Spoleto will be played by Marianna Shirinyan. It’s a bonus that she can play Alma Mahler’s piano, but this does require some preparation, Caluwaerts acknowledges: ‘It has a beautiful sound, but the passing of time has left its mark on the instrument. Together with Steinway Italy, we are currently working on a final revision. And before the actual recording, I will bring along my friends Benedikte van Garsse and Chris Taerwe from Quatre Mains to tune it. I want the very best people there; they also tune for organisations like the Salzburg Festival.’
Alma Mahler’s grand piano in SpoletoBesides using the original grand piano Alma Mahler played, the singer has another surprise up her sleeve. ‘Along with the songs, we also recorded some diary extracts. Via Marina, I came into contact with Cate Haste, who has written a biography of Alma Mahler in 2019, drawing on her as yet unpublished diaries.’
‘These date from the time she lived in Hollywood and was friends with people like Marlene Dietrich and Leonard Bernstein. The quotes will be recited and possibly filmed, but we are still discussing the exact details with Marina. We hope that by offering a mix of texts written by Alma in her early and later life, we can provide a good picture of her rich universe, in the context of her time.’
TIMELESSNESS
She finds it hard to name which song she likes best: ‘If you had asked me this earlier on, I would probably have chosen ‘Hymne’ and ‘Lobgesang’, but every time I read through a song I discover new elements in it. That’s what makes it so fascinating to immerse oneself in a composer.’
The hardest song to master was ‘Hymne an die Nacht’ from the collection Fünf Gesänge, published in 1924. The song has long, strung-out sentences and very surprising harmonic turns. It seems as if you never arrive, very Wagnerian, you get a feeling of timelessness.’
How did Caluwaerts prepare for the recordings? ‘I always try to get as close as possible to a work by researching the text, the poet, the composer and the circumstances in which a song was written. I try to make a personal link and seek possibilities for a new interpretation.’
‘Of course I have listened to existing recordings, but I am mainly guided by my own imagination. I try to make a personal link and seek possibilities for a new interpretation. As a singer, you must in a sense make different worlds merge into one. In essence, singing is something sensual, in which the spirit, soul, heart, head and body ultimately come together.’
The CD release was planned for January 2022 but has been postponed to May 2022 due to Covid-19.
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