Plamena Mangova – Lettres Intimes (2021) [FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

Plamena Mangova - Lettres Intimes (2021) [FLAC 24bit/96kHz] Download

The works by a symbiotic trio of composers interleaved in this programme are genuinely ‘intimate letters’ in a double sense. For in these musical ‘missives’, the correspondence of letters (of the alphabet) and (musical) notes in German notation allowed their creators to play with secret messages. And that includes Brahms, who sometimes appropriated the hieroglyphics of the Schumann couple. At the heart of this encounter lies the child prodigy pianist and composer Clara Wieck (1819-96), surrounded by Robert Schumann (1810-56) – who said, ‘Posterity will think of us as one heart and one soul, and will not find out what is yours and what is mine’ – and Johannes Brahms (1833-97) who wrote to her: ‘I love you more than myself and anyone and anything in the world.’The title of Bulgarian pianist Plamena Mangova’s new album, ‘Lettres intimes’, has absolutely nothing to do with Janáček’s quartet of the same title. Here it covers a programme dedicated to the friendship between the Schumann couple, Clara and Robert, and the young, blond angel from northern Germany: Johannes Brahms.

The intimate letters evoked by this title refer rather to German musical notation where the notes are written as letters, so therefore differ from the Latin system (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti), which is based on the beginning of each verse of the Hymne à Saint-Jean-Baptiste, and reputedly devised by the Tuscan Benedictine monk Guido d’Arezzo at the beginning of the 11th century. German notation allows for all sorts of secret combinations and messages, often amorous, which can only be interpreted by the receiver. The most famous of these combinations is undoubtedly that of B.A.C.H. (B flat, A, C, B natural) with which the composer could sign his works.

The works which figure in this programme are intertwined, like this symbiotic trio of composers who so respected and admired each other. Clara Schumann, a pianist adored throughout Europe (her reputation was such that her husband took umbrage) inspired the two men and interpreted their music, which she continued to play throughout her long performing life. In this very well thought-through programme, youth joins maturity, verging on death in a surprising concatenation of dates and emotions. – François Hudry

Tracklist:

01. Plamena Mangova – I. Sehr rasch, mit leidenschaftlichem Vortrag (02:38)
02. Plamena Mangova – II. Ziemlich langsam (05:34)
03. Plamena Mangova – III. Kräftig und sehr markiert (03:39)
04. Plamena Mangova – I. Andante (05:21)
05. Plamena Mangova – II. Allegretto (01:26)
06. Plamena Mangova – III. Agitato (04:04)
07. Plamena Mangova – Albumblatt, Op. Posth. (02:01)
08. Plamena Mangova – I. Allegro maestoso (10:41)
09. Plamena Mangova – II. Andante espressivo (10:43)
10. Plamena Mangova – III. Scherzo. Allegro energico – Trio (05:13)
11. Plamena Mangova – IV. Intermezzo. Andante molto (03:42)
12. Plamena Mangova – V. Finale. Allegro moderato ma rubato (07:57)
13. Plamena Mangova – Gesänge Der Frühe, Op. 133: V. Im Anfange ruhiges, im Verlauf bewegtes Tempo (03:49)
14. Plamena Mangova – Myrthen, Op. 25: I. Widmung (Arr. for Piano by Robert Schumann) (02:35)
15. Plamena Mangova – Intermezzo, Op. 118: VI. Andante, largo e mesto (05:42)

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