Sehnsucht

The Gents

16,9928,49
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Original Recording Format: DSD 64
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The Golden Age for Choral Singing

The nineteenth century was a golden age for choral singing. A European chorister looking for a corner in vocal heaven would have been well advised to buy a one-way ticket to Germany or Austria: more specifically, to Berlin, Leipzig, Frankfurt, Cologne, or Vienna. Beginning in 1810, singing clubs, and later on, choral societies, shot up all over this part of the world like mushrooms. You could join a Liedertafel, Liederkranz, or Männersangverein.

Carl Friedrich Zelter, Mendelssohn’s teacher and the leader of the Berliner Singverein, was the first person to use the term “Liedertafel” in 1808. The term was used to indicate an informal meeting of poets, composers, and singers who came together to sing German part-songs. In a letter addressed to Goethe, Zelter explained that the 25 members of his Liedertafel were accustomed to sit down at a well-furnished table for a sumptuous dinner followed by an evening of singing. Zelter’s group preferred original works, so freshly composed that the ink was still wet. The best musical contribution was then duly rewarded with a medal, a congratulatory toast, or a laurel wreath. Behind this convivial atmosphere there was a loftier goal: the stimulation and promotion of German poetry and music. A Liedertafel, in other words, could be seen as occupying a place comparable to the Meistersingers’ guild of the middle ages, or the eighteenth-century musical meetings of the Freemasons.

Tracklist

Please note that the below previews are loaded as 44.1 kHz / 16 bit.
1.
Sehnsucht
04:03
2.
Die Nacht
02:49
3.
Ständchen
05:44
4.
Grab und Mond
02:48
5.
Der Entfernten
04:00
6.
Nachtviolen
03:05
7.
Die Lotosblume
01:59
8.
Die Rose stand im Thau
02:32
9.
Der Träumende See
01:26
10.
Nachtstu_ck
05:30
11.
Aufblick
01:02
12.
Einklang
02:10
13.
Resignation
03:33
14.
Letzte Bitte
01:50
15.
Ergebung
02:18
16.
Erhebung
01:30
17.
Abendstern
02:26
18.
Hoffnung
02:20
19.
öntgen - Fiesole
02:20
20.
öntgen - Vor den Tu_ren
04:28
21.
Traumlicht
04:42
22.
An Sylvia
03:00

Total time: 01:05:35

Additional information

Label

SKU

30109

Qualities

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Channels

, ,

Artists

Composers

, , , ,

Genres

,

Cables

van den Hul

Digital Converters

Grimm A/D, Meitner D/A

Mastering Engineer

Jared Sacks

Mastering Equipment

B&W 803 Diamond Series

Microphones

Bruel & Kjaer, Schoeps

Mixing Board

Rens Heijnis custom design

Conductors

Instruments

, , , ,

Original Recording Format

Producer

Jared Sacks

Recording Engineer

Jared Sacks

Recording Location

Eindhoven, Holland, 2009

Recording Software

Pyramix by Merging Technologies

Recording Type & Bit Rate

DSD64

Speakers

Audiolab, Holland

Release DateOctober 8, 2015

Press reviews

Dagblad vh Noorden

Hoogst romantische liederen van Nederland topensemble The Gents (…) Hartverscheurend repertoire, ontleend aan de grote Duitse traditie van mannen die in de dagen van de romantiek bijeen kwamen om te zingen. Hoe dat toen klonk? Wie zal het zeggen, ze zongen toen in elk geval uit liefde voor het zingen en dat doen The Gents ook onderleiding van Béno Scillag, de opvolger van de oprichter Peter Dijkstra. (…) de sopraan en de pianist zijn een duo dat haast intuïtief aanvoelt waar het omgaat in deze liederen van oa Schubert, Strauss en Röntgen (…) Aanbevolen voor wie niet bang is voor een portie oprechte, beeldschone romantiek. Dat alles ook nog eens schitterend opgenomen in superaudio. Anders gezegd: Wie schön bist du!

Zing

De mannen van the Gents hebben een hyperverfijnde designklank. (…)
(…) Alles op de cd is met grote perfectie gezongen. Geslaagd is de samenwerking met de sopraan en de pianist. Hoe moet het voelen om als sopraan te zingen met zoveel warme mannenstemmen als background vocals?

Gramophone

a rounded, unforced sonority, refined chording and balance (…) Deep basses lend a crucial richness to the textures of the Strauss and Wolf part-songs. (…)

BBC Music Magazine

Hypnotically homogeneous of timbre, hushed and soft-focused (…)

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