Year: 2005
Time: 66:01
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 151,6 MB
Art: Front
(4:14) 1. Menuet
(4:23) 2. Der Frühling
(9:14) 3. Che Faro Senza Eurydice
(6:40) 4. Gute Nacht
(6:05) 5. Liebster Jesu Wir Sind Hier
(2:43) 6. E Lucean Le Stelle
(4:24) 7. Des Baches Wiegenlied
(5:02) 8. Ging Heut Morgen Übers Feld
(7:17) 9. An Die Freude
(8:37) 10. O Haupt Voll Blut Und Wunden
(7:19) 11. Nur Wer Die Sehnsucht Kennt
Listening to Ekkehard Wölk's arrangements of the great classics of Western music, from Mozart to Bach, from Gluck to Mahler, one repeatedly comes to the same conclusion: he has found his way. While the genre had been dominated for decades by the admittedly brilliant Jacques Loussier and his trios, Ekkehard Wölk has demonstrated since 2005 that it can be done with even greater sensitivity. His albums "Desire For Spring" and "Reflections on Mozart" have already shown how it can be done.
Today, I can present to you another product of the Ekkehard Wölk Trio, or rather, an introduction to Wölk's jazz interpretation of classical music. "Songs, Chorals and Dances" (2005) offers an inspired and vibrant selection ranging from J.S. Bach's Baroque Creed to Gustav Mahler's Songs of a Wayfarer. Two excursions into the world of opera offer encounters with Gluck's "Orpheus and Eurydice" and Puccini's magnificent "Tosca." With Ravel's "Menuet," Wölk achieves a feather-light entry into this demanding project. It is precisely this (seemingly) lightness that distinguishes his work from that of Eugène Cicero or Loussier. His Ravel possesses an almost baroque brilliance, and his arrangement of Mozart's "Sehnsucht nach dem Frühling" (Longing for Spring) set to Overbeck's "Komm lieber Mai und mache..." (Come, dear May, and make...) sparkles with swinging, jazzy cascades.
Sensitively supported by Johannes Fink's double bass, Gluck's beautiful "Ach, ich habe sie verloren" (Ah, I have lost her) resonates with the poignant intensity of its dramatic subject matter. Schubert's goodnight greeting is joyful, Bach's "Liebster Jesu..." (Dearest Jesus...) almost gospel-like, before opera takes center stage once more. "E lucevan le stelle," Cavaradossi's aria, retains its drama and brilliance even in the version arranged for jazz trio. In Schubert's "Des Baches Wiegenlied" (The Brook's Lullaby), Wölk's trusted drummer, Andrea Marcelli, demonstrates his skill as a clarinetist. Emotionally charged and thus fitting for Mahler, "Ging heute Morgen übers Feld" (I Went Across the Field This Morning) follows, featuring hints of free jazz from Fink, who seems to coax improvised sounds from his bass.
Mozart's entire soul is captured once again in the dreamlike "An die Freude" (O Joy), which, with Fink's double bass—the choice is difficult—is, for me, one of the most beautiful pieces on the album. Bach's "O Haupt voll Blut und Wunden" (O Sacred Head, Now Wounded) and Tchaikovsky's Song of Longing from Op. 6, No. 6, conclude the cycle, which has now captivated me from beginning to end for the third time. A top-notch album that jazz and classical music lovers should quickly get before it sells out.
https://www.omm.de/cds/jazz/ekkehard-woelk-songs.html
Bass – Johannes Fink
Drums – Andrea Marcelli
Piano – Ekkehard Wölk
Songs, Chorals and Dances (mp3 320)
Songs, Chorals and Dances (FLAC)
