There’s something rather comforting about spending a winter lunchtime wrapped in music, and the next instalment of the Wyvern Theatre’s recital series promises exactly that. On Wednesday 21 January, soprano Andrea Tweedale and pianist Paul Turner bring a programme of songs by Liszt and Brahms — two German heavyweights of the lieder tradition — to Swindon.
Brahms’ contribution comes from a particularly fruitful spell. In the summer of 1886 he decamped to the lakeside town of Thun in Switzerland, where the calm surroundings clearly agreed with him. What emerged from that stay has since been dubbed his “chamber music summer”, and among the works written there were five lieder that chart a steady descent into darker territory. They begin with the gentle introspection of Like melodies it steals softly through my mind and the tender My slumber grows more and more gentle, before shifting into the shadows with Lament, At the graveyard, and finally Betrayal. It’s a journey that moves from soft reflection to something far more unsettled.
Strauss, on the other hand, offers a very different sort of leave-taking. His Four Last Songs, written in 1948, became the final work of his long life; he died the following year at the age of 85. These pieces contemplate death not with dread but with a sense of peaceful resignation, returning to the broad, romantic sweep of his earlier years. They are, in many ways, a farewell on his own terms — radiant, unhurried, and deeply touching.
Tweedale and Turner will perform at 1.05pm, providing a welcome cultural pause in the middle of the day. It’s the sort of short but rewarding recital the Wyvern has quietly become rather good at hosting.
Tickets are £9.50 for adults (including a £1 levy), £3.50 for students aged 15–18, and free for accompanied children aged 14 and under. A transaction fee of up to £3.95 may apply per booking.
