Programme

Bach – Cantata No. 82, Ich habe genug
Schumann – Der Schatzgräber, Op 45 No 1
Mahler – Der Tamboursg’sell (from Seven Late Songs)
Strauss – Gefunden, Op 56 No 1
Schubert – Der Sieg, D805
Kurt Weill – Alles, was ich euch sagte (from Berliner Requiem)
Hans Eisler – Three songs from The Hollywood Songbook

Performers

Christopher Purves Baritone
Simon Lepper Piano
Lucy Shaw Double Bass
Miloš Milivojević Accordion
Sarah Field Saxophone
Lily Vernon-Purves Flute
Rafael Onyett Guitar

In the last decade, Christopher Purves has emerged as one of the supreme dramatic baritones of our time – an interpreter of gripping theatricality and sense of character. That should come to the fore in this extraordinary recital – a passion project, inspired by the ideas of war and exile, and based around the powerful, politically charged music of Kurt Weill and Hans Eisler. Using specially-commissioned arrangements for cabaret ensemble, Purves weaves a narrative of “being a refugee in a strange land”, with songs by Bach, Schumann, Mahler and Strauss taking on a new, poignant and intensely personal relevance.