The Divine Muse Mary Bevan & Joseph Middleton

• Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828):
• 1 Vedi, quanto adoro ingrato, D. 510 04:29
• 2 Son fra l’onde, D.78 01:48
• 3 Die Götter Griechenlands, D.677 04:06
• Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903): Hugo Wolf (1860 - 1903):
• 4 Goethe Lieder: No. 50. Ganymed 05:26
• Mörike Lieder:
• 5 Mörike Lieder: No. 27. Zum neuen Jahr 01:51
• 6 Mörike Lieder: No. 22. Seufzer 02:34
• 7 Mörike Lieder: No. 28. Gebet 02:38
• 8 Mörike Lieder: No. 46: Gesang Weylas 01:43
• Franz Schubert:
• 9 Ganymed, D.544 04:06
• Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809): Arianna a Naxos:
• 10 Arianna a Naxos: I. Largo e sostenuto 04:54
• 11 Arianna a Naxos: II. Aria (Dove sei) 04:16
• 12 Arianna a Naxos: III. Andante (Poco da me lontano) 03:19
• 13 Arianna a Naxos: IV. Aria (Ah, che morir vorrei) 03:58
• 14 Geistliches Lied 03:33
• Franz Schubert:
• 15 Gott im Frühlinge, D.448 01:57
• 16 Marie, D.658 01:30
• Hugo Wolf: Alte Weisen:
• 17 Alte Weisen: No. 6: Wie glänzt der helle Mond 03:42
• Mörike Lieder:
• 18 Mörike Lieder: No. 23. Auf ein altes Bild 02:26
• Spanisches Liederbuch:
• 19 Spanisches Liederbuch: No. 4. Die ihr schwebet 02:43
• Mörike Lieder:
• 20 Mörike Lieder: No. 25 Schlafendes Jesuskind 03:36
• Total Runtime 01:04:35

Info for The Divine Muse

After the success of their debut disc, ‘Voyages’, Mary Bevan and Joseph Middleton present their second recital disc exploring Lieder in German and Italian by Schubert, Haydn and Wolf. The programme is woven around songs inspired by the ‘muses’ of the day, both mythological and divine.

It begins with Schubert’s dramatic and reverential settings of sacred German poetry, set alongside his lush emotional portrayals of female characters in the Italian settings.

The central section of the disc is then devoted to Haydn’s epic ‘scena’ depicting the famously cruel abandonment of Arianna by her lover Teseo, ‘Arianna a Naxos’. Haydn’s beautiful prayer ‘Geistliches Lied’ takes us back into the world of German poetry and the religious fervour that arose from the collective belief in Christianity which pervaded most art forms of the age. The disc then moves into works by Hugo Wolf, whose stunning settings of devotional texts take the listener right to the heart of the characters; a few of these songs were in fact inspired by paintings. The early moments of Jesus Christ’s life are vividly portrayed here, particularly in songs such as ‘Die ihr Schwebet’, ‘Auf ein Altes Bild’ and ‘Schlafendes Jesuskind’, while the haunting ‘Gesang Weylas’ invites the listener into the world of the mysterious goddes Weyla who wistfully dreams of the shores of her distant homeland.

From Ganymed to Christ, Dido to the Virgin Mary, Arianna to St Peter, this recital disc richly illustrates the lives and events surrounding the ‘divine muses’ who inspired these composers.

Mary Bevan, soprano
Joseph Middleton, piano

Mary Bevan
Hailed by the Telegraph as one of the first-rate young British singers ‘delivering consistently exciting singing’ for her stand out performances on opera and concert platforms, Mary Bevan is a winner of the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Young Artist award and UK Critics’ Circle Award for Exceptional Young Talent in music. In the 2015-16 season Bevan sings the title role in Orpheus (Luigi Rossi) for the Royal Opera House at the Sam Wanamaker Theatre, returns to the English National Opera to sing Yum-Yum in The Mikado, and Elvira in Rossini L’italiana in Algeri at Garsington Opera. On the concert platform, Bevan will sing Silandra in Cesti Orontea with La Nuova Musica, Bach cantatas with the Dunedin Consort, Messiah with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Royal Northern Sinfonia, baroque programmes with the Academy of Ancient Music and Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and Fauré Requiem with Orquestra Sinfonica de Sevilla. She will also give recitals at Wigmore Hall, Leeds Lieder, The Danube Music Festival, and Solent Music Festival. Recent opera highlights included Bevan’s critically acclaimed Susanna The Marriage of Figaro and Despina Così fan tutte at English National Opera and Music / Euridice in Monteverdi L’Orfeo with the Royal Opera House at the Roundhouse. Previously she has also sung Belinda Dido and Aeneas with Harry Bicket and The English Concert, Galatea Acis and Galatea for Iford Arts under Christian Curnyn, Zerlina Don Giovanni for Garsington Opera, and Pamina Die Zauberflöte for West Green House. She also created the role of Lila in the world premiere of David Bruce’s The Firework Maker’s Daughter co-commissioned by The Opera Group, Opera North and Royal Opera House. Currently a Harewood Artist at the ENO, her other appearances have included Yum-Yum The Mikado, Second Niece Peter Grimes, Papagena The Magic Flute, Barbarina The Marriage of Figaro and Rebecca in the world premiere of Nico Muhly’s Two Boys. A former Associate Artist of Classical Opera, she most recently performed Servilla La clemenza di Tito and Gerechtigkeit Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots. Much in demand on the concert platform, Mary Bevan recently performed Bellezza Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno with Dunedin Consort, a Handel Residency week with Emmanuelle Haïm at the Aix-en-Provence Festival, Bach Magnificat with the Britten Sinfonia, Bach St John Passion with the King’s College Choir, Cambridge, Mozart Requiem with the English Chamber Orchestra, Fauré Requiem with the Philharmonia Orchestra, and Mozart Coronation Mass with Southbank Sinfonia. Other orchestral repertoire includes Mendelssohn Symphony No.2 with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Stravinsky Pulcinella with the Prague Philharmonia, Britten Les Illuminations with the English Chamber Orchestra, Handel Messiah with the English Concert and English Chamber Orchestra, Bach B minor Mass with Ludus Baroque, Bach St Matthew Passion, Handel Israel in Egypt, Haydn Nelson Mass with Hanover Band and a staged version of Haydn Creation with Vocal Futures. She has also appeared at the BBC Proms, Edinburgh International Festival and Spitalfields Festival. In recital Bevan has sung at the Wigmore Hall, Oxford Lieder Festival, St John’s Smith Square and Rhinegold LIVE. Bevan can be heard in such recent recordings as Handel in Italy with London Early Opera for Signum Records, Handel The Triumph of Time and Truth and Ode for St Cecilia’s Day with Ludus Baroque for Delphian Records, Ludwig Thuille songs with Joseph Middleton, and Mendelssohn complete songs with Malcolm Martineau for Champs Hill Records. She also appeared in David Starkey’s Music & Monarchy on BBC4. Bevan trained at the Royal Academy Opera, and read Anglo-Saxon Norse and Celtic at Trinity College, Cambridge. She is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.

This album contains no booklet.