“Lange lieb’ ich dich schon…” — Friedrich Hölderlin
“I have loved you for a long time…” wrote Hölderlin in his poem Heidelberg. But how long is a long time? How about twenty years?
It was in 2005 when I first visited this enchanting, romantic city with my sister. We were tourists then, right before I embarked on my Bachelor’s degree in Chinese Language and Literature at Peking University in China. Little did I know how deeply our paths would intertwine.
Unbeknownst to me, I would return in 2014 to study Church Music and would call Heidelberg my Heimat for the next four years. It was here that my journey shifted from International Development to music, and where my twin passions for song and literature took root.
Beyond my studies, I immersed myself in the cultural spirit of the city. One tradition I’ve held onto ever since is the Heidelberger Frühling music festival, especially the Liedfestival. It was this very festival that brought me back to Heidelberg on May 28, 2025.
M met me at the train station; she had taken the day off.
We lost track of time, luxuriating in coffee and conversation all afternoon in her kitchen, until it was time to get dinner before heading to the concert. We dined for two full hours and still had plenty of time before the performance began.
We wandered aimlessly through the old town, drinking in the beauty of the wondrous city we once shared.
M, her fiancé H, and I once studied music together. We all completed our degrees, and they still live in Heidelberg. M began as a church musician but later transitioned into a collaborative pianist. H continued on with graduate studies in Church Music and is now an aspiring conductor. One of the many fruits of their beautiful partnership is a 16-voice arrangement of Hugo Wolf’s Lied Gebet—a piece I hope to hear performed one day.
As we walked, the weather couldn’t decide whether to be stormy, rainy, sunny, or cloudy. It rotated through all four every fifteen minutes. Because of the unpredictable weather, we didn’t take a photo together at the iconic Old Bridge. Instead, I’ve captured the moment by writing it down.
Our shared love for German Kunstlied has deepened our friendship over the years. That evening, going to Benjamin Appl’s concert at the Alte Aula of Heidelberg University felt like coming home—reliving the wonder of April 23, 2017, when Benjamin released his Heimat album. Nothing seemed to have changed, except that the ever-satisfying artist had only grown—artistically and, more importantly, in character. (For the full concert review, see the link below.)
Conversations between old friends are inexhaustible. After the concert, the three of us continued talking over tea. It felt like one highlight after another, and the climax of it all was when they announced their engagement and invited me to their wedding. So the next time I visit Heidelberg, it will be to celebrate their marriage. What a beautiful reason to return.
In that joyful atmosphere, H put on some music. Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major the 2nd movement, performed by Martha Argerich, cradled us gently into a kingdom of dreams.
Note:
Concert Review: “Fischer-Dieskau 100 – Ein Leben in Liedern”
https://thejourney-writing.com/2025/05/concert-review-fischer-dieskau-100-ein-leben-in-liedern.html
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