Simon
Keenlyside

Malcolm Martineau

‘A light mind, a light heart, they say; but a mind that is too light often hides a heart that is too heavy.’ Franz Schubert’s bitter words could be applied to many of his vocal compositions, where beneath the cheerful rhythms and apparently simple texts lie the existential doubts and poignant melancholy of the artist’s soul. Always sensitive to the wishes of the composers he interprets, the famous British baritone Simon Keenlyside invites us to join him in an exploration of the subtle range of emotions in Schubert, along with other composers such as Hugo Wolf and Henri Duparc, in whose music levity and melancholy also mask each other. Simon Keenlyside has not sung at La Monnaie since 2008, so it is a great pleasure to be allowed to follow him anew along this introspective pathway.

Programme

• Jean Sibelius – Kaiutar/Echo, Op. 72/4; Illalle/To, evening Op. 17/6; Romeo, Op.61/4; Im Feld ein Mädchen singt, Op. 50/3; Die stille Stadt, Op. 50/5
• Franz Schubert – Schwanengesang, Liebesbotschaft, Kriegers Ahnung, Ständchen, Die Stadt, Der Wanderer (D. 649 Schlegel “Wie deutlich des Mondes Licht”), Das Fischermädchen, Abschied
• Hugo Wolf – Lied vom winde, Fussreise, Denk es o Seele, Feuerreiter, Schlafendes Jesuskind, Christblume 2, Der Knabe und das Immlein, Der Jäger
• Francis Poulenc – Tel jour, telle nuit; Bonne journée; Une ruine coquille vide; Le front comme un drapeau perdu; Une roulotte couverte en tuiles; A toutes brides; Une herbe pauvre; Je n’ai envie que de t’aimer; Figure de force brûlante et farouche; Nous avons fait la nuit