When a song originally written for voice and piano is furnished with orchestral accompaniment, a curious transformation takes place: the work's dimensions as a piece of chamber music expand into symphonic ones, and the 'black and white' chords of the piano backing fill up with the varied tones of the string and wind sections - an effect similar to adding vibrancy to the images in a child's colouring books with a set of coloured pencils. This is the plan for this concert by the Kammerorchester Basel, where the outstanding German baritone Matthias Goerne will perform songs Robert Schumann originally wrote for piano accompaniment, but alongside the ensemble playing Alexander Schmalcz's orchestral arrangement.
The Müpa Budapest audience can look forward to an exciting experience when, just a few days after the world première, they will get to hear these songs newly attired in fresh orchestral garb. As another new development, the 11 songs have been arranged to constitute a fictional cycle that had not existed previously. Born in Weimar in 1967, Matthias Goerne is one of the top singers of our time, both on the opera stage and at song recitals. He has worked with such other artists as Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, and has been invited for decades to perform at the world's leading concert halls, opera houses and festivals. Founded in 1984, the Kammerorchester Basel continues the traditions of Paul Sacher's famous Basler Kammerorchester, simultaneously nurturing the tradition of early music while also keeping contemporary music on its programme. The ensemble plays concerts together with the world's most renowned soloists and its leading conductors. In addition to a selection of German lieder by Schumann, their program mixes the pastel colours of the French fin de siècle repertoire with Charles Gounod's Petite Symphonie and the petite suites of Claude Debussy and Albert Roussel.
Debussy-Busser: Petite Suite
Schumann-Alexander Schmalcz: Songs - Hungarian première
Abendlied, Op. 85, No. 12
Der Einsiedler, Op. 83, No. 3;
Die Lotosblume, Op. 25, No. 7
Widmung, Op. 25, No. 1
Hör' ich das Liedchen klingen, Op. 48, No. 10
Roussel: Petite Suite for Orchestra, Op. 39
Gounod: Kis szimfónia fúvós hangszerekre, op. 216
Schumann-Alexander Schmalcz: Songs - Hungarian première
Heimliches Verschwinden, Op. 89, No. 2
Liebesbotschaft, Op. 36, No. 6
Herzeleid, Op. 107, No. 1
Im Freien, Op. 89, No. 5
Featuring:
baritone: Matthias Goerne
