Ich denke dein, wenn durch den Hain der Nachtigallen

Between 1804 and 1809, Beethoven confessed his love for his pupil Countess Josephine Brunsvik in numerous letters. However, the only composition he actually dedicated to her was his variations on the song “Ich denke dein”, WoO 74. The words come from a poem by Goethe, and the title loosely translates as “I think of you.” The song “Andenken” (Memory), which Beethoven wrote in 1808 on the basis of a poem by Friedrich von Matthisson, begins with the same words, and it was probably intended for the widowed Josephine. She inherited the Müller Building (which has since been demolished) from her husband Count Joseph Deym.

The recording used here is included as an additional track on one of the first records to feature the complete song cycle “An die ferne Geliebte” (To the Distant Beloved). It is sung by the baritone Gerhard Hüsch (1901–1984) in 1937, accompanied by Hanns Udo Müller (1905–1943). Hübsch, who was born in Germany, moved to Berlin in 1930, and first met Müller at the city’s Städtisches Opernhaus. Müller, who would later become Kapellmeister of the Berliner Volksoper, went on to become Hüsch´s constant musical companion. Between 1937 and 1944, Hüsch was a member of the ensemble at the Berliner Staatsoper (sometimes known in English as the State Opera). However, from as early as 1932, he was more widely recognised as a performer of Lieder. Both musicians tried to maintain close ties to the Nazi regime. After the war, Hüsch was marked out as an opportunist who had courted the National Socialists, and concentrated on teaching.
(Constanze Köhn)