"I wanted to sing like Orpheus," a well-known songwriter once said and sang, and that is precisely what renowned baritone Jens Hamann impressively demonstrates on his new album. Together with Thorsten Bleich, arguably one of Germany's most renowned guitar and lute instrumentalists of early music, Hamann demonstrates his extraordinarily multifaceted and versatile vocal artistry in a thrilling collection of 17th-century songs. Bach Prize winner Jens Hamann, who has earned an international reputation as a concert singer in larger ensembles, demonstrates his talent here in a wide range from quiet, tender intimacy to expansive, powerful vocal power, something Orpheus couldn't have done better.
The emotionality of the ancient hero runs like a common thread through the songs of Italian and English composers and demonstrates the fascination the legend of ancient Orpheus aroused in various musical cultures. A captivating program, recorded on this CD, could well be the perfect soundtrack for Orpheus on his journey into the underworld.
01 Orpheus I am
02 I burn
03 Pink of the Sky
04 Often I swore I would love no more
05 Love me Cetra andianne
06 Prelude
07 Give me my Christmas
08 Have you seen the bright lily grow?
09 Passacaglia in la
10 Troppo sotto due stelle alme
11 It was a Lover and his Lass
12 White though ye be, yet, Lilies, know
