Stéphane De May - Mendelssohn: Lieder ohne Worte (2020)

To record the complete sets of Mendelssohn's Songs without Words represents a real challenge, with more than two hours of music. The prodigious pianist Stphane De May shares his passion delicately and thoughtfully through his sensitive performance of these works.

Mendelssohn's aim was, analogous to the lieder for voice and piano, comparable to those by Schubert and Schumann and others to compose them for piano solo, aiming at making sing the piano, thus creating lyrical pieces of a new genre which befell a great success during the second half of the nineteenth century. Thus, the piano is called to simultaneously bring forth a melody and to provide its accompaniment, the two functions being intimately intermingled: one must sing with the fingers. The musician becomes a poet, finding himself in a situation of telling a story which is already there.

There are in all eight cahiers, not forty-eight little pieces which resemble each other, but they all have their own identity, their own particular evocative power and are proof of a richness of inspiration.

A profound positive feeling, made up of enthusiasm, of happiness, but also simple beauty issues forth from all this music. It unleashes a surge, a joy of life, even if it also comprises all the characteristics of German romanticism, quite easily tormented.

Tracklist:
Disc 1 (01:10:15)
1. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 19: I. Andante con moto in E Major, MWV U 86 "Sweet Remembrance" (03:46)
2. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 19: II. Andante espressivo in A Minor, MWV U 80 (02:39)
3. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 19: III. Molto allegro in A Major, MWV U 89 "Hunting Song" (02:29)
4. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 19: IV. Moderato in A Major, MWV U 73 (02:10)
5. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 19 : V. Agitato in F-Sharp Minor, MWV U 90 "Restlessness" (03:10)
6. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 19: VI. Andante sostenuto in G Minor, MWV U 78 "Venetian Gondola Song" (02:11)
7. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 30: I. Andante espressivo in E-Flat Major, MWV U 103 (04:30)
8. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 30: II. Allegro di molto in B-Flat Minor, MWV U 77 (02:16)
9. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 30: III. Adagio non troppo in E Major, MWV U 104 "Consolation" (02:16)
10. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 30: IV. Agitato e con fuoco in B Minor, MWV U 98 (03:04)
11. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 30: V. Andante grazioso in D Major, MWV U 97 (02:02)
12. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 30: VI Allegretto in F-Sharp Minor, MWV U 110 "Venetian Gondola Song" (03:16)
13. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 38: I. Con moto in E-Flat Major, MWV U 121 (03:00)
14. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 38: II. Allegro non troppo in C Minor, MWV U 115 "Lost Happiness" (02:45)
15. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 38: III. Presto in E Major, MWV U 107 "La harpe du poète" (03:05)
16. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 38: IV. Andante in A Major, MWV U 120 (02:46)
17. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 38: V. Agitato in A Minor, MWV U 137 "Appassionata" (02:47)
18. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 38: VI. Andante con moto in A-Flat Major, MWV U 119 "Duetto" (03:08)
19. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 53: I. Andante con moto in A-Flat Major, MWV U 143 (03:20)
20. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 53: II. Allegro non troppo in E-Flat Major, MWV U 109 "The Fleecy Cloud" (03:21)
21. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 53: III. Presto agitato in G Minor, MWV U 144 (03:00)
22. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 53: IV. Adagio in F Major, MWV U 114 "Sadness of Soul" (02:58)
23. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 53: V. Allegro in A Minor, MWV U 153 "Folk-Song" (02:54)
24. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 53: VI. Molto allegro vivace in A Major, MWV U 154 "La fuite" (03:22)

Disc 2 (58:05)
1. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 62: I. Andante espressivo in G Major, MWV U 185 (02:33)
2. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 62: II. Allegro con fuoco in B-Flat Major, MWV U 181 (02:12)
3. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 62: III. Andante maestoso in E Minor, MWV U 177 "Funeral March" (01:59)
4. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 62: IV. Allegro con anima in G Major, MWV U 175 "Morning Song" (02:03)
5. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 62: V. Andante in A Minor, MWV U 151 "Venetian Gondola Song" (02:50)
6. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 62: VI. Andante grazioso in A Major, MWV U 161 "Spring Song" (02:48)
7. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 67: I. Andante in E-Flat Major, MWV U 180 (02:46)
8. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 67: II. Allegro leggiero in F-Sharp Minor, MWV U 145 "Lost Illusions" (02:32)
9. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 67: III. Andante tranquillo in B-Flat Major, MWV U 102 (03:04)
10. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 67: IV. Presto in C Major, MWV U 182 "Spinning Song" (02:10)
11. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 67: V. Moderato in B Minor, MWV U 184 "The Shepherd's Complaint" (02:38)
12. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 67: VI. Allegro non troppo in E Major, MWV U 188 "Cradle Song" (02:21)
13. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 85: I. Andante espressivo in F Major, MWV U 189 (02:54)
14. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 85: II. Allegro agitato in A Minor "Adieu" (01:01)
15. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 85: III. Presto in E-Flat Major, MWV U 111 (02:35)
16. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 85: IV. Andante sostenuto in D Major, MWV U 190 "Elegy" (03:05)
17. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 85: V. Allegretto in A Major, MWV U 191 (02:38)
18. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 85: VI. Allegretto con moto in B-Flat Major, MWV U 155 (02:01)
19. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 102: I. Andante un poco agitato in E Minor, MWV U 162 (03:26)
20. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 102: II. Adagio in D Major, MWV U 192 (02:45)
21. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 102: III. Presto in C Major, MWV U 195 "Tarantelle" (01:24)
22. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 102: IV. Un poco agitato in G Minor, MWV U 152 "The Sighing Wind" (02:30)
23. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 102: V. Allegro vivace in A Major, MWV U 194 "The Joyous Peasant" (01:31)
24. Lieder ohne Worte, Op. 102: VI. Andante in C Major, MWV U 172 "Belief" (02:19)