A heartfelt and accomplished tribute to a legendary musician and teacher.
‘Am I already being forgotten in posterity?’, the celebrated baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau asked his last pupil in their final lesson before his death in 2012. Benjamin Appl, the talented pupil in question, warmly recounted this story on the stage of the Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, towards the end of his concert ‘To Dieter’, a lovingly curated Lieder programme commemorating what would have been Fischer-Dieskau’s 100th birthday.
Drawing on personal memories, Fischer-Dieskau’s repertoire and biography, and extensive access to Fischer-Dieskau’s letters, Appl has here put together a cogent performance straight from the heart. ‘To Dieter’ is a stirring showcase of Appl’s own musical talent, humbly presented in gratitude to and admiration for his lauded teacher. Alongside Appl and pianist James Baillieu sits actor Jamie Newell, who, between songs, reads from letters and describes key events in FiDi’s – as he was affectionately known – life, bringing the programme together and to life as a narrative of a man dedicated to music. In fact, there are 4 men onstage: FiDi’s self-portrait rests on an easel just to the right of the piano, giving the impression that he is present, listening, watching, and part of the performance.
The programme is two hours of Lieder in two halves, structured according to FiDi’s biography. Beginning with warm, gentle Schubert (a composer who, unsurprisingly, dominates the programme), Appl sings through Dietrich’s childhood, blossoming musical career, and his time spent in a prisoner of war camp in the USA. Brahms’ ‘Wie bist du meine Königin’ Op.32, No.9, which was FiDi’s first song, Tchaikovsky’s ‘None but the lonely heart’ Op.6, No.6, and Grieg’s beautiful ‘Ein Traum’ Op.48, No.6 are highlights of a first half which paints a picture of music’s formative charm.
The second half takes a graver tone, with Brahms’ ‘4 Serious Songs’ Op.121 forming the centrepiece of the concert. This contemplative music is performed exquisitely by Appl and Baillieu, who here delve into a fuller range of drama and emotion. On a music stand at the foot of the stage rests FiDi’s own score of the work, a gift to Appl, which underscores just how personal this programme is to Appl. Newell’s narration offers a pleasing nod to FiDi’s many performances in this same venue, and FiDi’s presence is felt most keenly here, implicitly living on through his pupil’s dedication.
An interlude on FiDi’s romantic life offers lighter relief, with Schubert’s ‘Liebhaber in allen Gestalten’ D.558 a lively highlight. In this section we are introduced, via his disastrous third marriage, to the protagonist’s tragic flaw: the dichotomy between man and artist, and the latter’s all-consuming supremacy. This teeters on mythologising hero-worship but as the character Appl’s programme presents is one of single-minded musical dedication, perhaps the ultimate eclipsing of the man himself by his artistic legacy is one which would have pleased him. That Appl wants us to remember the music above the man is clear with the final two songs: first a mournful Schubert litany, wishing the dead a peaceful rest; and finally Schubert’s ‘An die Musik’ D.547, a prayer to art. Music, not the man, has the final word.
Appl has a gorgeous voice and his rich expression and assured manner make him a genuine pleasure to listen to. Baillieu’s accompaniment is sensitive and skilful and it is the pair’s generous musicality which guides us through this heartfelt and demanding programme, a fitting tribute to Appl’s mentor and giant of the Lieder scene. Worry not, FiDi, posterity has certainly not forgotten you.