Johannes Brahms arr. Ragnar Söderlind
Vier Gesänge, Op. 43: No. 1, ‘Von ewiger Liebe’
This arrangement has its origins in an e-mail exchange with Martin in the last days of Yodit’s life, as his ‘Music for Yodit’ project was beginning to take shape. He wrote to me that Brahms’ song ‘Von ewiger Liebe’ – in his view the greatest song anyone ever wrote – had been going through his head for weeks, in a kind of loop, with the climactic phrase ‘unsere Liebe’ – ‘our love’ – constantly ringing round his mind. Brahms is the favourite composer of both Martin and Alex, and he is one of my favourite composers, too. I asked Martin if he would like me to make a version of ‘Von ewiger Liebe’ for string orchestra as a sort of ‘motto piece’ for the entire undertaking and he readily agreed. My arrangement – which I made in a single day – attempts to preserve something of the dramaturgy of the original poem — by August Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben, after a Wendish (western Slavic) folk text – and to use the resources of a full body of strings to realise the symphonic potential of this astonishingly powerful composition.
Dunkel, wie dunkel in Wald und in Feld!
Abend schon ist es, nun schweiget die Welt.
Nirgend noch Licht und nirgend noch Rauch,
Ja, und die Lerche sie schweiget nun auch.
Kommt aus dem Dorfe der Bursche heraus,
Gibt das Geleit der Geliebten nach Haus,
Führt sie am Weidengebuesche vorbei,
Redet so viel und so mancherlei.
‘Leidest du Schmach und betrübest du dich,
Leidest du Schmach von andern um mich,
Werde die Liebe getrennt so geschwind,
Schnell wie wir frueher vereiniget sind.
Sceide mit Regen und scheide mit Wind,
Schnell wie wir frueher vereiniget sind.’
Spricht das Mägdelein, Mägdelein spricht:
‘Unsere Liebe, sie trennet sich nicht!
Fest ist der Stahl und das Eisen gar sehr,
Unsere Liebe ist fest noch mehr.
Eisen und Stahl, man schmiedet sie um,
Unsere Liebe, wer wandelt sie um?
Eisen und Stahl, sie koennen zergehn,
Unsere Liebe muss ewig bestehn!’
Dark, how dark it is in wood and field!
It is evening already; now the world has fallen silent.
Nowhere lights still shining and nowhere any more smoke.
Yes, now even the lark has fallen silent.
Out of the village comes the young lad,
Escorting his sweetheart home.
He leads her past the willow bushes,
Talking so much, and of so many things:
‘If you suffer shame and if you grieve,
If you suffer disgrace in front of other people because of me,
Then our love shall be ended ever so swiftly
As swiftly as we once came together;
It shall go with the rain and go with the wind,
As swiftly as we once came together.”
Then speaks the maiden, the maiden speaks:
‘Our love shall never come to an end!
Steel is firm and iron is firm,
Yet our love is firmer still.
Iron and steel can be recast,
But who would transform our love?
Iron and steel can melt;
Our love, our love must last forever!’
Translation by Martin Anderson