Robert Schumann's "Myrthen" (Myrtle Flowers) was a wedding gift to his fiancée Clara Wieck on the eve of their marriage in 1840, a year known as his "Year of Lieder."
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in December 2023 at the Grand Manège Concert Hall in Namur, Belgium, with Jiri Heger as the sound engineer.
Composition History
Gabriel Fauré's "La Chanson d'Ève" was inspired by a work by Belgian symbolist Charles van Lerberghe, who aimed to create a more nuanced Eve than John Milton's "Paradise Lost."
Album & Artwork
The album title "Samsara" refers to the concept of the cycle of death and rebirth, a theme that resonated with mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey during the recording.
Performer Biography
Mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey is a regular guest at celebrated venues worldwide, including the Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House Covent Garden, and Teatro alla Scala.
Performer Biography
Pianist Éric Le Sage is known for his subtle sound, sense of structure, and poetic phrasing, and has been described as a "cultivated disciple of the great French tradition of Schumann piano."
Composer's Artistic Vision
In Fauré's setting of "La Chanson d'Ève," the biblical figure of Eve is presented without a male counterpart, and divine punishment does not involve childbearing pain or submission to a husband.
