Spektor / Hoglund / Bjorlin - Summer & Winter Songs - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Composer Mira J. Spektor presents both sensitivity and passion in her new album DAYTIME & NIGHT SONGS. She combines masterful, original compositions with thought-provoking poetry written by a number of artists. Poetry is a key element of the album. Spektor draws influence from a variety of writers, such as Phyllis McGinley and Ruth Whitman. One of the more fascinating collaborations is Spektor's composition using the words of her granddaughter, 11-year-old Lily Nussbaum. On the album's second track Quiet, Nussbaum's vision is mature. Coupled with the sophisticated performance of the piano, most listeners would be in disbelief at the writer's youth. Three of the songs contain poems in French, a language which, alongside English and German, Spektor frequently writes in. La Complainte de Rutebeuf (The Complaint of Rutebeuf) was written by the French trouvère (poet-composer) Rutebeuf in the 13th Century. Emerveillement (Wonderment) is derived from a poem written by a mistress of famed poet Paul Verlaine. The third French song, Il Neige Dans Mon Coeur (It's Snowing in My Heart) is a poem Spektor herself wrote while she was trapped in a snow storm, drawing beauty and melancholy both directly and metaphorically out of a disastrous situation. The album varies stylistically throughout. Songs like Sunday Psalm and Quiet intertwine passionate mezzo-soprano vocals and delicate piano melodies to create two sprightful compositions that open the album. In songs like The Phoenix and Aubade, Spektor incorporates flute and cello, adding new dimensions to the operatic vocals. Most of the songs are brief, hovering more or less around two minutes. Yet within the brevity of the time, Spektor does not spare a second in creating beautiful relationship between the vocals and the instrumentation. Like reading and rereading poems, the more times you listen to the songs, the more you welcome the

The path that all interested listeners are about to follow leads to the deep and as yet not fully explored woodlands of the instrumental music of the latter half of the fifteenth century in or around southern Germany. It will zig-zag from one repertoire to another, from one manuscript to another, and of course from one 'soundscape' to another by presenting different combinations of instruments, in dialogue or simply allowing some of them stand alone to speak for themselves so that at the end of their sonic journey, listeners can fully enjoy a panoramic view of this rich and fascinating tradition. Album Tracks 1. Portigaler 2. Redeuntes in Idem Mi de Eadem Mensura 3. Ave Stella Matutina 4. Ein Buer Gein Holtze 5. Se la Phase Pale 6. Redeuntes in Fa 7. Redeuntes in Ut 8. Magnificat Octani Toni 9. Sequuntur Redeuntes in Idem 10. En Soustenant Vostre Querelle 11. Praeambulum Super F 12. Annavasanna 13. Der Winter Will Hin Wichen 14. Christus Surrexit Mala Nostra Texit 15. Bohu Svému Krali Nebeskému 16. Ich Sah Ein Bild in Blauwer Weyt 17. Gross Senen 18. A Vous Sans Aultre 19. Verlangen Tut Mich Krencken 20. Ich Sachs Eyns Mols Den Lichten Morgensterne 21. Adyen Matres Belle 22. Redeuntes in la 23. Parleregart / Ad Huc Semel 24. Qui Vult Messite 25. Praeambulum Super Sol 26. Without Title (After Anon J'ay Pris Amours a Ma Devise) 27. Without Title (Tenor Kyrie Cunctipotens Genitor Deus)

Album Tracks 1. Liden Karen 2. Skovensomhed 3. Til en Veninde 4. Skønne Fru Beatriz 5. Sommersang 6. Sang Bag Ploven 7. Min Pige Er SÅ Lys Som Rav 8. SÅ Bittert Var Mit Hjerte 9. Hjemve 10. Hjertets Melodier 11. Med en Vandlilje 12. Langs Ei Å 13. Eit Syn 14. Og Jeg Vil Ha Mig en Hjertenskjær 15. Åkande 16. Silde Den Aften 17. Genrebillede 18. Min Tankes Tanke Ene Du Er Vorden 19. Gik Du Fra Mig Ud 20. Böljebyvals 21. Jomfruen Under Lind 22. Irmelin Rose 23. Selinda Och Leander 24. TVÅ Klara Stjärnor 25. Dagen Flyr 26. Bland Skogens Hoga Furustammar 27. NÄR Jag FÖR Mig Sjelf I Mörka Skogen GÅR 28. SÄF, SÄF, Susa 29. Var Det en DRØM? 30. Den Första Kyssen 31. Drömmen 32. Flickan Kom Ifrån Sin Älsklings Möte 33. Svarta Rosor