M.Arler’s setting for translating ancient Chinese poetry into his symphony Das Lied von der Erde is perhaps the best-known of its kind, but he was not the only one fascinated by Tang dynasty poetry. bottom. In this recital, which celebrates the start of the Chinese New Year, bass-baritone Shenyang brings together songs by his 15 composers (Wigmore’s hall appearance over the weekend extended the sequence slightly). These were mostly his 20th-century names, but sometimes in a 19th-century romantic style.
According to Shenyang, the title of the show “Variations of Jade” (a stone whose name means pure) appeals both for its stylistic diversity and the variation in the expressive details that Shenyang brings to his interpretation. enabled listening. Simon Lepper’s teasing of the descriptive character of the piano piece, whether it complements the vocal color or propels the music, was crucial.
The distribution of the song in six languages - Swedish, Czech, German, English, French and Chinese – proved that the poem would appeal to so many people. Shenyang vividly conveyed emotion, and even in the frenzied outbursts, her voice was velvety and her phrasing always elegant. He made the most of the beautiful economy of his Webern’s Die Geheimnisvolle Flöte (The Mysterious Flute), captured the “whispered goodbyes” of Peter Warlock’s “Along the Stream,” and ripped through Cyril Scott’s A Song of Wine. .
But it’s the third of Pavel Haas’ four songs in Chinese poetry that has become an indication of the dramatic power and Shenyang artist since she won the world title of Cardiff singer in 2007. It was a Daleko měsíc je od domova (My Home Moon). , was the most powerful. It is one of Haas’s last compositions he wrote in Theresienstadt concentration camp shortly before Haas died in Auschwitz, Shenyang embraced its tender longing, sadness and inner anger, Lepper expanded The played piano brought equal power to his solos. In a final contemporary setting by Yinghai Li in Zhang Ji’s A Night Mooring by Maple Bridge, the barriers of time and geopolitics seemed to disappear once again.