Orchestral Song

[jayne lee wilson]

After the Strauss Last four, and finding some otherworldly settings and vocalisations in the Ondine Saariaho box, I began to think of those extraordinary creations that are difficult to program into a concert and often forgotten...

...seeking out George Benjamin's A Mind of Winter (Wallace Stevens' The Snow Man) I stumbled across John McCabe's ravishing Notturni ed Alba (ancient/medieval latin texts) which was introduced to me in the 1970s by Robert Simpson on R3's The Innocent Ear. And what about DSCH's Michelangelo Suite, or Berg's Altenberg Lieder (pity they tend to get sidelined in favour of an inferior Wine or 7 Early efforts...)

Often it's a text that brings out the most imaginative of inspirations... Varese' Ecuatorial, Schoenberg's op.22... did anyone ever colour in the Hanging Gardens? Someone should! (er... AH?) And as for Nono (faints melodramatically)...
so many Songs of Love and Life!

So bring your orchestrally accompanied white, pink or mini-elephants to the listening stall. They all need a home! We all await the thrill of enthusiasm and discovery!

[hedgehog]

Dutilleux (imo a much underrated/underplayed composer) wrote a fine work for Renée Fleming: Le temps l'horloge which is on a Decca recording along with an orchestral version of his Deux sonnets de Jean Cassou plus the orchestral version of Messiaen's Poèmes pour Mi and Ravel's Shéhérazade. Fleming in fine form, a lovely CD.

[Osborn]

The late Peter lieberson's settings of 10 of Pablo Neruda's sonnets are very beautiful and moving - "Neruda Songs" & "Songs of Love and Sorrow" (It helps to have the great Lorraine Hunt Lieberson and Gerald Finley give your premiere!)

[Pabmusic]

George Butterworth's Love Blows as the Wind Blows is well worth seeking. The revised version, for voice and small orchestra, was the last musical thing Butterworth did.

[verismissimo]

John McCabe's ravishing Notturni ed Albi

Oh yes.

Bach's cantatas? (Maybe they don't qualify.)

[Northender]

You might care to listen to Essential Classics at 1100 BST today (and presumably until 1059 today week on the iPlayer).

[HighlandDougie]

Nicholas Maw's 'Scenes and Arias' - very beautiful indeed. Long unavailable until Lyrita (bless them) re-released it as:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maw-Scenes-Milner-Salutatio-Angelica/dp/B000R3BRAM/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1343294182&sr=1-1

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Schoenberg's op.22... did anyone ever colour in the Hanging Gardens?

Yes, somebody did: Arnold Schoenberg. (The "black & white" original needs as much "colouring in" as Guernica - the Piano colours are perfect for the songs).

If you want more Schoenberg Orchestral Songs (and I can quite see why you would) the Op 8 Songs are gorgeous. And there's Gurrelieder, of course.

I find Lutoslawski's Chantefleurs et Chantefables utterly charming: "Nine Last Songs" of a completely different hue from the yearning of the Strauss masterpiece:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-WPqcWaNks (apologies for the last 5 letters there! )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1E9RLv1D0Fk&feature=relmfu

And Britten's "Four First Songs", the Quatre Chansons Francais:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7DELWAqpTI

... and Our Hunting Fathers, Les Illuminations, Serenade, Nocturne.

[Serial_Apologist]

Alexander von Zemlinsky - Lyric Symphony in Seven Songs (1923)

Utterly mind-blowing.

[cloughie]

You might care to listen to Essential Classics at 1100 BST today (and presumably until 1059 today week on the iPlayer).

Regine Crespin in Berlioz - the Scheheazade on the other side of the original LP is pretty stunning too!

[Northender]

The CD also has extra tracks including 'Chansons de Bilitis'

[JohnSkelton]

There are some interesting, sumptuous, strange, lovely, things on Julianne Banse's CDs of Koechlin orchestral songs with Heinz Holliger conducting the Stuttgart RSO http://www.mdt.co.uk/koechlin-vocal-...sler-2cds.html

(all Holliger's Koechlin recordings are well worth hearing).

[Beef Oven]

Nicholas Maw's 'Scenes and Arias' - very beautiful indeed. Long unavailable until Lyrita (bless them) re-released it as:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Maw-Scenes-M...3294182&sr=1-1

Great observation - I'd totally forgotten about these magnificent songs
.

[EdgeleyRob]

If I want orchestral song I generally turn to Britten,Les Illuminations and Our Hunting Fathers especially,incredible music.

[Serial_Apologist]

There are some interesting, sumptuous, strange, lovely, things on Julianne Banse's CDs of Koechlin orchestral songs with Heinz Holliger conducting the Stuttgart RSO http://www.mdt.co.uk/koechlin-vocal-...sler-2cds.html

(all Holliger's Koechlin recordings are well worth hearing).

Thank you, JohnSkelton, for mentioning Charles Koechlin's (mostly early) songs. A sort-of "alternative Impressionism" to that of Debussy, orchestration even arguably surpassing.