In 2015, when Ruby Hughes discovered Clytemnestra by the Welsh composer Rhian Samuel, the work had not been performed since it's premiÃ¨re some 20 years earlier. Hughes describes the 24-minute score as 'sun-scorched and luscious' as well as 'intensely visceral', but in it she also heard echoes of Gustav Mahler and Alban Berg, two of Samuel's influences. For her first album as soloist with orchestra, she has therefore devised a programme which brings together the three composers but which also spans a wide range of emotions and moods. For his RÃ¼ckert-Lieder, Mahler selected five highly intimate and subtle poems by the great Romantic poet Friedrich RÃ¼ckert, using his large orchestral forces sparingly in a chamber music style. Ten years later, in 1911, Berg found his texts closer at hand as he set contemporary poems by Peter Altenberg, one of the main proponents of Viennese impressionism. Berg's advanced harmonic language caused a scandal at the first performance in 1913, and the songs were only performed in their entirety in 1952, sixteen years after Berg's death. For Clytemnestra, finally, Rhian Samuel assembled her own text, based on Aeschylus' tragedy Agamemnon and focusing Clytemnestra's deep anguish at the death of her daughter and her need for revenge. Bringing this wide spectrum of human emotions to life, Ruby Hughes is supported by the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and conductor Jac van Steen.

Tracklist:

5 Rückert-Lieder: No. 1, Blicke Mir Nicht In Die Lieder!
5 Rückert-Lieder: No. 2, Ich Atmet' Einen Linden Duft!
5 Rückert-Lieder: No. 3, Ich Bin Der Welt Abhanden Gekommen
5 Rückert-Lieder: No. 4, Um Mitternacht
5 Rückert-Lieder: No. 5, Liebst Du Um Schönheit
Altenberg Lieder, Op. 4: No. 1, Seele, Wie Bist Du Schöner
Altenberg Lieder, Op. 4: No. 2, Sahst Du Nach Dem Gewitterregen Den Wald?
Altenberg Lieder, Op. 4: No. 3, Über Die Grenzen Des All
Altenberg Lieder, Op. 4: No. 4, Nichts Ist Gekommen
Altenberg Lieder, Op. 4: No. 5, Hier Ist Friede (Passacaglia)
Clytemnestra: No. 1, The Chain Of Flame
Clytemnestra: No. 2, Lament For His Absence
Clytemnestra: No. 3, Agamemnon's Return
Clytemnestra: No. 4, The Deed
Clytemnestra: No. 5, Confession
Clytemnestra: No. 6, Defiance
Clytemnestra: No. 7, Epilogue. Dirge

UPC: 7318599924083
Label: Bis
Release Date: 1.3.20
Format: CD

Berg / Hughes / Steen - Clytemnestra (CD)