Haydn: Despair, Hob. XXVIa:28

A new and exquisite collection of German songs from counter-tenor Andreas Scholl, providing a perfect balance between text and music. The choice of music reflects Scholl’s belief that music need not be confined in performance to a particular voice type, as long as “the singer’s approach is true.”

Scholl pulls off a bravura display in Schubert’s An Mignon, singing in both the counter-tenor and baritone register. The performance of these songs reveals an intuitive understanding between singer and accompanist, Andreas Scholl and Tamar Halperin.

It is well known that Haydn was a favoured visitor to London towards the end of his life and spent much time in the English capital. In addition to the famous ‘London’ symphonies he wrote a considerable amount of other music whilst he was here, including chamber works and, particularly, songs, many of them to English words by his friend Anne Hunter. All of the famous ones are here, along with other, German, settings and the extended scena ‘Arianna a Naxos’, to an anonymous Italian text.

Respected and in demand soprano Ruth Ziesak gives an outstanding performance. This new CD includes all Haydn’s songs with lyrics in English.

In celebration of the Haydn year, MSM brings together two rising stars of the classical music world. The album combines selections from Haydn’s English and German love songs.

In the ‘Haydn Year’ PentaTone is pleased to release the complete Haydn songs first released on a Philips three LP set and now available on 2 CD’s at a special price.

Haydn’s lieder is sadly often relegated to the opening ‘warm-up’ sections of recitals, or, even worse, totally neglected. This is a pity, for as collectors of Brilliant Classics cycle of all his Scottish Songs will know, there is much wit, warm humour and not a little drama to found in these gems. The songs on this CD span 1781 –95, and the first two sets were written for the Viennese socialite Franz Sales von Greiner, who regularly advised Haydn on the choice of texts.

The third set is probably the best known works in this programme. The ‘English Canzonettas’ were written for Haydn’s friend Lady Anne Hunter, the widow of eminent surgeon Sir John Hunter. Anne provided the texts for the first group, and one for the second. Haydn turned to Metastasio for the remainder.

The ‘Pastoral Song’ became a firm favourite with the Victorians, and was a parlour song ‘hit’.

These Philips recording have long been unavailable: here they make a welcome return to the catalogue

‘Those who love them [Haydn’s songs], and love Elly Ameling, will not be disappointed in this generous recital…Ameling’s skill lies in her precise judgement of their scale…Jorg Demus’s accompanying is half the fun: he makes the keys speak as clearly and sweetly as any fortepiano…’ Gramophone

Full sung texts and booklet notes

A must for lovers of this popular and much-loved singer