Golda Schultz: Rest Day Reflections
Soprano Golda Schultz discusses her interpretation of Strauss on the first leg of TCO’s European tour.
Golda Schultz takes on many roles when approaching a piece.
Yes, the soprano sings the text of Richard Strauss’s Four Last Songs while on tour with The Cleveland Orchestra and Music Director Franz Welser-Möst, but she also sees herself as a philosopher and investigative journalist digging for the work’s meaning. After her performance at Philharmonie de Paris, she spoke with Medici about Strauss’s end-of-life piece.
“It’s not supposed to be perfect, it’s supposed to be a human being reflecting on these very deep and profound things,” Schultz told the crew from Medici. “At the end, he wants us to be ourselves.”
She enjoys that Strauss starts with “Frühling,” the only song not related to death, and his use of bird imagery throughout.
In the more poignant moments, she tries to look at each person in the audience and feel the connection in the fleeting.
“One day, none of us will be here. And in this moment, we are all here together,” Schultz said.
After her performance at Palias des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, she departs the tour. We’ll see Golda again with Welser-Möst and The Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Music Center in January for Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis.
