Günter Sopper : Villanelle (O Sternen-Äugelein)

This Villanelle, with its array of metaphors for the beauty of the beloved, is one of the most original love poems I know. But its structure and wit did not reveal themselves to me until I set it to music. The spoken version cannot convey the parallelisms in such an emotionally audible way. Schein's own setting, which seems to exist, I have not been able to find Schein's own setting on the the Internet which apparently exists. It is certainly much more artistic, but I was concerned here to create a ditty in which the enthusiasm and at the same time the comedy of the poem is expressed. That is why the performance title is also in quotation marks.