Debussy & Hahn: Vocal Works Christiane Karg, Gerold Huber, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks & Howard Arman

• Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918):
• 1 Debussy: Salut printemps, L. 24 (Arr. M. Gaillard for Women's Choir & Piano) 05:23
• La damoiselle élue, L. 62:
• 2 Debussy: La damoiselle élue, L. 62: Prélude 03:54
• 3 Debussy: La damoiselle élue, L. 62: La damoiselle élue s'appuyait 04:54
• 4 Debussy: La damoiselle élue, L. 62: Je voudrais qu'il fut déjà près de moi 07:36
• 5 Debussy: La damoiselle élue, L. 62: La lumière tressaillit de son côté 03:30
• Claude Debussy:
• 6 Debussy: Les angélus, L. 76 (Transcr. C. Gottwald for Women's Choir) 02:54
• Ariettes oubliées, L. 60:
• 7 Debussy: Ariettes oubliées, L. 60: No. 3, L'ombre des arbres 02:17
• Reynaldo Hahn (1874 - 1947): 7 Chansons grises:
• 8 Hahn: 7 Chansons grises: No. 6, Paysage triste 02:22
• Études latines:
• 9 Hahn: Études latines: No. 1, Lydie 02:18
• 10 Hahn: Études latines: No. 2, Néère 03:09
• 11 Hahn: Études latines: No. 3, Salinum 02:03
• 12 Hahn: Études latines: No. 4, Thaliarque 02:17
• 13 Hahn: Études latines: No. 5, Lydé 02:54
• 14 Hahn: Études latines: No. 6, Vile potabis 01:23
• 15 Hahn: Études latines: No. 7, Tyndaris 01:29
• 16 Hahn: Études latines: No. 8, Pholoé 01:45
• 17 Hahn: Études latines: No. 9, Phidylé 02:35
• 18 Hahn: Études latines: No. 10, Phyllis 03:15
• Total Runtime 55:58

Info for Debussy & Hahn: Vocal Works

Weightless, floating sounds, far removed from any earthbound striving for a home key and eluding any measurable emphases; a dazzlingly bright play of colors in instrumentation and impressionist tones, combined with that affectionate, softly melodic character of the French language – that is what constitutes the special charm of the French art-song. Audibly very different from the German Lied of the Romantic and Late Romantic periods, its extremes are filled with tensions and delightful contrasts. In the concert repertoire on the German side of the Rhine, however, French solo and choral songs have remained something exotic. This selection of the finest examples from the oeuvre of both brilliant composers, written at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, offers music full of grace and impressionistic esprit that remains unique in the history of composition and art. The cantata La Damoiselle élue was the first major success of the young Claude Debussy; appreciated for its beauty and tenderness, it is heard here for the first time in Howard Arman's version with two pianos, based equally on the orchestral score and Debussy’s own, independent piano version. It is joined by several of Debussy's solo and choral songs. "L'ombre des arbres dans la rivière embrumée", the poem by the symbolist lyricist Paul Verlaine, also hinges equally between Debussy and Hahn: it was masterfully set to music by both within a brief time period. The solo songs are performed by renowned soprano Christiane Karg, accompanied by Gerold Huber on the piano. In his song and choral cycle Études latines, Reynaldo Hahn resurrected antiquity. Recreating such music not only gave the composer inspiration but also great freedom. The piano accompaniment is restrained as far as possible. These serious and tender songs reflect on the life journeys taken by a person.

Christiane Karg, soprano
Angela Brower, alto
Tareq Nazmi, bass
Daniel Behle, tenor
Anna-Maria Palii, soprano (Etudes Latines)
Max Hanft, piano (Etudes Latines)
Nikolaus Pfannkuch, tenor (Etudes Latines)
Gerold Huber, piano
Max Hanft, organ
Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Howard Arman, conductor

Christiane Karg
was born in Feuchtwangen, Bavaria. She studied singing at the Salzburg Mozarteum with Heiner Hopfner and Wolfgang Holzmair, where she was awarded the Lilli Lehmann Medal, and at the Music Conservatory in Verona. During her studies she made her highly acclaimed debut at the Salzburg Festival and has been a welcome guest there ever since.

She can be heard worldwide with the great roles of her repertoire: in London at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden as Pamina, at the Lyric Opera Chicago and at the Met in New York as Susanna, at La Scala in Milan as Sophie and Euridice, at the Vienna State Opera as Mélisande (Pelléas et Mélisande) and at the Hamburg State Opera as Pamina, Mélisande and Daphne. New in the repertoire: the Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte at the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Micaela in a new production of Carmen at the Berlin State Opera under Daniel Barenboim and the Contessa in Mozart's Figaro, among others, in Hamburg. In the winter of 2020/2021 she will appear again, this time as Pamina, at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

The soprano is also in demand internationally for concert roles. Her musical partners include conductors such as Daniel Harding, Christian Thielemann, Riccardo Muti, Zubin Mehta, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Christoph Eschenbach, Thomas Hengelbrock, Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Semyon Bychkov, Herbert Blomstedt and Iván Fischer. She collaborates with important orchestras all over the world.

The soprano cultivates her passion for lied and concert in a special way. In the current season Christiane Karg gives recitals in London, Tokyo and at the Heidelberger Frühling, among others. She also tours with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the pianist Leif Ove Andnes to Lyon, Paris, Prague and London. In addition to her numerous engagements, Christiane Karg, as artistic director of the festival KunstKlang, conceives and is responsible for her own concert series in her hometown Feuchtwangen and is very committed to her project "be part of it! - Musik für Alle" project to promote music education for children and young people. For her merits, the artist was awarded the Bavarian Culture Prize in the art category and recently the Brahms Prize of the Brahms Society Schleswig-Holstein e.V.

In spring 2017 Christiane Karg released her CD "Parfume" with a collection of French songs on the Berlin Classic label, which was highly acclaimed by the press. Her recording of Le Nozze di Figaro under Y. Nézet-Séguin, her CD Scene! with the Arcangelo Baroque Orchestra under Jonathan Cohen and her Lied CD "Verwandlung - Lieder eines Jahres" (piano: Burkhard Kehring) were awarded. Her most recent new release was Mozart's Magic Flute under Y.Nézet-Seguin at the DGG. A CD with Mahler songs is in preparation.

Booklet for Debussy & Hahn: Vocal Works