"If you want to touch the heart, you must come from the heart" - Goethe.
That certainly applies to Ekaterina Levental and Frank Peters, who with their latest cd 'Sacred Place | Geweihter Platz' reveal the German roots of composer Nikolai Medtner.
This is the 5th cd in the series of 5 albums and features different styles, languages and genres. It contains German-language songs on texts by Goethe, Nietzsche, Eichendorff and Chamisso, Russian-language songs on texts by Pushkin, Lermontov and Tyutchev, and the hitherto unpublished song 'Wie kommt es' on texts by Hesse and the Sonata - Vocalise op.41 no.2 on Goethe's motto 'Geweihter Platz', the title of this cd.
Nikolai Medtner had German roots, German was even spoken in his parental home, so it is not surprising that Medtner was an admirer of German culture. Composers such as Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms were examples for him. Add the poems of Goethe, Eichendorff, Nietzsche and you have the ideal recipe for beautiful music.
Goethe's poem 'Geweihter Platz' provides an important text for the Sonata and the Suite Vocalise (recorded on cd 3 'Angel') op. 41, no. 1 and no. 2. Goethe describes how a poet sees the Nymphs descend from Olympus. Ultimately, the poet learns from them to speak mysteriously and humbly, after which the wordless sonata begins. It seems that Medtner identified with the poet. Throughout his life he was humble and entirely devoted to music. He spoke his own language because he had to speak it, in his own way. It was Medtner's fervent wish to understand each other in the universal language of music.
The presentation concert of this cd and the complete Medtner project takes place on 8 December 2024 at the Duif in Amsterdam. Book here tickets for this concert.