Delian Quartett's New Album, "Im wachen Traume"

Released on ECM New Series, the album combines Schumann's song cycle with music by William Byrd and Henry Purcell

The Delian Quartett comprised of violinists Adrian Pinzaru and Andreas Moscho, violist Lara Albesano, and cellist Hendrik Blumenroth, have released their newest album, Im wachen Traume.

Named after a lyric from the first piece in Schumann’s Frauenliebe und Leben song cycle, the Delian Quartett’s program of Im wachen Traume combines said cycle – in a new arrangement for soprano and string quartet by the late Aribert Reimann, in collaboration with soprano Claudia Barainsky – with music by Renaissance composer William Byrd and Baroque composer Henry Purcell. Most of the music appears in world premiere recordings here.

Claudia Barainsky, one of the foremost interpreters of Reimann’s music, is a main presence throughout the album, delivering the music with conviction for the text’s emotional delivery. All Byrd and Purcell pieces appear in arrangements by Italian composer Stefano Pierini, except for the Purcell instrumentals, “Pavane” and “Chaconne”

Joining the ensemble on Byrd’s “Lullaby, My Sweet Little Baby” and Purcell's “Hear My Prayer, O Lord,” is baritone Mikhail Timoshenko. Additional viola and violoncello parts on the last piece are contributed by Matthias Lingenfelder and Andreas Arndt.

The quartet’s violinist Andreas Moscho describes the album, “in dazzling harmonies, that color the musical span from the bliss of the moment to the end of things.”

To purchase and listen to the album, click here.

Listen to their recording of Die Kunst der Fuge, BWV 1080 below

Since its inception in 2007, the Delian Quartett has gained widespread international attention, performing on major stages and festivals in Europe and alongside various important figures in the classical world. One of the Delian Quartett’s main focuses is the expansion of its repertoire to include the works of contemporary composers, such as Alberto Colla, Per Arne Glorvigen, Gabriel Iranyi, Christian Jost, Uljas Pulkkis, Stefano Pierini, and Aribert Reimann. Most of them have written music specifically for the quartet.