"Die schöne Magelone"
2014
Completed in 1869, Brahms's song cycle Die Schöne Magelone derives from a quasi-medieval romance, in prose and verse, by Ludwig Tieck about a Provençal knight-errant called Peter and his love for the beautiful, if initially unavailable, Magelone. Tenor Daniel Behle's recording with pianist Sveinung Bjelland comes, enterprisingly, in two versions: the first presents the songs as part of a Brahms recital such as we would nowadays experience them in the concert hall; however, because the narrative isn't clear from the songs alone, the second presents them in the context of Tieck's romance, read by actor Hans-Jürgen Schatz.
Album reviews
*Diamant Award - Opéra Magazine September 2014
- Yet the real gem of this performance is the piano accompaniment of Sveinung Bjelland; he is simply magnificent: light, buoyant, and rhythmically pointed, bringing this music to life along with Behle in a wholly unique way. When you add all three together on CD 2, the result is one of the warmest and cheeriest performances of Brahms you can possibly imagine. FANFARE MAGAZINE 16.09.2014
- Mr. Bjelland finds the rowdiness beneath the polished surfaces of Brahms’s music. Crucially, he clearly understands that performances need not be prissy in order to be poetic. So fine is Mr. Bjelland’s playing, technically and interpretively, that the most artfully- crafted Lieder on this disc seem like artlessly organic modes of expression. VOIX DES ARTES 09/2014
- Am Klavier wird Daniel Behle hervorragend von Sveinung Bjelland begleitet, so dass man diese Magelone gesanglich zu den besten zählen muss, die momentan auf CD erhältlich sind. Sechs weitere Brahms-Lieder vervollständigen das großzügige Programm. PIZZICATO 31.07.2014
- Lightness and clarity capture song cycle's refined passion.
A lightness in his tone, combined with the clarity of Bjelland's playing, prevents the piece from becoming stolid as it sometimes does. THE GUARDIAN - Tim Ashley, 26.06.2014