EDVARD GRIEG (1843–1907)

Songs

 

Sex digte (Six Songs) Op 25 Henrik Ibsen [14'03]

1 Spillemænd (Minstrels) [2'28]

2 En svane (A Swan) [2'25]

3 Stambogsrim (Album Lines) [1'47]

4 Med en vandlilje (With a Waterlily) [2'14]

5 Borte! (Gone!) [1'49]

6 En fuglevise (A Bird's Song) [2'49]

Sechs Lieder (Six Songs) Op 48 [15'34]

7 Gruß (Greeting) Heinrich Heine [1'09]

8 Dereinst, Gedanke mein (One day, my thoughts) Cristóbal de Castillejo, trans Emanuel Geibel [3'05]

9 Lauf der Welt (The way of the world) Ludwig Uhland [1'38]

10 Die verschwiegene Nachtigall (The secretive nightingale) Walther von der Vogelweide [3'45]

11 Zur Rosenzeit (Time of roses) Johann Wolfgang von Goethe [3'08]

12 Ein Traum (A dream) Friedrich von Bodenstedt [2'21]

Haugtussa (‘Haugtussa’ Song Cycle) Op 67 Arne Garborg [28'27]

13 Det syng (The Singing) [4'02]

14 Veslemøy (Little Maid) [2'48]

15 Blåbær-li (Blueberry Slopes) [2'59]

16 Møte (Meeting) [4'16]

17 Elsk (Love) [2'43]

18 Killingdans (Goats’ Dance) [2'01]

19 Vond dag (Hurtful Day) [2'52]

20 Ved Gjætle-bekken (By the Gjætle Brook) [6'13]

Hjertets melodier (Melodies of the heart) Op 5 Hans Christian Andersen [6'00]

21 To brune øjne (Two brown eyes) [1'13]

22 En digters bryst (A Poet’s Heart) [1'32]

23 Jeg elsker dig (I love you!) [1'33]

24 Min tanke er et mægtigt fjeld (My thoughts are like a mighty mountain) [1'22]

25 Princessen (The Princess) EG 133 Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson [3'44]

 

Katarina Karnéus - mezzo-soprano

Julius Drake - piano

 

Hyperion is delighted to present a disc of Grieg’s songs. Grieg’s sheer range as a song-writer—from the shortest settings, folk-like and immediate, to the depth of distinctive inspiration that runs through every bar of the major cycle Haugtussa—places him without question among the finest masters of the genre. Arne Garborg’s verse-novel Haugtussa created a deep impression on Grieg. The resulting marriage of poetry and music is one of the miracles of the nineteenthcentury song-cycle genre. Many regard this work as Grieg’s masterpiece: it is certainly one of the greatest song-cycles for the female voice ever written, revealing the composer at the very height of his powers.

 

These matchless examples of Scandinavian Romanticism are performed by the partnership of Swedish mezzo-soprano Katarina Karnéus and pianist Julius Drake, who drew great critical acclaim for their disc of Sibelius songs:

 

Praise for SIBELIUS Songs Compact Disc CDA67318

‘Inspired performances … It is a magic partnership, giving fresh insights in every song’ (The Guardian) ‘Highly recommended to lovers of Sibelius’s music who, like me, were unaware of this treasure’ (The Sunday Times) ‘If you want a single disc to demonstrate the richness and variety of Sibelius’s songs, you will not do better than this. Karnéus’s voice is glorious’ (The Daily Telegraph) ‘A wonderful, thoroughly recommendable album … this disc receives my highest recommendation’ (Fanfare, USA) ‘A compellingly shaped and hugely accomplished recital’ (BBC Music Magazine) ‘Julius Drake has all the precision of nuance and sensitivity to rhythm and balance that the piano parts demand. Karnéus is utterly compelling’ (The Evening Standard)

 

Hyperion CDA67670