Respighi Songs Ian Bostridge Saskia Giorgini Giorgini - Chandos ...
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Respighi Songs Ian Bostridge Saskia Giorgini
RESPIGHI SONGS 4 Liriche, P125
14 II. La naiade 3. 10
Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) 15 III. La sera 4. 02
Deità silvane, P107 6 Pieces for Piano, P44
1 I. I fauni 1. 55 16 III. Notturno 5. 29
2 II. Musica in horto 1. 53
3 III. Egle 3. 05 5 Canti all’antica, P71
4 IV. Acqua 2. 37 17 IV. Bella porta di rubini 1. 42
5 V. Crepuscolo 4. 02
18 Stornellatrice, P69 1. 29
6 Liriche, P90
6 I. O falce di luna 2. 38 4 Scottish Songs, P143
7 III. Au milieu du jardin 2. 02 19 I. When the kye come hame 3. 07
8 VI. Pioggia 2. 00 20 II. Within a mile of Edinburgh 3. 51
21 III. My heart’s in the Highlands 3. 02
6 Liriche, P97 22 IV. The piper of Dundee 2. 14
9 I. Notte 3. 10
10 III. Le repos en Égypte 3. 49 23 Canzone sarda, P155 2. 00
11 IV. Noël ancien 3. 00
24 Le Funtanelle (Canzone dell’Abruzzo), P164 1. 01
12 Nebbie, P64 2. 50
Total playing time: 67. 34
13 La statua, P122 3. 11 Ian Bostridge, tenor
Saskia Giorgini, piano
I first properly discovered Respighi during A master in storytelling, Respighi’s musical
the very beginning of the 2020 Lockdown, language is shaped around the poetic
when I was looking for some Italian songs world created by the text in such a way
to lift my heart. that we have the feeling it was born as
one whole. His ability to paint a complete
What I found was so much more. Not only scenography or set, complete in all its
did I gain access to a treasure house of detail, in just a few bars is a rare one.
colourful and imaginative musical writing,
but also to the most intimate area of Working on Respighi‘s music has been so
the composer’s mind. And what a mind! fulfilling for both of us, pianist and singer.
Eternally curious and eclectic, Ottorino It has also offered a different and wider
Respighi, born in Bologna in 1879, spoke 11 perspective on life’s happenings; one
languages fluidly. constant in this music is the longing for a
past still so close — its vibrations still in the
His clever and always sensitive choice air — but at the same time inevitably gone.
of poetry is a direct reflection of the
breadth of his musical imagination. The During his life, Respighi, also a
resulting combination of music and words musicologist, turned his attention to
is as powerful as it can be — which is Italian and foreign folk traditions. It
not at all obvious, and we often find less seemed especially fitting to end the album
successful examples even by the greatest with arrangements of Scottish and Italian
of composers. Folk songs.
-Saskia Giorgini
5
The Afternoon, Evening and Night celebrated song, ‘Nebbie’. At a time of
of a Faun deep depression, he suddenly woke up
The songs of Ottorino Respighi – a Modern with a craving to compose; and that same
Mythology. afternoon a friend presented him with a
volume of poems by Ada Negri. He flicked
through the volume, encountered ‘Nebbie’
The bountiful collection of songs recorded and realized at once that her words fitted
on this album might be approached in perfectly the music he had written in the
two ways. First of all, it can be read as a morning.
diary — of the artist and the civilization
that he so effectively represents. These The songs also tell us about Respighi’s
songs, written between circa 1905 and private life, such as his close, lifelong
1930, chart Respighi’s personal and stylistic friendship with the mezzo-soprano
development as a composer. His widow Chiarina Fino Savio, an influential singer
Elsa, a singer whom he accompanied and frequent dedicatee of his songs, the
in more than 350 concerts, writes in ‘sweet friend’, the ‘Dawn of my Sunset’, as
Ottorino Respighi. Dati biografici ordinati he calls her in connection with Il tramonto,
da Elsa Respighi that her husband who introduced him to the publisher
composed vocal music at every stage Ricordi. She was a constant source of
of his career. As a young man, he wrote inspiration and advice, and when Respighi
songs to express the more introverted published a new set of songs in 1912, he
side of his personality. Songs allow us to paid her the compliment by saying that
glimpse the most intimate processes of a he had composed the songs for her while
composer’s workshop, as we learn from thinking of her and her voice — he had first
Respighi’s legendary account of his most been struck by the special timbre of her
7
instrument when he heard her perform where he established himself as Professor composer to ‘publish with his music’ five Respighi’s songs can also be seen as a
Aretusa in 1911. Fino Savio returned the of Composition and later Director of the poems that included ‘La naiade’ and ‘La sophisticated cultural discourse, focussing
compliment by paying homage to Respighi conservatoire. He remained in Rome for sera’. Nine years earlier the composer had on nature, myth and folk tradition. Many
in June 1936 (he had died two months the rest of his career and became, after not felt confident enough to set a play by of his songs attempt to create a modern
earlier) in a recital at the conservatoire Fontane di Roma, a celebrity. By the time the same poet and declined the publisher’s mythology of nature, where mystery lurks
of her native Turin, where she performed he composed ‘Le funtanelle’ in April 1930, offer of a contract. Apart from ‘O falce unseen to all but the sensitive listener. The
his songs, accompanied by Franco Alfano, the now famous Roman symphonic trilogy di luna calante’ (1882), which attracted aim is to restore the balance between
the man who had completed Puccini’s had already been completed. at least a dozen other composers, the man and nature in an age of astonishing
Turandot. nine d’Annunzio poems set by Respighi technological progress. Nature is not
Respighi’s willingness to address poetry are mostly taken from the youthful but seen through the cold perspective of the
Respighi’s Notturno for piano and his first which had not originally been designed for innovative collection Poema paradisiaco scientist’s eyes but rather as a world of
songs were composed in his twenties, song composition — ‘liriche’ as opposed to (1893) – poems that fluctuate between mystery, decipherable only by art — a world
shortly after he had left the Bologna the 19th century ‘romanze’ of the salon — monologue and dialogue. Other authors that mankind can approach by delving
Conservatoire, where he had been a pupil gives us an idea of his literary tastes. A set by Respighi include two celebrated into dreams and visions, which awaken the
of that staunch Wagnerian Giuseppe cultured man, he eventually assembled poetesses, Ada Negri and Vittoria Aganoor senses and allow him to realize that he is a
Martucci. It was in his native Bologna, an extensive library, nurturing a passion Pompilj, the versatile and visionary vital part of mother nature. This nostalgia
described in 1902 by the Musical Times as which would grow into a self-confessed Antonio Rubino, who was also a renowned for mythology and ‘long dead gods’ —
the ‘Musical Athens of Italy’, that Respighi bibliomania. The poems he chose for illustrator, and the French symbolist poet which brings about a Dionysian experience,
and his friends used to spend time with his songs are a mirror of Italian culture Albert Samain, whom Gabriel Fauré had extends our perception of reality and
the Sicilian-born Francesco Bongiovanni, during the first third of the 20th century, immortalized in ‘Accompagnement’, sets creative energies free — is a reaction
who published ‘Nebbie’ and other early strongly influenced by Gabriele d’Annunzio. ‘Arpège’, ‘Pleurs d’or’ and ‘Soir’. The success against the rampant spread of early 20th-
works – to their mutual benefit. The five Poet, novelist, playwright and politician, of Respighi’s songs was partly due to his century technology. As a consequence,
songs of Deità Silvane, which Respighi sent d’Annunzio had Respighi’s songs performed thoughtful and sophisticated word-setting reality often takes on a dreamy quality,
to Ricordi on 14 February 1917, were written for him by his lover Luisa Baccara in Fiume, and the evocative quality of the piano a space where one might well encounter
after Respighi’s move to Rome, the city and on 22 April 1920 he authorized the accompaniment. Roman fauns and Pan, symbols in ancient
8 9
times of Nature itself that with their ‘joyful dreams’. Irrational experience begins when proceeding slowly like Wagnerian giants, (1920) exhibits a free declamatory style,
force’ inhabited the wild woods that man time ceases to exist. It is worth recalling support the long ascending vocal line — a a time signature that alternates between
cannot dominate. Such creatures dwell in that Debussy described the Prélude à process that is reversed at the end of the 5/4 and 7/4 and an unusually long postlude
a land that is situated between reality and l’Après-midi d’un Faune as a ‘succession song, as the dead lover’s call resounds that depicts perhaps the gurgling of the
dream. of scenes through which pass the desires in unearthly fashion. The conductor urn mentioned in the poem. The song was
and dreams of the faun in the heat of the Gianandrea Gavazzeni recalled that the written during a holiday at the ‘Rosebush’
Nature is often inhabited by the god Eros, afternoon’. song was regularly performed at family cottage in Anacapri which was later owned
as we see in ‘I Fauni’, where an excited reunions, since every amateur had it in his by Graham Greene.
accompaniment depicts the rampaging Stillness waiting for some sort of miracle repertoire. Nocturnal peace is the focus
fauns. The presence of Eros can also be is what characterizes many of Respighi’s of ‘Le repos en Égypte’ which, through a Respighi often displays a gift for
seen in the final line of ‘Musica in horto’ songs, such as ‘Acqua’, ‘Crepuscolo’, ‘Au remarkable unifying piano accompaniment, impressionistic word-painting in his piano
and in the fascinating ‘Crepuscolo’, the last milieu du jardin’, ‘Notte’ and ‘Nebbie’, where evokes a typical Oriental night in fin-de- writing, influenced by Debussy and, in the
of the Deità Silvane songs that depicts a natural landscape and the time of day are siècle oriental taste, as the harmonies central recitative-like section of ‘Pioggia’,
landscape with Pan, against whom ‘a softly conveyed by rich, evocative harmonies and keep changing. ‘O falce di luna calante’ by Wagner’s Tristan. Like Claude Monet,
singing nymph’ once ‘leant her breasts, some uncomfortable leaps in the vocal line. (1909), typical of d’Annunzio’s moonlit Respighi was obsessed by water, as we
provokingly’. But the most typical and A placid, plain, D-flat Major Lento tranquillo poems, aims to express the ‘harvest of hear in the atmospheric phenomena and
impressive feature of this type of poetry walk conjures up the nocturnal atmosphere dreams’ rippling down in the moon’s glow the ‘hiss of silver cymbals’ at the core of
is the way reality fades into darkness in ‘Notte’ (1912) in which the final four lines through a harmonic density reminiscent ‘Musica in horto’, a song that is drenched in
and silence, as happens in the elegant, are intoned by the voice on a single note, of Schumann (‘Mondnacht’) and Duparc. art nouveau atmosphere and imagination.
Chopinesque piano Nocturne, which and the final word (‘piange’ (‘weeps’)) is The accompaniment to ‘La statua’ (1920) is Listening to ‘Pioggia’ (1909), one is
anticipates the songs that he composed repeated across two bars to a ppp dynamic. redolent of twilight, while ‘La sera’ (1920) is reminded of Marcel Proust in Le Côté de
a few years later, approximately between The other Ada Negri song, ‘Nebbie’, nothing less than a chromatic, Tristanesque Guermantes: ‘The shivering poplars which
1903 and 1905. Darkness in ‘Notte’ describes a desolate Schubertian landscape ode to night — Respighi achieves a suggest endless mysteries of evening’, as ‘a
represents ‘lost epiphanies’; and ‘Le repos complete with ravens in a 4/2 (!), F-sharp sepulchral effect by combining a rhythmic few drops of rain fall without noise on the
en Égypte’ speaks of ‘the mysterious desert Minor Lento, as motionless piano chords, ostinato with spicy harmonies. ‘La naiade’ water, ancient but still in its divine infancy
10 11coloured always by the weather’. Another the accompaniment to ‘My heart’s in
remarkable creature emerging from the the Highlands’ which contrasts with the
landscape is the pre-Raphaelite figure in voice’s noble melody. The set closes with
the languid slow waltz of ‘Egle’ (1917), a ‘The Piper of Dundee’, whose brisk prelude
small miracle of word-painting, progressive and accompaniment has a faint whiff of
harmony, wit and intimacy — reminiscent of Mahler’s Des Knaben Wunderhorn songs.
similar waltzes by Debussy and Ravel.
Returning to Italy, we are welcomed by
Beside the intertwining themes of nature the strongly coloured melody of ‘Canzone
and myth, the songs on this album also sarda’ (1928), gently counterpointed by the
reveal Respighi’s huge interest in folk bird calls in the piano. The Abruzzi song
tradition. ‘La stornellatrice’ (1906) is a ‘Le funtanelle’ (1930) exudes merriment
folksong from Central Italy with a fresh and joyful nonsense and culminates in
melodic appeal and a recitative-like the toast: ‘Long live love!’ Another folk-like
rhythmic freedom. The merry A-flat Major song, ‘Bella porta di rubini’ from Cinque
‘Noël ancien’ is characterized by a driving canti all’antica (1906), is a plain and simple
9/8 energy and frequent optimistic octave setting in crystal-clear tonal F Major; its
leaps. The 4 Scottish Songs (1924) open carefree lightness matches nicely the
with the energetic ‘When the kye come vivid images in the poem. Respighi and
hame’, a song that conveys the happiness his generation exhibited a huge interest in
of pastoral Scotland, while the typical, Italian poetry and music from the Middle
syncopated Scotch snap enlivens ‘Within Ages to the 18th century — something that
a mile of Edinburgh’, as the light and witty is evident in his symphonic works.
piano accompaniment relieves some of
the melancholy mood. Equally witty is Raffaele Mellace
12Lyrics 2
II. Musica in horto II. Music in the garden
Deità Silvane
(texts by Antonio Rubino) Uno squillo di cròtali clangenti A sound of clashing crotales
1 rompe in ritmo il silenzio dei roseti rhythmically breaks the silence of the rose
I. I fauni I. The Fauns mentre in fondo agli aulenti orti segreti gardens
gorgheggia un flauto liquidi lamenti. while deep in the fragrant secret gardens
S’odono al monte i saltellanti rivi We hear the tumbling brooks on the La melodia con tintinnio d’argenti a flute murmurs liquid laments.
murmureggiare per le forre astruse: mountain, par che a vicenda s’attristi e s’allieti, The melody with silver tinkling
s’odono al bosco gemer cornamuse gurgling through hidden ravines: ora luce di tremiti inquieti, seems by turns to sadden and to lighten
con garrito di pifferi giulivi. in the wood we hear the bagpipe sound or diffondendo lunghe ombre dolenti: now the light of restless trembling
E i fauni in corsa per dumeti e clivi, with the skirl of joyous pipes. cròtali arguti canne variotocche!, now spreading long doleful shadows:
erti le corna sulle fronti ottuse, And the running fauns through thickets and Una gioia di cantici inespressi spirited crotales, many-aired reeds!
bevono per lor nari camuse slopes, per voi par che dai chiusi orti rampolli, A joy of unvoiced hymns
filtri sottili e zefiri lascivi. horns erect on broad foreheads, in sommo dei rosai, che cingon molli for you, it seems that from the closed
E, mentre in fondo al gran coro alberato drink through their snub noses ghirlande al cuor degli intimi recessi, gardens shoots
piange d’amore per la vita bella subtle filters and lascivious zephyrs. s’apron le rose come molli bocche. atop the rose gardens, enveloping soft
la sampogna dell’arcade pastore, And, while below the great treed choir garlands in the heart of their innermost
contenta e paurosa dell’agguato it cries of love for the beautiful life: recesses,
fugge ogni ninfa più che fiera snella, the bagpipe of the Arcadian shepherd. the roses open like tender mouths.
ardendo in bocca come ardente fiore. Happy and fearful of the ambush,
each nymph flees, more nimble than proud,
her mouth burning like an ardent flower.
14 153 del musco e dell’esiguo capelvenere, of moss and of the slight maidenhair fern,
III. Egle III. Aegle sì che… per tutte le sottili vene, ah that... through all your slender veins,
onde irrighi la fresca solitudine, which bathe the fresh solitude,
Frondeggia il bosco d’uberi verzure, The wood grows leafy and fruitful, il tuo riscintillio rida e subludii your tinkling laughs and ripples
volgendo i rii zaffiro e margherita: the brooks reflecting daisy and sapphire: al gemmar delle musiche serene. at the flowering of the serene music.
Per gli archi verdi un’anima romita Through the green arches a hermit soul Acqua, e, lungh’essi i calami volubili Water, and along them the fickle reeds
cinge pallidi fuochi a ridde oscure circles pale fires in hidden whirls movendo in gioco le cerulee dita, playfully moving their Cerulean fingers,
e in te ristretta con le mani pure and in you slight with pure hands avvicenda più lunghe ombre alle luci, brings closer longer shadows to the lights,
come le pure fonti della vita, like the pure sources of life, tu che con modi labili deduci you who with frail ways perceive
di sole e d’ombre mobili vestita dressed in sun and fluid shadows sulla mia fronte intenta e sulla vita on my absorbed forehead and on life
tu danzi, Egle, con languide misure. you dance, Aegle, languidly. del verde fuggitive ombre di nubi. fleeting green shadows of clouds.
E a te candida e bionda tra le ninfe, And to you, fair, bright among the nymphs
d’ilari ambagi descrivendo il verde in merry winding movements sketching the 5
sotto i segreti ombracoli del verde, green V. Crepuscolo V. Twilight
ove la più inquïeta ombra s’attrista, below the secret shadows of the green,
perle squillanti e liquido ametista where the most restless shadow saddens, Nell’orto abbandonato ora l’edace In the abandoned garden now the devouring
volge la gioia roca delle linfe. bright pearls and liquid amethyst muschio contende all’ellere i recessi, moss contends the recesses with the ivy,
flows the rough joy of the lymphs. e tra il coro snelletto dei cipressi and between the slender choir of cypresses
s’addorme in grembo dell’antica pace Pan. slumbers in the womb of the ancient peace
4 Sul vasto marmoreo torace, of Pan.
IV. Acqua IV. Water che i convolvoli infiorano d’amplessi, On the vast marble bust,
un tempo forse con canti sommessi that the convolvuli decorate with embraces,
Acqua, e tu ancora sul tuo flauto lene Water, and still you on your soft flute, piegò una ninfa il bel torso procace. once, perhaps, with softened songs
intonami un tuo canto vario lungo, sing your long and varied song to me, Deità della terra, forza lieta!, a nymph bent her beautiful pert bust.
di cui le note abbian l’odor del fungo, whose notes have the scent of mushroom, troppo pensiero è nella tua vecchiezza; goddess of the earth, happy strength!
16 17per sempre inaridita è la tua fonte. Too much thought is in your old age; Oppresso d'amor, di piacere, Oppressed by love, by pleasure,
Muore il giorno, e per l’alta ombra inquïeta for ever barren is your spring. il popol de' vivi s'addorme. the whole world is fast asleep.
trema e s’attrista un canto d’allegrezza: The day dies, and for the long restless O falce calante, qual mèsse di sogni O waning crescent, what harvest of dreams
lunghe ombre azzurre scendono dal monte. shadow ondeggia a 'l tuo mite chiarore qua giù! wavers in your pale glow down here!
a song of merriness trembles and is
saddened: 7
long azure shadows descend from the III. Au milieu du jardin III. At the centre of the garden
mountain. (text by Jean Moréas)
6 Liriche, P90 Au milieu du jardin la fleur que je désire At the centre of the garden, the flower I
6 s' entr' ouvre en ce moment, desire is just opening,
I. O falce di luna I. O crescent of a waning moon et la brise tout bas sous les tilleuls soupire and the faint breeze among the linden
(text by Gabriele d'Annunzio) dans un frissonnement. trees ighs and shivers.
O falce di luna calante O crescent of a waning moon Errant entre ses bords, sur le gravier encore At the garden edge, still on the gravel,
che brilli su l'acque deserte, you that shine on the deserted waters, l' eau brillante bruit, the bright water murmurs and meanders,
o falce d'argento, qual mèsse di sogni o silver crescent, what harvest of dreams mais le rayon du jour, hélas! qui s' évapore but the day’s light, alas, already fading,
ondeggia a 'l tuo mite chiarore qua giù! wavers va céder à la nuit. will give way to night.
in your pale glow down here! 8
VI. Pioggia VI. Rain
Aneliti brevi di foglie Short breaths of leaves (text by Vittoria Aganoor Pompilj)
di fiori di flutti da 'l bosco of flowers, ripples from the woods
esalano a 'l mare: non canto, non grido, go forth to the sea, no song, no cry Piovea: per le finestre spalancate It rained: through the wide-open windows,
non suono pe 'l vasto silenzio va. no sound goes through the vast silence. a quella tregua di ostinati odori to the respite of the persistent fragrances,
saliano dal giardin fresche folate there wafted from the garden cool gusts
18 19d'erbe risorte e di risorti fiori of revived grass and revived flowers. Pure ha un pensiero e un palpito Nevertheless having a thought and a pulse
la quiete suprema, supreme quiet,
S'acchettava il tumulto dei colori The tumult of colours calmed down l'aria come per brivido the air, as if shivering -
sotto il vel delle gocciole implorate; beneath the veil of the longed-for droplets; trema. trembles.
e intorno ai pioppi ai frassini agli allori and around the poplars, the ashes and the
beveano ingorde le zolle assetate. laurels La luttuosa tenebra Does the mournful darkness
the thirsty clods of earth drank greedily. una storia di morte a story of death
racconta alle cardenie tell to the gardenias -
Esser pianta, esser foglia, esser stelo Oh, to be a plant! To be a leaf, to be a stem, smorte? so pale?
e nell'angoscia dell'ardor (pensavo) And in the anguish of passion (I reflected)
così largo ristoro aver dal cielo! To receive such great renewal from the sky! Forse perché una pioggia Maybe it’s because a torrent
di soavi rugiade of delicate dewdrops
Sul davanzal protesa io gli arboscelli, Leaning out over the windowsill I watched entro i socchiusi petali into half-closed petals -
I fiori, l'erbe guardavo guardavo the bushes, the flowers, the grass, cade, falls,
E mi battea la pioggia sui capelli. While the rain beat down on my hair.
Su l'ascose miserie On concealed troubles
6 Liriche, P97 e su l'ebbrezze perdute, and on once intoxicating losses,
9 sui muti sogni e l'ansie on voiceless dreams and anxieties -
I. Notte I. Night mute. mute.
(text by Ada Negri)
Su le fugaci gioie Over the fleeting joys
Sul giardino fantastico On the fantastic garden che il disinganno infrange that disappointment smashes
profumato di rosa perfumed by rose la notte le sue lacrime night, her tears -
la carezza de l'ombra the caress of a shadow - piange... weeps...
posa. rests.
20 2110 11
III. Le repos en Égypte III. The repose in Egypt IV. Noël ancient IV. Ancient Christmas
(text by Albert Victor Samain) (anonymous)
La nuit est bleue et chaude, et le calme infini... The night is blue and warm, and the calm Noël nouvelet, A new Christmas,
Roulé dans son manteau, le front sur une pierre, boundless ... Noël chantons ici, let us sing Noël here,
Joseph dort, le cœur pur, ayant fait sa prière, Wrapped in his cloak, his brow against a rock, dévotes gens, devout people,
et l'âne à ses pieds est comme un humble ami. Joseph, having prayed, sleeps with a pure heart, crions à Dieu merci, let us cry thanks to God,
and the ass lies at his feet like a humble friend. chantons Noël pour le Roi nouvelet. let us sing Noël for the new little King.
Entre les pieds du Sphynx appuyée à demi, Half-leaning against the Sphinx’s feet, Quand m'éveillai, When I awoke,
la Vierge pâle et douce, a fermé la paupière; the Virgin, gentle and pale, has closed her eyes; ayant assez dormi, having slept my fill,
et, dans l'ombre, une étrange et suave lumière and, in the shade, a soft and strange light j'ouvris les yeux, I opened my eyes
sort du petit Jésus dans ses bras endormi. issues from little Jesus asleep in her arms. vis un arbre fleuri, and saw a flowering tree
dont il sortait un bouton vermeillet. with a bright red bud.
Autour d'eux le désert songe mystérieux; Surrounding them, the mysterious desert
et tout est si tranquille à cette heure, en ces dreams; Quand je le vis, When I saw it,
lieux and all is so peaceful here at this hour mon cœur fut réjoui my heart rejoiced,
Qu'on entendrait l'enfant respirer sous ses voiles. that you could hear the child breathe beneath car grand' beauté for it gleamed
her veils. resplendissait en lui, with great beauty,
comme soleil levant au matinet. like morning sunrise.
Nul souffle... La fumée immobile du feu Not a breath ... the fire’s motionless smoke
Monte ainsi qu'un long fil se perd dans l'air rises like a long thread into the blue air ... D'un angelet I then heard
bleu... and the eternal Sphinx calls heaven to witness. après les chants ouïs an angel singing
Et le Sphynx éternel atteste les étoiles. qu'aux pasteurs disait: to the shepherds, saying:
"Partez d'ici, en Bethléem trouverez l'agnelet.", ‘Set out from here, in Bethlehem you shall find
22 2312
the lamb.’ Nebbie, P 64 Mists
(text by Ada Negri)
En Bethléem In Bethlehem
Marie et Joseph I saw Mary and Joseph, Soffro, lontan lontano I suffer. Far, far away
vis, l'âne et le bœuf the ass and the ox Le nebbie sonnolente the sleeping mists
près de l'Enfant au lit: near the sleeping Child: Salgono dal tacente rise from the silent
La crèche était au lieu d'un bercelet. The manger served as a crib. Piano. plain.
L'étoile y vis I saw the star Alto gracchiando, i corvi, Shrilling cawing, the crows,
qui dans la nuit éclaircit, illuminating the night, Fidati all'ali nere, trusting their black wings
qui d'Orient the star which from the Orient Traversan le brughiere cross the heath
d'où son éclat jaillit with its bright light Torvi. grimly.
en Bethléem les trois Rois amenait. led the three Kings to Bethlehem.
Dell'aere ai morsi crudi To the raw weathering of the air
L'un portait l'or One was bearing gold, Gli addolorati tronchi the sorrowful tree trunks
et l'autre offrait la myrrhe, and the other offered myrrh, Offron, pregando, i bronchi nudi. offer, praying, their bare branches,
et l'autre encens qu'il faisait bon sentir: and the other fragrant incense: Come ho freddo! How cold am I!
Du Paradis semblait le jardinet! The garden resembled Paradise!
Son sola; I am alone;
Pel grigio ciel sospinto driven through the gray sky
Un gemito destinto a wail of extinction
Vola; flies;
E mi ripete: Vieni; And repeats to me: come,
È buia la vallata. the valley is dark.
24 25O triste, o disamata Oh sad, oh unloved one, 4 Liriche, P125
Vieni! Vieni! Come! Come! 14
II. La naiade II. The Naiad
13 (text by Gabriele d’Annunzio)
La statua, P122 The Statue
(text by Gabriele d’Annunzio) Pullula ne l’opaco bosco e lene The water crawls through the opaque forest
tremula e si dilata in suoi leggeri and gently trembles and expands in its light
Chi scenderà dall'alta scala ai cigni aspettanti? Who'll step down the high stair to the swans cerchi l’acqua; ed or vela i suoi misteri, circles; and now it veils its mysteries,
Protendono silenti i lunghi colli, ad ora ad ora; who wait? ora per tutte le sue chiare vene now through all of its clear veins
e intenti riguatano dai neri occhi ferigni. They stretch up silently their tall necks, ever ha un brivido scoprendo all’imo arene passes a shiver, unearthing the low
Chiusa l'acqua nel cerchio dei macigni and anon, nuziali ove ancor restano intieri wedding arenas where still rest intact
muscosi and intently, glower through wild eyes of i vestigi dei corpi che in piaceri the vestiges of bodies which in co-mingled
ride ai bianchi solchi lenti. blackened bronze. d’amor commisti riguardò Selene. pleasures of love regarded Selene.
Una statua memore d'assenti numi, The waters within the circle of stone
grandessa fa i cipressi insigni. swathed in mosses mock the wan rills' spread. Morta è Selene; morte son le Argire; Selene is dead; the naiads are dead;
Qual mistero dal gesto d'una grande statua A statue, a remembrance of long-dead i talami, deserti; nel sovrano the bridal beds, deserted; in the sovereign
solitaria gods, amid the old cypresses stands alone. silenzio de la notte l’acqua tace; silence of the night the water falls silent;
In un giardino silenzioso al vespero si espande! What mystery from the gesture of a great ma pur sembrami a quando a quando udire but truly it seems now and then I hear
Manca il Sole, ma il giorno ancor chino sui statue standing alone in a wildwood mid spring il gorgoglio di un’urna che una mano the gurgling of an urn which an invisible
monti, silently sprawls as the hour grows late! invisibile affonda in quella pace. hand submerges within that peace.
Sfoglia l'ultime ghirlande. The sun is gone; but the Day — still bending
E il cielo è più lontano e più divino. over the mountains,
loosens a last flower from her plait.
And the sky seems now a higher and holier
thing.
26 2715 17
III. La sera III. The Evening 5 Canti all’antica, P71
(text by Gabriele d’Annunzio)
IV. Bella porta di rubini IV. Beautiful door of rubies
Rimanete, vi prego, rimanete qui. Stay, I beg you, stay here. (text by Alberto Donini)
Non vi alzate! Do not get up!
Avete voi bisogno di luce? Do you need light? Bella porta di rubini Beautiful door of rubies,
No. No. ch'apri il varco ai dolci accenti, which open the way to sweet accents.
Fate che questo sogno duri ancora. Let this dream last still. se nei risi peregrini If in your fleeting laughs
Vi prego: rimanete! I beg you: stay! scopri perle rilucenti, you show shining pearls
Ci ferirebbe forse, come un dardo, la luce. Like a dagger, the light may wound us. tu d'amor dolce aura spiri, you breathe the aura of gentle love
Troppo lungo è stato il giorno: oh, troppo. The day has been too long: oh, much too refrigerio a miei martiri. relief for my martyrdom.
Ed io già penso al suo ritorno con orrore. long.
La luce è come un dardo! And already I think of its return with fear. Vezzosetta e fresca rosa, Charming, fresh rose
Anche voi non l'amate; è vero? Light is like a dagger! umidetto e dolce labbro, moist, soft lip
Gli occhi vostri, nel giorno, sono stanchi. You also do not love it, true? ch'hai la manna rugiadosa who have the dewy manna
Pare quasi che non possiate sollevare le During the day your eyes are tired. sul bellissimo cinabro, on the lovely cinabar
palpebre, It almost seems that you cannot lift the lids non parlar ma ridi e taci: do not speak but laugh, be silent;
su quei dolorosi occhi; above your sorrowful eyes; sien gli accenti i nostri baci. let our kisses be our speech.
e nulla, veramente, nulla è più triste and nothing, truly, nothing is sadder
de l'ombra che le ciglia immote than the shadow which your motionless Occhietti amati che m'incendete, Eyes which are loved, which set me afire,
fanno talvolta a sommo de le gote eyelashes perché spietati omai più siete? because you are cruel, or you are never more
quando la bocca non sorride più. Sometimes make on the summit of your Splendan sereni, di gioia pieni, let them shine, serene, full of joy
cheeks vostri splendori, fiamme di cori. your splendours, flames from the hearts.
When your mouth no longer smiles.
Bocca vermiglia ch'hai per confini, Or you are never more, vermillion mouth
28 29o meraviglia, perle e rubini, that you have as a border, oh wonder, 4 Scottish Songs, P143 when the kye come hame.
quando ridente, quando clemente, pearls and rubies, 19
dirai: "Ben mio ardo anch'io!"? when you laugh, when you are merciful, I. When the kye come hame Then the eyes shine sae brightly,
you will say: “well, my love, I burn too.” the hale soul to beguile,
Come all ye jolly shepherds, there's love in ev’ry whisper
18 that whistle through the glen, and joy in every smile;
Stornellatrice, P69 Balladeer I'll tell you of a secret O! wha would choose a crown,
(text by Carlo Zangarini) that courtiers dinna ken; wi' its perils and its hame?
what is the greatest bliss And miss a bonnie lassie,
Che mi giova cantar: "Fior di betulla: What use is it to sing: "O, flower of the that the tongue o' man can name ? when the kye come hame.
Vorrei tu fossi il sole ed io la stella, silver birch: 'tis to woo a bonnie lassie,
E andar pel cielo e non pensare a nulla!" I wish you were the sun and I a star. when the kye come hame. See yonder pawky shepherd
Quando poi l'eco mi risponde: nulla? Wandering through the heavens, thinking that lingers on the hill,
of nothing." When the kye come hame, his yowes are in the fauld,
If then the echo replies to me: nothing? when the kye come hame, and his lambs are lying still ;
'tween the gloamin and the mirk but he downa gang to rest,
Che mi vale cantar: "Fiore dei fiori: What is it worth to me to sing: "Flower of when the kye come hame. for his heart is in a flame,
Tu sei l'amore mio díoggi e di ieri: all flowers: to meet his bonnie lassie,
Tu sei l'amore mio che mai non muori!" You are my love for both today and 'Tis not beneath the burgonet, when the kye come hame.
Quando poi l'eco mi risponde: muori? yesterday: nor yet beneath the crown,
You are my love who will never die!" 'tis not on couch of velvet, Awa’ wi' fame and fortune
If the echo replies to me: die? nor yet on bed of down; what comfort can they gi’e?
'tis beneath the spreading birch, And a' the arts that prey
in the dell without a name, upon man's life and libertie!
wi' a bonnie, bonnie lassie, Gi’e me the highest joy
30 31that the heart o' man can frame, won her heart right merrily; Farewell to the Highlands, farewell to the north He play'd a spring, the laird to please
my bonnie, bonnie lassie, yet still she blush'd and frowning cried, the birthpace of valour, the country of worth; a spring brent new frae yont the seas;
when the kye come hame ! "Na, na, it winna do; I canna, canna, wherever I wander, wherever I rove, and then he gae his bags a wheeze,
winna, winna, mauna buckle to!" the hills of the Highlands forever I love. and play’d anither key.
20 And wasna he a roguy, a roguy, a roguy,
II. Within a mile of Edinburgh But when he vow'd he wad make her his Farewell to the mountains high covered wi’ and wasna he a roguy, the piper o' Dundee?
bride, snow
'Twas within a mile o' Edinburgh town, though his flocks and herds were not few, farewell to the straths and green valleys below He play'd "The Welcome owre the Main,"
in the rosy time of the year; she gie'd him her hand and a kiss beside, farewell to the forests and wild-hanging woods and "Ye'se be fou and I'se be fain,"
sweet flowers bloom'd and the grass was and vow'd she'd forever be true. farewell to the torrents and loud-pouring floods. and "Auld Stuart's back again"
down, Bonnie Jockie, blythe and free, wi' muckle mirth and glee.
and each shepherd woo'd his dear - won her heart right merrily; My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not He play'd "The Kirk", he play'd "The Queen"
Bonnie Jockie, blythe and gay, at kirk she no more frowning cried, here "The Mulin Dhu" and "Chevalier"
kiss'd young Jenny making hay; "Na, na, it winna do; I canna, canna, my heart's in the Highlands, a-chasing the and "Lang away, but welcome here"
the lassie blush'd and frowning cried, winna, winna, mauna buckle to!" deer; sae sweet, sae bonnilie.
"Na, na, it winna do; a-chasing the wild deer and following the roe, And wasna he a roguy, a roguy, a roguy,
I canna, canna, winna, winna, mauna 21 my heart's in the Highlands wherever I go. and wasna he a roguy, the piper o' Dundee?
buckle to!" III. My heart’s in the Highlands
22 It's some gat swords and some gat nane
Jockie was a wag, that never wad wed, My heart's in the Highlands, my heart is not IV. The Piper of Dundee and some were dancing mad their lane,
though lang he had follow'd the lass, here; and mony a vow o' weir was ta'en
contented she earned and ate her brown my heart's in the Highlands, a-chasing the The piper came to our town, that night at Amulrie.
bread, deer; to our town, to our town There was Tullibardine, and Burleigh,
and merrily turned up the grass. a-chasing the wild deer, and following the roe, the piper came to our town and Struan, Keith, and Ogilvie,
Bonnie Jockie, blythe and free, my heart's in the Highlands wherever I go. and he play’d bonnilie. And brave Carnegie, wha' but he,
32 33The piper o' Dundee. Amore, mi te' sète. My love, you are.
And wasna he a roguy, a roguy, a roguy, Dov'è lle l'acqua che mi sî purtate? Where's the water I need?
And wasna he a roguy, the piper o' Dundee? Trommalari, lirà, llari llalera. Trommalari, lirà, llari llalera.
Trommalari, lirà, vviva ll'Amor! Hurray, hurray, hurray for love!
23 T'ajje purtate 'na giarre di crète, You've been purged of a bunch of clay,
Canzone sarda, P155 Sardinian song 'nghe ddu catene d'ore 'ngatenate. In two chains of chained gold.
(anonymous) Trommalari, lirà, llari llalera. Trommalari, lyra, llari llalera.
Trommalari, lirà, vviva ll'Amor! Hurray, hurray, hurray for love!
Din t'o monte su spiccu On the high mountain
canta so rossignolo, the nightingale sings
su cori miu è piticcu, my heart is pitiful,
ci capistui solu he only understands
lu cori miu è piticcu. that my heart is pitiful.
24
Le funtanelle (Canzone dell’Abruzzo), The Fountains
P 164
(anonymous)
Tutte le funtanelle se so sèccàte, All the fountains have dried out,
pover' amor mi'! More de sete. my poor love! More thirst for us.
Trommalari, lirà, llari llalera. Trommalari, lirà, llari llalera.
Trommalari, lirà, vviva ll'Amor! Hurray, hurray, hurray for love!
34 35Acknowledgements Also available
on PENTATONE
PRODUCTION TEAM
Executive producer Kate Rockett
A&R Coordinator Veronika Muravskaia
Recording producer Mark Brown | Recording engineer David Hinitt
Piano technician Barry Caradine | Language coach Maria Laura Belli
Liner notes Raffaele Melace
French lyrics translation Richard Stokes | Italian lyrics translation Calvin B. Cooper
Design Marjolein Coenrady | Product management Kasper van Kooten
Photography Julia Wesely
Special thanks to Richard Stokes for his involvement in the artwork creation process
This album was recorded at Alpheton New Maltings, Suffolk, UK, in July 2020.
PTC 5186 764 PTC 5186 775
PENTATONE TEAM
Vice President A&R Renaud Loranger | Managing Director Simon M. Eder
A&R Manager Kate Rockett | Product Manager Kasper van Kooten
Head of Marketing, PR & Sales Silvia PietrosantiSit back and enjoy
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