The World feels dusty
Sarah Connolly, Joseph Middleton
Dame Sarah Connolly and Joseph Middleton present a rich programme of art songs by various composers. The recital begins with Ernest Chaussons "Poeme de l'amour et de la mer", which took almost ten years to compose and clearly shows the influence of Richard Wagner on the younger composer. Samuel Barbers "Three Songs", composed in 1935 during a study trip to Rome, sets poems by James Joyce to music and depicts three love affairs. Claude Debussy's "Trois Chansons de Bilitis" sets the erotic poems of Pierre Louys, which caused a sensation in Paris around the turn of the century, to music. Aaron Copland completed his "Twelve Poems" of Emily Dickinson in 1950, but explained that they should not be considered as a cycle, but as twelve separate works. Connolly performs "I've heard an organ talk sometimes" and "The world feels dusty", the latter giving the album its title. The programme concludes with the first recording of Errollyn Wallen's "Night Thoughts": a cycle of four songs commissioned by Leeds Lieder and premiered by Sarah Connolly and Joseph Middleton, the dedicatees of the cycle. The cycle, which places two of her own poems alongside a poem by Emily Dickinson and lines from Shakespeare's "Macbeth", was inspired by Howard Hodgkin's painting "Night Thoughts".
Tracklist
- 01 Poème de l'amour et de la mer, Op. 19: No. 1a, La fleur des eaux. L'air est plein d'une odeur exquise de lilas 04:23
- 02 Poème de l'amour et de la mer, Op. 19: No. 1b, La fleur des eaux. Et mon cœur s'est levé par ce matin d'été 02:22
- 03 Poème de l'amour et de la mer, Op. 19: No. 1c, La fleur des eaux. Quel son lamentable et sauvage 03:24
- 04 Poème de l'amour et de la mer, Op. 19: No. 2, Interlude 02:10
- 05 Poème de l'amour et de la mer, Op. 19: No. 3a, La mort de l'amour. Bientôt l'île bleue et joyeuse 02:07
- 06 Poème de l'amour et de la mer, Op. 19: No. 3b, La mort de l'amour. Le vent roulait les feuilles mortes 02:51
- 07 Poème de l'amour et de la mer, Op. 19: No. 3c, La mort de l'amour. Comme des fronts de morts nos fronts avaient pâli 02:30
- 08 Poème de l'amour et de la mer, Op. 19: No. 3d, La mort de l'amour. Le temps des lilas et le temps des roses 04:14
- 09 3 Songs, Op. 10: No. 1, Rain Has Fallen 02:45
- 10 3 Songs, Op. 10: No. 2, Sleep Now 02:47
- 11 3 Songs, Op. 10: No. 3, I Hear an Army 02:31
- 12 3 Chansons de Bilitis, L. 90: No. 1, La flûte de pan 02:50
- 13 3 Chansons de Bilitis, L. 90: No. 2, La chevelure 03:22
- 14 3 Chansons de Bilitis, L. 90: No. 3, Le tombeau des naïades 02:55
- 15 12 Poems of Emily Dickinson: No. 4, The World Feels Dusty 01:58
- 16 12 Poems of Emily Dickinson: No. 10, I've Heard an Organ Talk Sometimes 02:02
- 17 Night Thoughts: No. 1, Sleep 03:26
- 18 Night Thoughts: No. 2, Bright Lights 03:23
- 19 Night Thoughts: No. 3, There's a Certain Slant of Light 04:18
- 20 Night Thoughts: No. 4, Night Thoughts 01:38
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