Tides of Life
Arrangements for string ensemble and baritone by David Matthews
Candida Thompson (violin) & Thomas Hampson (baritone)
Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Netherlands Female Youth Choir
Awards:
-
Presto Recording of the Week, 17th February 2017
-
Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2017
In his orchestrations Matthews makes inspired and sensitive use of string colour and intimate solos…and in Schubert's Ständchen for vocal ensemble, the demure-sounding girls' choir, supported...
Tides of Life
Arrangements for string ensemble and baritone by David Matthews
Candida Thompson (violin) & Thomas Hampson (baritone)
Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Netherlands Female Youth Choir
Purchase product
Awards:
-
Presto Recording of the Week, 17th February 2017
-
Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2017
In his orchestrations Matthews makes inspired and sensitive use of string colour and intimate solos…and in Schubert's Ständchen for vocal ensemble, the demure-sounding girls' choir, supported...
About
In February 2014 Amsterdam and Thomas Hampson made a tour of twelve European concert halls performing a unique programme. The heart of the programme consisted of new arrangements of songs by Johannes Brahms, Franz Schubert and Hugo Wolf. Amsterdam Sinfonietta commissioned the English composer David Matthews to arrange this song repertoire for string ensemble and baritone. These intimate compositions were performed in this new version for the first time in large-scale concert halls.
The practice of orchestrating older, pre-existing songs became the vogue in the nineteenth century, coinciding with the blossoming of a whole new genre; the orchestral song. Composers such as Mahler, Wolf, Berlioz, Liszt and Strauss wrote songs for piano and voice, which they later ‘emancipated’ by arranging them for voice and orchestra. A number of composers, including Brahms, Berlioz and later Weber and Reger, paid homage to their predecessors such as Schubert and Schumann by orchestrating their songs. On this recording only the version of Samuel Barber’s song Dover Beach remains close to the original. Composed for string quartet and baritone, the song is heard here in a version for baritone and string orchestra. This CD celebrates the years long collaboration between the Amsterdam Sinfonietta and Thomas Hampson in bringing the great song repertoire to new audiences in a new manner.
Contents and tracklist
- Thomas Hampson
- Amsterdam Sinfonietta, Netherlands Female Youth Choir
- Candida Thompson
Spotlight on this release
-
An error occurred.
Try watching this video on www.youtube.com, or enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser.
A glimpse behind-the-scenes of the recording session of 'Ständchen' (track 8 on the album), with the Netherlands Female Youth Choir: -
An error occurred.
Try watching this video on www.youtube.com, or enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser.
Thomas Hampson and Candida Thompson discuss compostions that can be heard on the album -
An error occurred.
Try watching this video on www.youtube.com, or enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser.
A mini-documentary about the tour in which you travel with Thomas Hampson and Amsterdam Sinfonietta through Europe -
An error occurred.
Try watching this video on www.youtube.com, or enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser.
'Der Rattenfänger' (track 6 on the album) in a concert performance from the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam -
An error occurred.
Try watching this video on www.youtube.com, or enable JavaScript if it is disabled in your browser.
-
Thomas Hampson on Tides of Life
23rd Feb 2017
Katherine talks to the American baritone about his new disc of arrangements of lieder by Brahms, Schubert and Wolf.
-
Thomas Hampson sings Lieder arranged for baritone and string orchestra
17th Feb 2017
Katherine listens to 'Tides of Life', featuring a selection of Romantic Lieder in beautiful new string arrangements.
Awards and reviews
-
Presto Recording of the Week17th February 2017
-
Presto Recordings of the YearFinalist 2017
May 2017
In his orchestrations Matthews makes inspired and sensitive use of string colour and intimate solos…and in Schubert's Ständchen for vocal ensemble, the demure-sounding girls' choir, supported by discreet strings in an arrangement by Bob Zimmerman, is the perfect foil for Hampson's velvety sound
17th February 2017
The results have immediate appeal and integrity, with the new timbres always enhancing rather than obfuscating the text, and striking a quite wonderful balance between fidelity to the spirit of the originals and little touches of happy anachronism here and there...One of the loveliest discs to come our way so far this year.
23rd February 2017
It’s not only the singing of baritone Thomas Hampson, on top form, that makes this recital so enjoyable; it’s the affectionate new string arrangements, joyously played by the Amsterdam Sinfonietta...[Matthews] adds texture and illumination to already radiant songs, refreshing these lilies without gilding them.
