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Track(s) taken from CDA67627

Die ihr aus dunkeln Grüften, HWV208

composer
1724/6
author of text
1721/4; Irdiches Vergnügen in Gott, bestehend in Physicalisch- und Moralischen Gedichten

Carolyn Sampson (soprano), The King's Consort
Recording details: October 2006
Menuhin Hall, Yehudi Menuhin School, Stoke d'Abernon, Cobham, Surrey, United Kingdom
Produced by Ben Turner
Engineered by Philip Hobbs
Release date: June 2007
Total duration: 5 minutes 41 seconds
 

Reviews

‘With her pure, luminous tone, graceful sense of phrase and discerning musicality, Carolyn Sampson gives enchanting performances of music that is essentially about enchantment … Süsse Stille is exquisitely shaped and savoured, with a rapt, confiding pianissimo at the da capo. Elsewhere Sampson perfectly catches the blissful langour of Künft'ger Zeiten eitler Kummer and brings a smiling eagerness to Die ihr aus dunklen Grüften, enhancing the da capo with playful touches of ornamentation’ (Gramophone)

‘The nine German arias Handel composed … still rank among his best-kept secrets. Barthold Brockes's verses are a pantheistic celebration of God-in-Nature, and Handel responded with music of hedonistic enchantment, from the rapt, wondering Süsse Stille to the laughing ebullience of Das zitternde Glänzen. Always a lovely Handel soprano, Carolyn Sampson sings these arias with her trademark pellucid tone and refined phrasing. She spins a smooth, serene line in the more contemplative numbers, and dances blithely in an aria such as Süsser Blumen Ambraflocken, vying with violinist Stéphanie-Marie Degand in playful coloratura flourishes’ (The Daily Telegraph)

‘Sampson brings undeniable flair to these arias, sometimes endowing them with a beguiling sensuality … Alexandra Bellamy plays with a gentle, relaxed period sound that is very pleasing’ (American Record Guide)

‘Carolyn Sampson's singing is graceful, pure-toned, beautiful … she embellishes neatly, her runs are smooth, and in a contemplative song like Künftiger Zeiten eitler Kummer she can spin out phrases to magical effect … balance and clarity are admirable, as indeed are the introductory texts’ (International Record Review)

‘Sampson persuasively evokes the innocent, carefree countryside in Handel’s Nine German Arias, both at quicksilver speed with babbling effervescent runs and shakes in Das Zitternde Glanzen, and at languid siesta pace with caressing vocal heat and a slight, appealing huskiness in Süsse Stille … the oboist Alexandra Bellamy plays the three oboe sonatas with thrilling buoyancy, burning long notes and no mechanical clatter’ (The Times)

‘Carolyn Sampson beautifully expresses inward rapture and outward joy, and she is touchingly wistful in 'Süsser Blumen'. She is nicely matched by the violin of Stéphane-Marie Degand, and the spiky tone of Alexandra Bellamy is an extra pleasure in the three oboe sonatas’ (Classic FM Magazine)

‘This is essential Handel … Carolyn Sampson sings with great circumspection and understanding of Handel's intentions’ (Audiophile Audition, USA)

‘Carolyn Sampson, who has a vivacious personality to go with her bright tone and virtuoso technique, sings Handel's melting melodies as if born to them. The open textures of the period-instrument King's Consort could hardly be more attractive, to boot’ (The Star-Ledger, USA)

‘Carolyn Sampson comes across spectacularly well on disc. Her beautiful sweet-toned soprano is ideally suited to the baroque repertoire and here, as in the other Hyperion releases such as Handel's Ode to St Cecilia, she excels. The performance is well-integrated, both within the ensemble and between instruments and voice’ (MusicOHM.com)
Die ihr aus dunkeln Grüften HWV208 has a stealthy bass line and strongly characterized violin solo part similar to the aria ‘Forte e lieto’ in Tamerlano. The operatic version represents Bajazet’s stubbornness in conflict with filial love, and introduces a character whose actions are frequently misconceived. Brockes’s poem makes that rhetorical character in the music even stronger, with the singer advising that those who dig for gold and gems waste their time in the dark while they should instead be experiencing the real treasure of God’s creation.

from notes by David Vickers © 2007

Die ihr aus dunkeln Grüften HWV208 a une ligne de basse furtive et une partie de violon solo puissamment caractérisée, identique à l’aria «Forte e lieto», dans Tamerlano. La version opératique dépeint l’obstination de Bajazet se heurtant à l’amour filial et introduit un personnage dont les actions sont souvent mal comprises. Ce héros rhétorique en musique, le poème de Brockes le rend encore plus fort, avertissant que ceux qui creusent pour trouver de l’or et des gemmes perdent leur temps dans le noir au lieu d’éprouver le vrai trésor de la création de Dieu.

extrait des notes rédigées par David Vickers © 2007
Français: Hypérion

Die ihr aus dunkeln Grüften HWV208 hat einen schleichenden Bass und eine hervorstechende Partie für Solovioline, ähnlich wie in der Arie „Forte e lieto“ aus Tamerlano. In der Oper wird die Sturheit Bajazets im Konflikt mit kindlicher Liebe dargestellt und stellt eine Figur vor, deren Handlungen oft falsch verstanden werden. In Brockes’ Gedicht erscheint diese Figur in der Musik noch stärker, wobei der Sänger anmerkt, dass diejenigen, die nach Gold und Edelsteinen graben, ihre Zeit in der Dunkelheit vertun und stattdessen den wahren Schatz der Schöpfung Gottes erleben sollten.

aus dem Begleittext von David Vickers © 2007
Deutsch: Viola Scheffel

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