Fatma Said - Lieder - Import CD

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Fatma Said

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Contents] (Scheduled songs) 1 ) Schubert: "Swan Song" D.957 ~ IV. 2 ) Schubert:The Shepherd on the Rock D.965 3 ) Schubert:Serenade "Hesitantly, quietly" D.920 4 ) Felix Mendelssohn:What a woman in love writes, Op.86-3 5 ) Schubert:Singing on the Water, Op.72, D.774 6 ) Schubert:The Dwarf, D.771 7 ) Felix Mendelssohn:The Witches' Song (Another May Song) Op.8-8 8 ) Fanny Mendelssohn: Zulaika (Oh, your damp wings) H. 306 9 ) Felix Mendelssohn: I Wish,I Will Tell You My Love, Op.63-1 10 ) Fanny Mendelssohn: Zuleika und Hartem (By the Delightful Fountain) 11 ) Brahms: The Song of the Sparrows, Op.70-2 12 ) Brahms: I pass by like the tune of a song, Op.105-1 13 ) Brahms: Farewell, Op.97-6 14 ) Brahms: My slumber grows shallower and shallower, Op.105-2 15-19 ) Brahms: Five Ophelia Songs (Arr. by Aribert Reimann) 20 ) Schumann:Dedication, Op.25-1 21 ) Schumann:Don't sing with a sad sound Op.98a-7 22 ) Schumann:Under the window, Op.34-3 23 ) Schumann:Love Song, Op.51-5 24 ) Schumann: At Night, Op.74-4 Performers Fatma Said (Soprano) Malcolm Martineau (Piano:1,2,5,6) Joseph Middleton(Piano:4,7,8,9,10,20-24) Quartet Arodo(string quartet:15-19) Hugh Montague Rendall(Baritone:9,10,22,24) Zabine Meyer(Clarinet:2) Anneleen Lenaerts(Harp:11-14) Jonatan Cohen(Piano:3) Valhalla Wm. Seidlwirt(Vocal Ensemble:3) Recording October 17-20, 30-31, 2023 and December 11-13, 2023, St Andreas Kirche, Berlin May 9, 2024, London, St Gabriel's Pimlico This is an album in which she sings not only with piano accompaniment but also with various guests, using her typical imaginative approach to expression. Soprano Fatma Said's previous two albums, "El Nur" and "Kaleidoscope," crossed cultures and musical genres, but this release focuses on German songs from the Romantic era, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Brahms. The new release focuses on German songs from the Romantic period, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann and Brahms. Fatma began her deep involvement with Lieder at the age of 18. She attended German language school in her native Cairo and later became a student at the Hans Eisler Conservatory in Berlin. From that moment on," she writes, "the joy of singing Lieder has been central to my musical life. 'I am extremely passionate about the Lieder. I love the combination of this wonderful German poetry with the genius of composers like Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, and Brahms." Lied recitals are usually performed by one singer and one pianist, but Fatma Said takes her typically imaginative approach on this album. I always wanted to make music with my friends," she says.When we share similar artistic values, our performances reach a very special level." The album's program includes 24 pieces and features pianists Malcolm Martineau, Joseph Middleton, and Jonatan Cohen, harpist Anne-Lene Lenaerts, and clarinetist Sabine Meyer (with Schubert's famous "Shepherd on the Rock"), Quartet Arod (performing Brahms' Ophelia Songs, arranged by Aribert Reimann; Reimann died in March 2024), the male voice ensemble Valhalla vom Seidlwirt (members of which studied with Fatma in Berlin), and up-and-coming baritone Hugh Montague Rendall, and many other talented artists. The soprano continues, "The artists I sing with in the Lieder are more than colleagues, they are friends. As colleagues, we explore this wonderful and rich world together. Many of the outstanding instrumentalists and singers who have participated with me are my friends, and those who I did not know through the recording sessions have become friends as well." The program includes world-famous lieder such as Schubert's elegant "Serenade" from "Swan Song," Schumann's vibrant "Dedication," and Brahms's charming "Like a Song's Tune That Moves Me," but it also takes on lesser-known repertoire. Fatma Said emphasizes the text of the poems throughout the album. She says, "In terms of how we performed these songs, we wanted to strongly emphasize the words. Of course, it is always necessary to sing with beautiful sound and tone, but my first priority was to convey the character of the words above all else." For example, when I was working with harpist Annelene Lenaerts on the Brahms piece, we always tried to have a musical conversation and make each other feel like we were speaking the words--both the voice and the harp playing the characters."Of Mendelssohn's "Witchesong" (with Joseph Middleton), she said, "In the high register of this lieder, I had to do something dangerous for my voice, like singing while speaking, but it was still worth the risk to bring out the words, the expression, the mood of the scene." She compares it to the charming lyricism of Schubert's The Shepherd on the Rock. "Here, and in some of the other pieces, I made smooth, beautiful legato singing a top priority when the music demanded it ... Distinguishing between different expressive worlds is, for me, the essence of singing lieder." (Warner Music)