佳佳唱片

音樂動物園(舒伯特/巴伯/蕭士塔高維契等)
阿什利．里奇斯 低男中音
喬瑟夫．米道頓 鋼琴

A Musical Zoo with Ashley Riches and Joseph Middleton is a veritable tour de force, featuring compositions spanning nearly 160 years, from Schubert's 'The Trout' to Shostakovich's 'Once there lived a cockroach', and four languages (German, French, Russian, and English).
 
A strong representation of the German Lieder tradition (Schubert, Schumann, Wolf, Brahms, and Richard Strauss) is balanced by the French melodie (Faure, Ravel) and English lyricism (Ireland, Howells). We humans seem to have an endless fascination with the animal kingdom, and animals have proved an inspiration for artists, composers and writers alike. This recital demonstrates what a rich seam this has proved for a diverse range of composers. Ashley Riches comments: 'The text [of a song] may outline to us what we see. But the flutterings of Schubert's Birds, the flicking antennae of Shostakovich's Cockroach, the rush of notes with which Ravel's Peacock spreads its tail – these are movements and energies accessible to music alone.'

FRANZ SCHUBERT
1. Die Forelle, Op.32, D 550 (1817, revised 1820) 2:20
2. Die Vogel, Op.172 No.6, D 691 (1820) 1:13
ROBERT SCHUMANN
3. Die Lowenbraut, Op.31 No.1 (1840) 8:06
HUGO WOLF
4. Der Rattenfanger (1888) 2:37
JOHANNES BRAHMS
5. An die Nachtigall, Op.46 No.4 (1864-68) 2:58
(To the Nightingale) from Vier Lieder
Ziemlich langsam
RICHARD STRAUSS
6. Die Drossel, Wo0 34, TrV 49 (1877) 2:28
GABRIEL FAURE
7. Le Papillon et la fleur, Op.1 No.1 (1861) 2:06
MAURICE RAVEL
8. I Le Paon (The Peacock). A Madame Jane Bathori. Sans hâte et noblement - Avec majeste 4:34
9. II Le Grillon (The Cricket). A Mademoiselle Madeleine Picard. 3:08
10. III Le Cygne (The Swan). A Madame Alfred Edwards, nee Godebska. 2:59
11. IV Le Martin-pecheur (The Kingfisher). A Emile Engel. On ne peut plus lent - Tres clame 2:56
12. V La Pintade (The Guinea-fowl). A Roger-Ducasse. Assez vite - Modere - 3:07
MODEST MUSSORGSKY
13. Mephistopheles's Song of the Flea in Auerbach's Tavern (1879) 3:18
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH
14. Once there lived a cockroach, Op.146 No.2 (1974) 3:44
JOHN IRELAND
15. The Three Ravens (1920) 4:28
HERBERT HOWELLS
16. King David (1919) 5:09
SAMUEL BARBER
17. The Monk and His Cat, Op.29 No.8 (1952-53) 2:24
VERNON DUKE
Ogden Nash's Musical Zoo (1947) 12:12
18. 1 The Jelly Fish. Swimmingly 0:26
19. 2 The Fly. With acute suffering 0:19
20. 3 Our Dog. Tenderly 0:53
21. 4 The Ant. Busily 0:24
22. 5 The Pig. In clumsy waltz style 0:27
23. 6 The Duck. Kind of groovy 0:25
24. 7 The Termite. Plaintively 0:32
25. 8 The Calf. Persuasively (not slow) 0:58
26. 9 The Turkey. Importantly 0:27
27. 10 The Sea Gull. Wistfully (not slow) 0:45
28. 11 The Rooster. Pompously 0:24
29. 12 The Germ. Apprehensively 0:59
30. 13 The Centipede. Emphatically 0:30
31. 14 The Firefly. Unvertainly 0:50
32. 15 The Sparrow. Cockily - Grand opera sytle 0:30
33. 16 The Cow. With respect (slowly) 0:49
34. 17 The Kitten. Almost a hit tune (very sweetly) 0:38
35. 18 The Mouse. Waltz away 0:34
36. 19 The Pigeon. Sedately 0:45
37. 20 The Frog. With gusto 0:29
BENJAMIN BRITTEN
38. The Crocodile (1941) 5:19
Melody from English County Songs (1893)
Arangement published in Tom Bowling and Other Song Arrangements (2000)
Total time: 74:58
Solo: Ashley Riches bass-baritone
Solo: Joseph Middleton piano