Between Life and Death - Songs & Arias (2CDs) -

Product Description:

Christoph Prégardien (tenor) & Michael Gees (piano)

The selection of songs and arias on this double SACD set reflect on the fundamental question of life and death and cover a period of almost two centuries, the composers featured ranging from Bach through to Tchaikovsky. They are performed by one of the great lyric tenors of our age Christophe Prégardien, accompanied by the pianist Michael Gees. The common theme in the music of this recording is the most fundamental of all, existence itself, life and death. The composers represented are Bach, Mahler, Schubert, Schumann, Mozart, Brahms, Loewe, Wolf, Mendelssohn, and Tchaikovsky. The songs and arias performed here range over almost two centuries with eleven compositions and many musical forms, the simple song with piano accompaniment, the narrative, expansive ballad, the great opera aria and more.

Christoph Prégardien is widely regarded as among the foremost lyric tenors of our time and frequently collaborates with conductors such as Ricardo Chailly, John Elliot Gardiner, Nicolaus Harnoncourt, and Phillipe Herreweghe. He is represented on disc with more than a hundred and twenty titles, including most of his current repertoire. His recordings of German Romantic Lied repertory, particularly his recent releases on Challenge Classics of Schubert's Die Schöne Müllerin, (CC72292), and Schwanengesang, (CC72302), have been highly acclaimed by the public and press and have received many major international awards.

"...far from being depressing, the programming here, both thoughtful and vividly imaginative, serves to stimulate the senses and lift the spirit. A fresh and unmannered introductory performance of Bach's 'Komm, süsser Tod' leads with both tonal and spiritual ease into an equally direct rendering of 'Urlicht' from Mahler's Second Symphony - artfully and beautifully accompanied by Gees. with a quietly impassioned and sensitively paced performance of Mahler's valedictory 'Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen', the final track fades into thin air, concluding an anthology to savour slowly, and return to many times." BBC Music Magazine, February 2010 ****

Tracklisting:

Bach, J S:
Komm süsser Tod, BWV478

Brahms:
Feldeinsamkeit, Op. 86 No. 2

Wie rafft' ich mich auf Op. 32,1 (v.Platen)

Loewe, C:
Edward, Op. 1 No. 1 (Herder)

Erlkönig

Mahler:
Urlicht (from Symphony No. 2)

Revelge (Des Knaben Wunderhorn)

Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen (Rückert-Lieder)

Mendelssohn:
Neue Liebe, Op. 19a No. 4

Mozart:
Abendempfindung an Laura, K523

Schubert:
Schwanengesang D744 (Senn)

Auflösung, D807

Der Jungling und der Tod, D545 (Spaun)

Der Tod und das Mädchen, D531

Kriegers Ahnung D 957, No. 2

Schumann:
Stirb, Lieb’ und Freud! Op.35, No. 2

Tchaikovsky:
Eugene Onegin: Lensky's aria

Weber:
Nein! länger trag' ich nicht die Qualen … Durch die Wälder (Max)

Wolf, H:
Denk es, o Seele! (No. 39 from Mörike-Lieder)

Anakreons Grab (No. 29 from Goethe-Lieder)

Ein Ständchen Euch zu bringen kam ich her (No. 22 from Italienisches Liederbuch)

Dereinst, Gedanke mein (No. 22 from Spanisches Liederbuch: Weltliche Lieder)

Re-order code: SC962