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Dean - Rooms of Elsinore | BIS BIS2454

Dean - Rooms of Elsinore

£12.83 £10.27

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Label: BIS

Cat No: BIS2454

Barcode: 7318599924540

Format: Hybrid SACD

Number of Discs: 1

Release Date: 16th August 2024

Contents

Artists

Jennifer France (soprano)
Lotte Betts-Dean (mezzo-soprano)
Juho Pohjonen (piano)
James Crabb (accordion)
Andrey Lebedev (guitar)
Volker Hemken (bass clarinet)
Brett Dean (viola)
Swedish Chamber Orchestra

Conductor

Brett Dean

Works

Dean, Brett

And once I played Ophelia
Confessio
Gertrude Fragments
Rooms of Elsinore
The Players

Artists

Jennifer France (soprano)
Lotte Betts-Dean (mezzo-soprano)
Juho Pohjonen (piano)
James Crabb (accordion)
Andrey Lebedev (guitar)
Volker Hemken (bass clarinet)
Brett Dean (viola)
Swedish Chamber Orchestra

Conductor

Brett Dean

About

‘The five pieces featured on this recording are the result of an extended fascination and confrontation with Shakespeare’s Hamlet, writes Brett Dean in his introductory text, going on to explain that the intention of this programme is to be ‘a sonic exploration of the spaces, atmospheres and archetypes of emotion and character in which, and through which, the tragedy of Hamlet unfolds’. These works derive, each in its own way, from an opera, Dean’s take on the topic of Hamlet, premièred in 2017.

And once I played Ophelia for soprano and strings focuses on the often-misjudged character of Ophelia. Rooms of Elsinore for viola and piano, here played by the composer on the viola, feels like a drone flying over the castle of Helsingør, the play’s supposed setting, moving from room to room. Gertrude Fragments for mezzo-soprano and guitar appears like a tribute to the art of lute songs – which are contemporary with Shakespeare – and centres on the complex character of Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. Examining the monologue of Hamlet’s remorseful uncle Claudius, Confessio for bass clarinet solo explores the possibilities of the instrument. Finally, The Players, a concerto for accordion and small orchestra, revisits the players’ scenes from the first act of Dean’s opera.

A fascinating musical exploration of this most iconic of literary masterpieces.

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