Composer

:

Pauline Viardot

Genre

:

Vocal

Average_duration

:

2:26

"Der Gefangene" is a song cycle composed by Pauline Viardot, a French composer, singer, and pianist. The cycle was composed in 1863 and premiered in Paris the same year. It consists of six movements, each of which is based on a poem by the German poet Heinrich Heine. The first movement, "Der Gefangene," tells the story of a prisoner who longs for freedom. The music is somber and melancholic, reflecting the prisoner's despair. The second movement, "Die Sterne," is a more hopeful piece, with the prisoner finding solace in the stars above. The third movement, "Ein Traum," is a dreamlike piece, with the prisoner imagining a world beyond his cell. The fourth movement, "Die Nacht," is a haunting piece, with the prisoner tormented by the darkness of his cell. The fifth movement, "Der Schatzgräber," is a more upbeat piece, with the prisoner imagining himself as a treasure hunter, searching for riches beyond his cell. The final movement, "Der Tod, das ist die kühle Nacht," is a somber piece, with the prisoner accepting his fate and finding peace in death. Overall, "Der Gefangene" is a powerful and emotional work, with Viardot's music perfectly capturing the mood and tone of Heine's poetry. The cycle is a testament to Viardot's skill as a composer and her ability to bring out the emotional depth of a text through music.

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