Tales of the Night

Tales of the Night Akadêmia

Program

Robert Schumann (1810-1856) : Zigeunerleben
Vikram Seth (1952-    ) : Evening Across the Sky – All You who Sleep Tonight
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) : Ständchen
Robert Schumann (1810-1856) : Mondnacht
Franz Schubert (1797-1828) : Ständchen
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) : Liebeslieder Walzer
Vikram Seth (1952-    ) : Night Watch – Door – Half out of Sleep
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (1809-1847) : Abendlied
Robert Schumann (1810-1856) : Die Lotosblume – Der Traum
Vikram Seth (1952-    ) : Arion and the Dolphin (extract)
Franz Schubert (1797-1828) : Du bist die Ruh’
Richard Strauss (1864-1949) : Die Nacht
Franz Schubert (1797-1828) : Ständchen
Franz Schubert (1797-1828) : Der Gondelfahrer
Vikram Seth (1952-    ) : Moonlight
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) : In stiller Nacht
Franz Schubert (1797-1828) : Der Doppelgänger
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) : Nächtens
Vikram Seth (1952-    ) : Late at Night
Franz Schubert (1797-1828) : Der Tod and das Mädchen
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) : Wiegenlied
Vikram Seth (1952-    ) : Across – Not Now, Not Soon
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) : Zigeunerlieder

Night is a theme often staged by 19th century poets and composers. Rest, dreams of love, strolling in the moonlight, starry nights, celebrations… are some of its reassuring representations. But night also awakens fears and phantasms; it is associated with cold and death.

It is a world of shadows, which make it disturbing and mysterious.
All these aspects of night captivated the German romantic composers, particularly Schumann, Schubert and Brahms.

This programme follows on from two workshops conducted by the Akademia team for the Majolly Music Trust Choir in in Bangalore. It is part of a project for India, designed by Françoise Lasserre with an aim to developing Western classical music in India.

Press

  • Serenade Magazine (28/02/16)
  • Serenade Magazine (28/02/16)

    Tales of the Night, Bahá’í House of Worship, New Delhi

    “It was a really delightful experience for me to work with Akademia and Françoise Lasserre and also Justin McCarthy for the “Tales of the Night” tour. The programme was designed with great intelligence and sensitivity to reflect various aspects of the night and some of the moods and expressions it evokes in Romantic German Vocal Music. The wonderful choral and vocal works Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Richard Strauss in the programme were interspersed with brief selections from the evocative poetry of Vikram Seth, which I had the privilege to recite. It was a particular pleasure to have Vikram Seth himself attending the Delhi concert and expressing his approval of the venture. And it was a real privilege for a non-musician music lover like me to see the seamless manner in which the artistry of Indian and French musicians was melded into a memorable experience for audiences, as well as for all of us on stage.”

    Sunit Tandon, interviewed by Nikhil Sharma (Serenade Magazine, 28/02/16)