In Heaven

The third collaboration between mezzo-soprano Olivia Vermeulen and Jan Philip Schulze (piano/synthesizer), In Heaven , follows their earlier thematic albums Dirty Minds and Hello Darkness , which received rave reviews and won among others an Edison and the German Record Critics' Prize. While the first two albums addressed earthly themes such as eroticism and mortality, this program focuses on heaven. The concept sketches a cosmic odyssey in which art song, contemporary music, pop and psychedelic classics converge for a journey along utopian visions, distant planets and the eternal human fascination with space. Interspersed with NASA sound recordings, the album guides the listener between heaven and earth, fantasy and reality, intoxication and transcendence. The repertoire is remarkably eclectic: David Bowie's Life on Mars opens with authentic Mars storm sounds, while George Crumb, Brahms, Schubert and Wolf provide lyrical reflections on stars, dreams and transcendence. The program transitions seamlessly into Augusta Holmès' exuberant drinking song Le vin , Rebecca Clarke's opium-driven Lethe and Grace Slick's psychedelic anthem White Rabbit . French and German masters such as Saint-Saëns, Mahler and Messiaen appear alongside Stockhausen's Tierkreis , Monty Python's satirical Galaxy Song and Pink Martini's Una notte a Napoli . The album closes with Robert Schumann's radiant Abendlied , which underscores the dialogue between the infinite cosmos and human longing. Together, Vermeulen and Schulze create a sonic world that is at once virtuosic, witty and highly imaginative. Supported by drums and bass in selected pieces, they rely on color, theatricality and stylistic versatility to transform familiar works into cosmic meditations. In Heaven ultimately reflects human dreams of escape, intoxication and utopia, while simultaneously acknowledging the earthly reality of existence. The result is a kaleidoscopic journey – playful yet profound, rooted in classical art yet open to pop culture – that questions boundaries and offers the listener a musical mission into space.