la regina gioiosa

Musick to heare

Igor Stravinsky (Igor’ Fëdorovič Stravinskij; 1882 - 1971): Three Songs from William Shakespeare for mezzo-soprano, flute, clarinet and viola (1953). Anna Molnár, mezzo-soprano; Annamária Bán, flute; Csaba Pálfi, clarinet; Péter Tornyai, viola.

1. Musick to heare (Sonnet 8)

   Musick to heare, why hear’st thou musick sadly?
   Sweets with sweets warre not, ioy delights in ioy:
   Why lou’st thou that which thou receaust not gladly,
   Or else receau’st with pleasure thine annoy?
   If the true concord of well tuned sounds,
   By vnions married, do offend thine eare,
   They do but sweetly chide thee, who confounds
   In singlenesse the parts that thou should’st beare:
   Marke how one string sweet husband to an other,
   Strikes each in each by mutuall ordering;
   Resembling sier, and child, and happy mother,
   Who all in one, one pleasing note do sing:
     Whose speechlesse song being many, seeming one,
     Sings this to thee, thou single wilt proue none.

2. Full fadom five (Ariel’s song from The Tempest) [3:07]

   Full fadom five thy Father lies,
    Of his bones are Corrall made:
   Those are pearles that were his eies,
    Nothing of him that doth fade,
   But doth suffer a Sea-change
   Into something rich, & strange:
   Sea-Nimphs hourly ring his knell.
     Ding dong ding dong.
   Harke now I heare them; ding dong bell.

3. Spring (cuckoo’s song from Love’s Labour’s Lost) [4:43]

   When Daisies pied, and Violets blew,
   And Cuckow-buds of yellow hew,
   And Ladie-smockes all silver white,
   Do paint the Medowes with delight,
   The Cuckow then on everie tree
   Mockes married men; for thus sings he,
   Cuckow! Cuckow, Cuckow! O worde of feare,
   Unpleasing to a married eare.