title

Schönheit dieser Welt vergehet

year of composition

2021

duration

6′

instrumentation

baritone and piano

performance

• september 24, 2021 | taeyoung lee (bar), heejeong shin (pf) | busan, south korea

program note

Schönheit dieser Welt vergehet,

Wie ein Wind, der niemals stehet,

Wie die Blume, so kaum blüht,

Und auch schon zur Erden sieht,

Wie die Welle, die erst kimmt

Und den Weg bald weiter nimmt.

Was für Urteil soll ich fällen?

Welt ist Wind, ist Blum und Wellen.

The beauty of this world is gone,

Like a wind, that never stands,

As the flower, so scarcely blooms,

And already looks to earth,

Like the wave, that is just coming

And will soon continue on the path.

What kind of judgment should I make?

The world is wind, is flower and waves.

Schönheit dieser Welt vergehet by Martin Opitz

Once, it suddenly occurred to me that the beauty of the world might be in the process of fading away. In the past, one could place cause and effect within the scope of understanding, but now, many of the things happening are difficult to even accept. Perhaps the past always seems more beautiful because it is romanticized with a sepia tone, making the present appear comparatively less beautiful. I had this thought, and then I came across this poem. It was about the beauty of the world fading away. What caught my eye about the poem was the time it was written. Even 300 years ago, there were such concerns. Perhaps we are always trapped in a great illusion, feeling dissatisfaction with the present and longing for the past.