Schwestergruß, D 762
Ganymed, D 544
An den Mond, D 193
Auf dem Wasser zu singen, D 774
Die junge Nonne, D 828
Gott im Frühlinge, D 448
Nacht und Träume, D 827
Die Sterne, D 939
An den Mond, D 259
Litanei auf das Fest Allerseelen, D 343
An die Nachtigall, D 497
Der Musensohn, D 764
Der liebliche Stern, D 861
Wiegenlied, D 867
Du bist die Ruh, D 776
Elysium, D 584
Abschied von der Erde, D 829

The last years of Schubert’s life were clouded by illness, so thoughts of the afterlife cannot have been far from his mind. For their latest recital for BIS, Carolyn Sampson and Joseph Middleton present an all-Schubert recital themed around Elysium, the mythical idea of a blessed and happy eternal future, with texts that explore different states of the afterlife by well-known authors such as Goethe, Rückert and Schiller as well as by lesser-known ones.

Opening with a hymn to the divine in nature, this recital in turn evokes distant realms, blissful eternity and dream-filled sleep, before concluding with a farewell to the earth; from the passion and doubt of Die junge Nonne (The Young Nun) to the beautiful and touching Du bist die Ruh (You are peace).

Carolyn Sampson and Joseph Middleton have released several acclaimed discs for BIS, including Album für die Frau, a collection of songs by Clara and Robert Schumann and A Soprano’s Schubertiade, a Schubert anthology, named ‘Recording of the Month’ by MusicWeb International and ‘CD-Tipp’ by BR Klassik.

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Recording: 21st 23rd September 2020 (Schwestergruß, Die Sterne, Litanei) and 6th 8th July 2021 at Potton Hall, Saxmundham, Suffolk, England. Grand Piano: Steinway D.