Lied Concert with Dragojevic and Beskow
Alma Mahler – mythical and admired, but also slandered. Katija Dragojevic sings her moody songs. Cornelia Beskow interprets Gösta Nystroem and Benjamin Britten. With pianist Magnus Svensson.
About the video
- From a livestream 20 January 2021.
- The video is approximately one hour and 45 minutes.
- Subtitles in English and Swedish is activated by using the CC control in the video player.
The mythical Alma Mahler knew everyone of importance, and everyone knew her. She was admired and desired, but also critized for embracing life like few other women dared to. She stopped composing when she married Gustav Mahler, but no less than half of her existing song production (many more songs are lost) is performed at this concert. It is a decent to dark turn of the century moods. We also hear Gösta Nystroem’s music inspired by the sea, and Britten’s early and playful Caberet Songs.
Soprano Cornelia Beskow has been acclaimed for her exceptional vocal tone, natural musicality and powerful stage presence. She has performed several major roles at the Royal Swedish Opera, such as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni, Chrysothemis in Elektra and Tatyana in Eugene Onegin, as well as in Dead Man Walking, Der Rosenkavalier and The Cunning Little Vixen at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen. Her major breakthrough was as Sieglinde in the Valkyrie, when Wagner’s Ring Cycle was staged at the Royal Swedish Opera in 2017. That same year, she won all four prizes at the world’s largest Wagner competition in Aarhus.
Katija Dragojevic is one of Europe’s most coveted mezzo-sopranos. She has sung much of the lyrical mezzo repertoire on world stages such as La Scala in Milan, Covent Garden in London and Opéra Bastille in Paris, under the baton of conductors such as Daniel Barenboim, Nikolaus Harnoncourt and William Christie. She debuted as Kristina in Janacek’s The Makropulos Affair at La Monnaie in Brussels. At the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm, she has participated in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, Richard Strauss’ Salome, Verdi’s Falstaff and the titular roles in Handel’s Serse and Bizet’s Carmen.
Versatile pianist Magnus Svensson specialises in the art of lied, and he has served as artistic director of Konserthuset Stockholm's Lied Evenings for several seasons. In addition to concerts in the Nordic region and elsewhere in Europe, he has also performed in Russia and the US. Magnus Svensson obtained his soloist diploma from the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, graduated with honours as top student, and then immersed himself in the study of lied interpretation in London. Since 2012, he has also worked at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music with re-publishing older Swedish music.
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The music
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Gösta Nystroem The Only Thing from Sinfonia del mare
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Alma Mahler Die stille Stadt
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Alma Mahler In meines Vaters Garten
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Alma Mahler Laue Sommernacht
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Alma Mahler Ich wandle unter Blumen
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Alma Mahler Erntelied
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Gösta Nystroem Songs by the Sea
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Intermission: a conversation with the artists
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Alma Mahler Bei dir ist es traut
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Alma Mahler Waldseligkeit
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Alma Mahler Ansturm
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Alma Mahler Licht in der Nacht
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Alma Mahler Der Erkennende
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Alma Mahler Hymne
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Edward Elgar Salut d’amour for piano
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Benjamin Britten Tell me the truth about love from Cabaret Songs
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Benjamin Britten Calypso from Cabaret Songs
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Benjamin Britten Johnny from Cabaret Songs
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Benjamin Britten Funeral Blues from Cabaret Songs
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Participants
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Cornelia Beskow soprano
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Katija Dragojevic mezzo-soprano
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Magnus Svensson piano
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