Elysium.
The long-awaited debut cd by Dutch soprano Jeannette van Schaik and pianist Peter Nilsson, has been released September 25th 2020 at 7MNTN Records. The CD contains a beautiful anthology of romantic songs by Ottorino Respighi, Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Richard Strauss.
For the Ancient Greeks Elysium stood for a place in the afterlife where the blessed spirits resided. Romantics and their followers have embraced this Elysium as a mythical place of peace and beauty, as reflected in -among others- Richard Strauss's Das Rosenband.
All songs on the album are, each in their own way, connected with this Elysium and are about flowering, transience, farewell and the cherishing of memories, often using nature as a metaphor.
The album cover is a painting made especially for this album and inspired by the poetry of the songs by artist Sjoerd Blokker.
“A strong debut by a singer with guts.”
NRC Handelsblad