WoO 123: Ich liebe dieh so wie du mich (Нежная любовь)

Дитрих Фишер-Дискау, баритон
Jörg Demus, фортепиано

Песня «Нежная любовь», WoO 123 на слова Карла Фридриха Херрозее приблизительно датируется 1797 годом. Первое ее издание вышло в 1805 году. Любовная тематика предстает здесь в светлых и радостных тонах, в безыскусной с фольклорным оттенком мелодии, в лаконичной простой трехчастной форме.

"Zärtliche Liebe" (Нежная любовь), WoO 123, or "Ich liebe dich", is a love song by Ludwig van Beethoven that was written in 1795 and first published in 1803. Beethoven was 25 years old when it was composed. The song is occasionally referred to by its first line, "Ich liebe dich, so wie du mich."

Though Alexander Thayer put the date of composition to be 1797–98 in Thayer's Life of Beethoven, recent research has found that "Zärtliche Liebe" was probably composed in 1795. 1795 was a turning point in Beethoven's career, since he was starting to become noticed by nobility and his works were becoming more popular. He had lived in Vienna for two years, and had studied with composers such as Haydn.

Zärtliche Liebe was first published in 1803 by Johann Traeg in Vienna, one year before Beethoven's 3rd symphony. It was published along with "La partenza", WoO 124.

The lyrics are in German, and are from a poem by Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Herrosee (1754–1821), a pastor and writer. In the poem, the narrator expresses love for another, saying how their love lets them share sorrow and comfort.

Ich liebe dich, so wie du mich,
am Abend und am Morgen,
noch war kein Tag, wo du und ich
nicht teilten unsre Sorgen.

Auch waren sie für dich und mich
geteilt leicht zu ertragen;
du tröstetest im Kummer mich,
ich weint in deine Klagen.

Drum Gottes Segen über dir,
du, meines Lebens Freude.
Gott schütze dich, erhalt dich mir,
schütz und erhalt uns beide.

"Zärtliche Liebe" ("Tender Love") was first published in 1803 by Johann Traeg in Vienna along with "La partenza," WoO 124. Although Thayer puts the composition of "Zärtliche Liebe" in 1797-98, more recent research suggests it was written in 1795. The poem, by Karl Friedrich Wilhelm Herrosee, is occasionally referred to by its first line, "Ich liebe dich, so wie du mich" ("I love you as you love me"). The narrator describes the love he shares with another, a love that enables them to share all of their sorrows and provide each other with comfort and understanding. The year 1795 was an important turning point in Beethoven's career. He had lived in Vienna for over two years, studied with Haydn and others, and, most importantly, had insinuated himself into the homes and hearts of the nobility. He had become something of a "hot commodity" among Viennese aristocrats, and his music was becoming popular, as evinced in the publication of his Trios, op. 1 in 1795. Set in ABA' form, "Zärtliche Liebe" contains subtle nuances that point toward the mature Beethoven. The voice and piano parts are independent, but the piano part is not completely subservient to the voice. Although there is no piano introduction, Beethoven gives the responsibility of introducing the new melodic material for the second strophe to the piano. Just as the voice opens the song, it begins the third verse, which returns, hesitantly, to the music of the first. A move to the dominant at the end of the final line initiates the coda, which consists of the repetition of the last two lines of text. The arching, stepwise lines and quiet interplay between the voice and piano demonstrate Beethoven's assimilation of the Classical style as embodied in the work of Haydn and Mozart.

(John Palmer, Rovi)