Silke Gang, Marco Sclironi, Silvan Loher - Night, Sleep, Death and the Stars (2017) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Lieder nach Gedichten von Mascha Kaléko, Op. 7: I. Interview mit mir selbst
02. Lieder nach Gedichten von Mascha Kaléko, Op. 7: II. Konsequenz des Herzens
03. Lieder nach Gedichten von Mascha Kaléko, Op. 7: III. Blasse Tage
04. Lieder nach Gedichten von Mascha Kaléko, Op. 7: IV. Auf eine Leierkastenmelodie
05. Lieder nach Gedichten von Mascha Kaléko, Op. 7: V. Herbst-Melancholie
06. Lieder nach Gedichten von Mascha Kaléko, Op. 7: VI. Geburtstag
07. Lieder nach Gedichten von Mascha Kaléko, Op. 7: VII. Agota
08. Lieder Nach Gedichten Von Mascha Kaléko, Op. 7: VIII. Kleines Liebeslied
09. Lieder nach Gedichten von Mascha Kaléko, Op. 7: IX. Wenn man nachts nicht schlafen kann
10. Lieder nach Gedichten von Mascha Kaléko, Op. 7: X. Gewissermassen ein Herbstgedicht
11. Ten Poems by Walt Whitman, Op. 6: I. To You
12. Ten Poems by Walt Whitman, Op. 6: II. As If a Phantom Caress'd Me
13. Ten Poems by Walt Whitman, Op. 6: III. Aroused and Angry
14. Ten Poems by Walt Whitman, Op. 6: IV. A Prairie Sunset
15. Ten Poems by Walt Whitman, Op. 6: V. A Clear Midnight
16. Ten Poems by Walt Whitman, Op. 6: VI. Soon Shall the Winter's Foil Be Here
17. Ten Poems by Walt Whitman, Op. 6: VII. Joy, Shipmate, Joy!
18. Ten Poems By Walt Whitman, Op. 6: VIII. To The States
19. Ten Poems by Walt Whitman, Op. 6: IX. Of Him I Love Day and Night
20. Ten Poems by Walt Whitman, Op. 6: X. I Tramp a Perpetual Journey


Composer Silvan Loher has long been transfixed by both music and poetry. For Loher, the two worlds are strongly connected; the poetry with which he connects strikes a musical chord in him, and the music he loves most possesses a poetic quality. It was inevitable, then, that Silvan Loher would channel these dual passions into his own compositions. These songs include some of the only music he has written not to commission, but for the sheer pleasure and necessity of setting these poems. They are performed on this disc by mezzo soprano Silke Gäng and pianist Marco Scilironi. All three musicians were educated at the prestigious Basel Musikhochschule before embarking on their respective musical careers.

Silvan Loher has chosen to set poetry by two very distinct but complementary voices: Mascha Kaléko and Walt Whitman. Loher focusses on those poems by Kaléko which conjure up the smoky cabaret era of Berlin in the 1930s, and his music reflects this atmosphere perfectly. The poet’s themes of introspection and unease, set to dark-hued, richly evocative music, are balanced with moments of wistful nostalgia, when Loher’s love of Grieg and Brahms becomes audible.

In contrast, Walt Whitman’s famously direct and brilliant poetry draws from Loher music as wide-ranging as the texts themselves, reflecting a wealth of emotions from longing, to agitation, to loneliness, to the rapturous celebration of nature. Throughout the collection, Loher’s sensitivity to and understanding of these texts is evident; this is an essential new release for poetry and music lovers alike.

DOWNLOAD ALBUM [flac]

DOWNLOAD ALBUM [Hi-Res]