Michael Nyman: Songbook, sung by Ute Lemper: [1991]

The Michael Nyman Songbook is a collection of art songs by Michael Nyman based on tests by Paul Celan, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, William Shakespeare and Arthur Rimbaud. It was recorded as an album with Ute Lemper in 1991, and again as a concert film in 1992, under the direction of Volker Schlöndorff, again with Ute Lemper, though many of the musicians had changed. The songs have been recorded by others and as instrumentals, and are published by Chester Music.

The texts are the poetry of Paul Celan in German, from the collections, Mohn und Gedäachtnis (1952), Von Schwelle zu Scwelle (1955), and Sprachgitter (1959), two letters and a 1787 Carnival riddle by Mozart in English for the segment by Jeremy Newsom of Artifax/BBC's Not Mozart titled Letters, Riddles, and Writs, Ariel songs from The Tempest composed for Prospero's Books, and L'Orgie Parisienne, ou Paris se Repeuple by Rimbaud. All save the Mozart are performed in their original language.

The songs are officially written for "low female voice". For Six Celan Songs, Nyman specifically wrote the pieces for Lemper. "Corona" and "Blume" "introduce an eight-bar chord sequence derived from Chopin's Mazurka in A minor, op. 17 no. 4 (the introduction to which was used by Gorecki in his Symphony No. 3)." It was composed between May and July 1990. Nyman's mother passed on June 7, while he was writing "Blume", and he dedicated the cycle to her memory.[1] "I Am an Unusual Thing" "is based entirely on extracts from two of Haydn quartets."[2] L'Orgie parisienne is an extract from La Traversée de Paris.

Texts by:

Paul Celan . William Shakespeare
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart . Arthur Rimbaud.

Michael Nyman Band

Conducted by:
Michael Nyman

Ute Lemper Vocals
Michael Nyman Piano
Alexander Balanescu Violin
Elisabeth Perry Violin
Clare Connors Violin
Michael McMenemy Violin
Kate Musker Viola
Tony Hinnigan Cello
Ruth Phillips Cello
Tim Amherst Double bass
Martin Elliott Bass guitar
David Rix Clarinet, bass clarinet
John Harle Soprano, alto saxophone
David Roach Soprano, alto, tenor saxophone
Andrew Findon Baritone saxophone, flute
Graham Ashton Trumpet, flugelhorn
Marjorie Dunn Horn
Nigel Barr Bass trombone, euphonium

Tracks:

SIX CELAN SONGS (Paul Celan)

1 – Chanson einer Dame im Schatten
2 – Es ward Erde in ihnen
3 – Psalm
4 – Corona
5 – Nächtlich geschürzt
6 – Blume

ARIEL SONGS (Shakespeare)

7 - Come and go
8 – While you here do snoring lie
9 – Full fathom five

10 – I am an unusual thing (Mozart)

L'ORGIE PARISIENNE (Rimbaud)

11 - Allez! On préviendra les reflux d'incendie
12 – Quand tes pieds ont dansé