GenZ Voice Recitals: Whispers of Melancholy & Northern Dreams
A double recital filled with Portuguese saudade and Nordic chiaroscuro
Splendor and Stichting VoorUit are happy to present "GenZ Voice Recitals”. This series of four double recitals offers the audience a fresh look at classical music through the lens of Generation Z. Eight talented voice students from the Conservatory of Amsterdam and their duo partners take you on a musical journey around the world, with each performance focusing on unique songs or arias from the country of origin of the performing singer.
Madalena Massano (soprano) & Jana Schell (piano)
Eleriin Müüripeal (soprano) & Iivari Aalto (piano)
Special guest: Caspar Bellamy (violin)
The first stage: “Whispers of Melancholy” & “Nordic Dreams”
In “Whispers of Melancholy”, Portuguese soprano Madalena Massano shows us how “saudade”, the melancholy that characterizes Portuguese fado music, is in fact a universal emotion that resonates differently all over the world. Together with pianist Jana Schell, Madalena explores all shades of melancholy through the lenses of different composers such as Liszt, Schubert, Strauss, and Donizetti. The Portuguese songs of Ernesto Halffter form a common thread in this program. And perhaps even the spirit of Amália Rodrigues, the queen of fado, will grace us with her timeless presence…
“Ai que linda moça” (Ernesto Halffter, from “Seis canciones portuguesas”)
“Oh, quand je dors” (Franz Liszt)
“Gerinaldo” (Halffter)
“Malinconia” (Vicenzo Bellini)
“Escolher noivo” (Halffter)
“Morgen!” (Richard Strauss)
“Minha mãe me deu um lencinho” (Halffter)
“Nacht und Träume” (Franz Schubert)
“Don Solidón” (Halffter)
“Ständchen” (R. Strauss)
“Água do rio que lá vai” (Halffter)
“ll faut partir” (Donizetti, from “La fille du régiment”)
Stark contrasts of light and dark permeate every corner of Nordic life, from the soft glow of prolonged summer nights to the silent blackness of winter. No wonder, then, that the poetry and music of the North is so closely attuned to this yearly cycle of brightening and fading. Soprano Eleriin Müüripeal and pianist Iivari Aalto present “Nordic Dreams”, an atmospheric, ambitious survey of Finnish and Swedish vocal music of the last 150 years. From familiar names such as Sibelius, Stenhammar and Kilpinen to those who have not yet made their mark outside their native countries. Songs by leading female composers of their generation are included, along with a recent work by emerging Finnish composer Leevi Räsänen.
“Sköldmön (The Amazon)” (Ture Rangström)
“Armain kuoleman ajatus (Cherished thought of death)” (Leevi Räsänen)
“Iltarukous (Evening prayer)” (Kaija Saariaho)
“Drömmen (The Dream)” (Jean Sibelius)
“Var det en dröm? (Was it a dream?)” (Sibelius)
“I skogen (In the forest)” (Wilhelm Stenhammar)
“Illalla (In the evening)” (Yrjö Kilpinen)
“Sinipiika (The forest maid)” (Toivo Kuula)
“Aftonstämning (Evening mood)” (Hugo Alfvén)
“Hymyi hypnos (Hypnos smiled)” (Leevi Madetoja)
“Sydän (The heart)” (Helvi Leiviskä)
“Jag väntar månet (I wait for the moon)” (Gösta Nystroem)
“Tähtitarha (The canopy of stars)” (Olli Mustonen)
On February 9, March 9 and April 13 we continue our musical journey. Will you join us? Then buy a passe-partout for the entire series “GenZ Voice Recitals” now, at a reduced price.