Napisala i przyslala Basia Jaworski

TIDES OF LIFE: exciting arrangements of songs by Wolf, Schubert, Brahmsand Barber

In the winter of 2014, Amsterdam Sinfonietta and American baritone Thomas Hampson toured Europe. In a fortnight, they gave 12 concerts in six different European countries.

Especially for this tour and commissioned by Amsterdam Sinfonietta, British composer David Matthews arranged songs by Wolf, Schubert and Brahms. Schubert’s ‘Ständchen’ was given a new arrangement by Bob Zimmerman. Only Samuel Barber’s “Dover Beach” was not given a real ‘make over’ and remained close to the original composition.

The songs are sometimes barely recognisable, but I don’t mind. It’s quite exciting to hear what an arrangement can do with familiar melodies.

The text remains the same, of course, but the melody line – and ertainly the tone – does change. In the new arrangements, Brahms’ “Vier ernste Gesänge” sound a little less sombreand Wolf’s songs (“Der Rattenfänger”!) actually become much more serious in tone and less ironic.

In Bob Zimmerman’s setting, the lovely “Ständchen” sounds a little unheimlich. A feeling reinforced by the reversal of the ‘roles’: it is now not a girl assisted by a male choir, it is now the women who accompany the man. It takes some getting used to, but beautiful it most certainly is. In any case, the National Women’s Youth Choir knows it well.

Hampson’s voice is not as beautiful and cultured as it used to be, which is only a plus here.Thus, the songs sound sort of spicy, with plenty of punch. Nice!

Amsterdam Sinfonietta proves yet again that they are one of the best chamber music ensembles in the world.

Wiecej TUTAJ