Composer: Friedrich Gottlob Fleischer, Franz Joseph Haydn, August Bernhard Valentin Herbing, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Christian Michael Wolff
Performer: Carolyn Sampson, Kristian Bezuidenhout
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: BIS
Catalogue: BIS2623
Release: 2022
Size: 2.7 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Herbing: Musikalischer Versuch
01. No. 3, Montan und Lalage
02. Mozart: Das Lied der Trennung, K519
03. Fleischer: An den Schlaf
04. Mozart: An Chloë, K524
05. Mozart: Als Luise die Briefe, K520
06. Mozart: Abendempfindung an Laura, K523
07. Wolff: An das Clavier
08. Fleischer: Das Clavier
09. Haydn: Die Verlassene, Hob. XXVIa:5
10. Haydn: Vergiss mein nicht (Pensi a me sì fido amante), Hob.XXVIa:46
11. Haydn: Das Leben ist ein Traum, Hob. XXVIa:21
Haydn: Arianna a Naxos, cantata, Hob.XXVIb / 2
12. No. 1, Teseo mio ben
13. No. 2, Dove sei, mio bel tesoro?
14. No. 3, Ma, a chi parlo?
15. No. 4, Ah! Che morir vorrei
“In the early 19th century, while Haydn and Mozart remained revered, many of their once admired contemporaries quickly fell into oblivion and with them much delightful, finely crafted music. In a recital centred on songs of parting, Carolyn Sampson and Kristian Bezuidenhout seek to make some amends to this. They open with August Bernhard Valentin Herbing’s Montan und Lalage, a miniature opera for one singer, with the keyboard-as-orchestra providing the scenery and stage action. Giving Bezuidenhout’s fortepiano the recognition it deserves, the programme also includes no less than two songs dedicated to the instrument, by composers we rarely hear of today: Friedrich Gottlob Fleischer and Christian Michael Wolff. But even though Mozart and Haydn are still household names, it isn’t on account of their solo songs, which makes the performers’ decision to also throw light on their less familiar work a welcome one. The programme features four songs each by them, including Mozart’s Lied der Trennung (Song of Parting), which has lent its name to the entire programme, as well as Haydn’s Arianna a Naxos, a dramatic cantata in which the Cretan princess Ariadne expresses her love of the Greek hero Theseus … and her agony when he sails off, leaving her alone on the island of Naxos.”
This is a well conceived album that has clearly been subject to a thorough editorial process. Not content with having recorded over 100 vocal pieces, soprano Carolyn Sampson is stepping away from her global limelight to join Kristian Bezuidenhout (an inconspicuous pianofortist who is nevertheless still very active in terms of recordings and concerts, whether as a soloist or with best early music ensembles of the moment). Together, they’ve created an incredibly original programme based on separation and departure songs from the 18th century, a time period when a loved one’s absence could last for a long time, if not forever. This album has provided the perfect opportunity for these two curious minds to discover delightful, unknown pieces written by gifted composers who’ve remained hidden in the folds of time. They’re the perfect accompaniment to the safe and timeless works of Mozart and Haydn.
Their recording begins with a beautifully crafted hybrid work: a 12-minute long mini-opera by August Bernhard Valentin Herbing, a widely unknown assistant organist at Magdeburg Cathedral. Montan und Lalage tells the story of an eternal love that takes a wrong turn. This is a score which alternates between recitative, song, and piano interlude to perfectly capture exasperated sighs and existential questioning.
Melancholy is the main vehicle of expression for the songs by Friedrich Gottlob Fleischer and Christian Michael Wolff. The feelings that come with being separated from lovers and friends is what this sensitive catalogue aims to address, and this is perfectly expressed through Mozart and Haydn’s Lieder. A particular stand-out piece is their very moving interpretation of the cantata Arianna a Naxos in four parts; the perfect way to close this beautifully delicate collection of small, yet powerful, innately human dramas.