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Track(s) taken from SIGCD139

In questa tomba oscura, WoO133

composer
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
author of text
Giuseppe Carpani (1752-1825)

Roderick Williams (baritone), Iain Burnside (piano)
Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
CD-Quality:
Studio Master:
CD-Quality:
Studio Master:
Recording details: March 2008
Warehouse, London, United Kingdom
Produced by John H West
Engineered by Andrew Mellor
Release date: October 2007
Total duration: 3 minutes 13 seconds
 

Reviews

'The rich tone mezzo Ann Murray is … fine, particularly in the four subtly different versions of Goethe’s Sehnsucht, while Iain Burnside’s is sensitive, vibrant and animated' (The Times)» More

In questa tomba oscura, WoO133, is the result of a musical challenge issued in 1807-1808, when composers were invited to set this poem by Giuseppe Carpani (1752-1825), an Italian poet resident in Vienna. Sixty-three of them obliged, but Beethoven’s setting is the only memorable version of this poem on an antique theme: the dead lover’s reproach to the “ingrata”, the faithless woman. The dark, chromatic liquefaction of the texture in mid-song, at the plea to allow “the naked ghosts” their peace in the tomb, is extraordinary.

from notes by Susan Youens © 2008

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