Angels Hide Their Faces

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DescriptionExcerpt

For the first time on record, Upshaw interprets the work of Baroque masters J.S. Bach and Henry Purcell. Her performance, says Fortune, "is so fluid, strong, and serene that it acts upon a cluttered cortex like deep-tissue shiatsu."

Description

For the first time on record, singer Dawn Upshaw, called “the greatest American vocal recitalist working today” (Washington Post), lends her voice to two masters of the Baroque era, in a recording of music by J.S. Bach and Henry Purcell called Angels Hide Their Faces. Joined by Arthur Haas (continuo and organ), Myron Lutzke (baroque cello), and a distinguished supporting ensemble, Grammy Award winner Dawn Upshaw, widely acknowledged for her skills in diction and interpretation of text, distinguishes herself in this repertoire as a fluent interpreter of English.

The Purcell songs, selected from his vast output, are ones that have been personal favorites of Upshaw, especially "The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation,” which she has performed frequently in recital. “The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation,” with text by Nathan Tate, Purcell’s librettist for Dido and Aeneas, is also the largest Purcell piece on the record. Other songs include “An Evening Hymn,” from a collection of sacred songs, “Music for a While,” and the popular “If Music Be the Food of Love.”

As well-documented as Bach’s enormous output has been, his dramatic cantata Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut was lost until the early 20th century. Composed in Weimar in 1714 to a text by Georg Christian Lehms, the piece was originally scored for mezzo-soprano and later transposed up for soprano. Upshaw’s present performance of Bach’s Cantata BWV 199 is rooted in a number of recent staged performances of the work directed by Peter Sellars, a close colleague with whom Upshaw has shared five full-scale collaborations.

 

ProductionCredits

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced by Max Wilcox
Purcell selections recorded April 2000 at the American Academy of Arts & Letters, New York City
Bach Cantata BWV 199 recorded May 1997 at SUNY, Purchase, New York
Engineered by Paul Zinman
Edited by Max Wilcox and Dirk Sobotka
Mixed at SoundByte Productions, New York City
Mastered at SoundByte Productions, New York City
Executive Producer: Robert Hurwitz

Tracks 1-5, 14-16 by Henry Purcell; tracks 6-13 by Johann Sebastian Bach

Cover design by Barbara deWilde
Cover art: Wounded Angel (1903) by Hugo Simberg, courtesy of the Ateneum Art Museum, Helsinki, from photograph by Hannu Aaltonen, courtesy of the Central Art Archives

Nonesuch Selection Number

79605

Number of Discs in Set
1disc
ns_album_artistid
115
ns_album_id
407
ns_album_releasedate
ns_genre_1
0
ns_genre_2
0
Album Status
Artist Name
Dawn Upshaw
MusicianDetails

MUSICIANS
Dawn Upshaw, soprano

Purcell songs
Myron Lutzke, cello (1-5, 14-16)
Arthur Haas, harpsichord (1-5, 14-16)

Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut
Krista Bennion Feeney, violin I
Linda Quan, violin II
Lois Martin, viola
Myron Lutzke, cello
John Feeney, bass
Peggy Pearson, oboe
Arthur Haas, organ

Cover Art
UPC/Price
Label
CD+MP3
UPC
075597960525BUN
Label
MP3
Price
9.00
UPC
603497076161
  • 79605

News & Reviews

  • Caramoor, the cultural arts venue on an 80-plus-acre estate in Katonah, New York, has announced its 2022 summer season, including performances by several Nonesuch artists: Molly Tuttle, Kronos Quartet, Dawn Upshaw, Rhiannon Giddens, Caroline Shaw, and Rachael & Vilray. "This summer is one of the most dynamic in our history," exclaims Caramoor’s President and CEO Edward J. Lewis III. "Our incredible lineup of artists and repertoire includes voices from an array of backgrounds, eras, and lived experiences, reflecting a broad diversity of audiences from our stages."

  • Carnegie Hall has announced its 2021–22 concert season, sharing plans to reopen its landmark concert venue to the general public in October, and among the performers taking the esteemed hall's stages are Sō Percussion with Dawn Upshaw and Gilbert Kalish, and Kronos Quartet; as well as Youssou N'Dour. The season also features works by composers including Caroline Shaw, John Adams, Nico Muhly, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and Michael Gordon.

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  • About This Album

    For the first time on record, singer Dawn Upshaw, called “the greatest American vocal recitalist working today” (Washington Post), lends her voice to two masters of the Baroque era, in a recording of music by J.S. Bach and Henry Purcell called Angels Hide Their Faces. Joined by Arthur Haas (continuo and organ), Myron Lutzke (baroque cello), and a distinguished supporting ensemble, Grammy Award winner Dawn Upshaw, widely acknowledged for her skills in diction and interpretation of text, distinguishes herself in this repertoire as a fluent interpreter of English.

    The Purcell songs, selected from his vast output, are ones that have been personal favorites of Upshaw, especially "The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation,” which she has performed frequently in recital. “The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation,” with text by Nathan Tate, Purcell’s librettist for Dido and Aeneas, is also the largest Purcell piece on the record. Other songs include “An Evening Hymn,” from a collection of sacred songs, “Music for a While,” and the popular “If Music Be the Food of Love.”

    As well-documented as Bach’s enormous output has been, his dramatic cantata Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut was lost until the early 20th century. Composed in Weimar in 1714 to a text by Georg Christian Lehms, the piece was originally scored for mezzo-soprano and later transposed up for soprano. Upshaw’s present performance of Bach’s Cantata BWV 199 is rooted in a number of recent staged performances of the work directed by Peter Sellars, a close colleague with whom Upshaw has shared five full-scale collaborations.

     

    Credits

    MUSICIANS
    Dawn Upshaw, soprano

    Purcell songs
    Myron Lutzke, cello (1-5, 14-16)
    Arthur Haas, harpsichord (1-5, 14-16)

    Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut
    Krista Bennion Feeney, violin I
    Linda Quan, violin II
    Lois Martin, viola
    Myron Lutzke, cello
    John Feeney, bass
    Peggy Pearson, oboe
    Arthur Haas, organ

    PRODUCTION CREDITS
    Produced by Max Wilcox
    Purcell selections recorded April 2000 at the American Academy of Arts & Letters, New York City
    Bach Cantata BWV 199 recorded May 1997 at SUNY, Purchase, New York
    Engineered by Paul Zinman
    Edited by Max Wilcox and Dirk Sobotka
    Mixed at SoundByte Productions, New York City
    Mastered at SoundByte Productions, New York City
    Executive Producer: Robert Hurwitz

    Tracks 1-5, 14-16 by Henry Purcell; tracks 6-13 by Johann Sebastian Bach

    Cover design by Barbara deWilde
    Cover art: Wounded Angel (1903) by Hugo Simberg, courtesy of the Ateneum Art Museum, Helsinki, from photograph by Hannu Aaltonen, courtesy of the Central Art Archives