Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton – The Divine Muse (2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton – The Divine Muse (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:04:45 minutes | 1019 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Signum Records

After the success of their debut disc, ‘Voyages’, Mary Bevan and Joseph Middleton present their second recital disc exploring Lieder in German and Italian by Schubert, Haydn and Wolf. The programme is woven around songs inspired by the ‘muses’ of the day, both mythological and divine.

It begins with Schubert’s dramatic and reverential settings of sacred German poetry, set alongside his lush emotional portrayals of female characters in the Italian settings.

The central section of the disc is then devoted to Haydn’s epic ‘scena’ depicting the famously cruel abandonment of Arianna by her lover Teseo, ‘Arianna a Naxos’. Haydn’s beautiful prayer ‘Geistliches Lied’ takes us back into the world of German poetry and the religious fervour that arose from the collective belief in Christianity which pervaded most art forms of the age.

The disc then moves into works by Hugo Wolf, whose stunning settings of devotional texts take the listener right to the heart of the characters; a few of these songs were in fact inspired by paintings. The early moments of Jesus Christ’s life are vividly portrayed here, particularly in songs such as ‘Die ihr Schwebet’, ‘Auf ein Altes Bild’ and ‘Schlafendes Jesuskind’, while the haunting ‘Gesang Weylas’ invites the listener into the world of the mysterious goddes Weyla who wistfully dreams of the shores of her distant homeland. From Ganymed to Christ, Dido to the Virgin Mary, Arianna to St Peter, this recital disc richly illustrates the lives and events surrounding the ‘divine muses’ who inspired these composers.

Tracklist:
01. Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton – Vedi, quanto adoro ingrato, D. 510 (04:29)
02. Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton – Son fra l’onde, D.78 (01:48)
03. Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton – Die Götter Griechenlands, D.677 (04:06)
04. Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton – Goethe Lieder: No. 50. Ganymed (05:26)
05. Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton – Mörike Lieder: No. 27. Zum neuen Jahr (01:51)
06. Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton – Mörike Lieder: No. 22. Seufzer (02:34)
07. Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton – Mörike Lieder: No. 28. Gebet (02:38)
08. Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton – Mörike Lieder: No. 46: Gesang Weylas (01:43)
09. Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton – Ganymed, D.544 (04:06)
10. Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton – Arianna a Naxos: I. Largo e sostenuto (04:54)
11. Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton – Arianna a Naxos: II. Aria (Dove sei) (04:16)
12. Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton – Arianna a Naxos: III. Andante (Poco da me lontano) (03:19)
13. Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton – Arianna a Naxos: IV. Aria (Ah, che morir vorrei) (03:58)
14. Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton – Geistliches Lied (03:33)
15. Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton – Gott im Frühlinge, D.448 (01:57)
16. Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton – Marie, D.658 (01:30)
17. Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton – Alte Weisen: No. 6: Wie glänzt der helle Mond (03:42)
18. Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton – Mörike Lieder: No. 23. Auf ein altes Bild (02:26)
19. Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton – Spanisches Liederbuch: No. 4. Die ihr schwebet (02:43)
20. Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton – Mörike Lieder: No. 25 Schlafendes Jesuskind (03:36)

Personnel:
Mary Bevan (soprano)
oseph Middleton (piano)

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