Christine Schaefer - Purcell/Crumb: Apparition

Christine Schaefer
Purcell/Crumb: Apparition

APPARITION
Henry Purcell (1659-1695)
George Crumb (1929 - )

[With spoken introductions from the sonnets of William Shakespeare]

Henry Purcell

[1. So long as men can breathe                   0.54]
2 Music for a while                                 3.41
3 If music be the food of love [1692]       1.31
4 Ah how sweet it is to love                      1.35
[5: Do I envy those Jacks                        0.28]
6 An Epithalamium (Thrice happy lovers)   2.52
[7. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day   0.43]
8 Sweeter than Roses                             4.16

George Crumb

9. Three Early Songs: I Night 2.56

Henry Purcell

[10 They live unwooed                               0.17]
11 From rosy bow’rs                               7.08
[12 And so of youth                                   0.48]
13 Not all my torments                           3.01

George Crumb
14 Three Early Songs II Let it be forgotten 3.17

Henry Purcell
15 Crown the altar 3.19

[16 No longer mourn for me when I am dead 0.44]

George Crumb
17 Three Early Songs III Wind Elegy           2.14

Henry Purcell
[18       ******                                         0.46]
19 Dido’s Lament                                      4.21

George Crumb
Apparition

20 I The Night in Silence under Many a Star 3.23
21 Vocalise 1: Summer Sounds                  1.07
22  II When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d  1.25
23  III Dark Mother Always Gliding Near with Soft Feet  2.53
24  Vocalise 2: Invocation                          1.03
25  IV Approach Strong Deliveress!              2.14
26  Vocalise 3: Death Carol (“Song of the Nightbird”)  0.41
27  V Come Lovely and Soothing Death        7.39
28. VI The Night in Silence under Many a Star 4.24

Christine Schäfer soprano/Sopran
Eric Schneider piano/Klavier

Catalogue No: ONYX4021

The 2nd ONYX CD (following their Winterreise - ONYX4010) from the outstanding partnership of Christine Schäfer and Eric Schneider focuses on two song composers in the English language – the great 17th century master Henry Purcell, and the contemporary American George Crumb (b1929). The selection of Purcell’s songs is mainly well-known (especially Dido’s Lament) but this is only the second recording of the Crumb – Apparition in particular is unusual for its use of a prepared piano and wordless vocalises, but is highly approachable music nonetheless.

Schäfer and Schneider have juxtaposed these composers many times in recital. Though 300 years separate them, she finds they have much in common. Rather than a traditional ‘CD’ order for the songs ie Purcell, then Crumb, the songs are interspersed so that a story emerges. It begins with music – ‘Music for a while’ and as the ‘food of love’. Then comes a wedding, a love song and then we move towards jealousy, abandonment and death. Apparition (after poems by Walt Whitman written following the assassination of President Lincoln) presents a vision of death’s beauty. Short spoken lines from Shakespeare’s sonnets connect the songs perfectly

Schaefer is photographed in a wedding dress inside the Muséum national d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris. Read a personal note from Christine Schaefer explaining the whole concept - click on "sleeve-notes"

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Track Number	Title	Duration	MP3
1	Shakespeare, William So long as men can breathe	00:55
2	Purcell, Henry Music for a while	03:41
3	Purcell, Henry If music be the food of love [1692]	01:31
4	Purcell, Henry Ah how sweet it is to love	01:38
5	Shakespeare, William Do I envy those Jacks	00:29
6	Purcell, Henry An Epithalamium (Thrice happy lovers)	02:54
7	Shakespeare, William Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day	00:45
8	Purcell, Henry Sweeter than Roses	04:14
9	Crumb, George Three Early Songs: I Night	02:59
10	Shakespeare, William They live unwooed	00:16
11	Purcell, Henry From rosy bow’rs	07:12
12	Shakespeare, William And so of youth	01:00
13	Purcell, Henry Not all my torments	03:00
14	Crumb, George Three Early Songs II Let it be forgotten	03:18
15	Purcell, Henry Crown the altar	03:20
16	Shakespeare, William No longer mourn for me when I am dead	00:45
17	Crumb, George Three Early Songs III Wind Elegy	02:19
18	******	00:45
19	Purcell, Henry Dido’s Lament	04:21
20	Crumb, George Apparition - I The Night in Silence under Many a Star	03:23
21	Crumb, George Apparition - Vocalise 1: Summer Sounds	01:08
22	Crumb, George Apparition - II When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d	01:25
23	Crumb, George Apparition - III Dark Mother Always Gliding Near with Soft Feet	02:53
24	Crumb, George Apparition - Vocalise 2: Invocation	01:03
25	Crumb, George Apparition - IV Approach Strong Deliveress!	02:14
26	Crumb, George Apparition - Vocalise 3: Death Carol (“Song of the Nightbird”)	00:40
27	Crumb, George Apparition - V Come Lovely and Soothing Death	07:39
28	Crumb, George Apparition - VI The Night in Silence under Many a Star	04:34

Free Samples
Note: All sound files have been compressed to enable streaming over a 56k modem. The sound quality of the free streaming files therefore do not reflect the high quality of the CD recording or of the MP3 files. Mac users who do not have the most recent media player may need to download a Windows Media Player to listen to the exerpts. Click here for download information.

Title	Duration	Complete/Excerpt	Listen
1. Purcell: If music be the food of love [1692]	01:00	Excerpt
2. Purcell: Dido’s Lament	01:05	Excerpt
3. Crumb: Three Early Songs II Let it be forgotten	01:00	Excerpt
4. Crumb: Apparition - IV Approach Strong Deliveress!	01:00	Excerpt
5. Crumb: Apparition - V Come Lovely and Soothing Death	03:10	Excerpt