Henri Duparc; Richard Wagner - L'Amour et la Mort (Hermine May; Manuel Lange)

Information

Composer: Henri Duparc; Richard Wagner

1. Duparc - La Vie Antérieure
2. Duparc - L'Invitation au Voyage
3. Duparc - Testament
4. Duparc - Chanson triste
5. Duparc - Le Manoir de Rosemonde
6. Duparc - Phidylé
7. Duparc - Soupir
8. Duparc - Élégie
9. Duparc - Extase
10. Wagner - Wesendonck Lieder, WWV 91: No. 1, Der Engel
11. Wagner - Wesendonck Lieder, WWV 91: No. 2, Stehe still!
12. Wagner - Wesendonck Lieder, WWV 91: No. 3, Im Treibhaus
13. Wagner - Wesendonck Lieder, WWV 91: No. 4, Schmerzen
14. Wagner - Wesendonck Lieder, WWV 91: No. 5, Träume
15. Wagner - Tristan und Isolde, WWV 90: Isoldens Liebestod (arr. Franz Liszt)

Hermine May, mezzo-soprano

Manuel Lange, piano

Date: 2026

Label: Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm

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Mezzo-soprano Hermine May and pianist Manuel Lange present a programme centered on Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde, exploring themes of longing, passion, and transcendence through love and death. The Wesendonck Lieder, described by Wagner as studies for Tristan, form a bridge to the opera, alongside a virtuosic piano arrangement of Isolde’s Liebestod by Franz Liszt combined with Wagner’s original vocal line. The programme is complemented by Henri Duparc’s L’amour et la mort, whose highly Wagner-influenced songs trace an emotional journey from yearning to ecstatic dissolution, affirming Duparc’s stature as a major French mélodie composer.

Romanian-born mezzo-soprano Hermine May studied at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart with Sylvia Geszty and began her career at the Deutsche Oper Berlin. She has since established an international freelance career, specializing in dramatic mezzo roles such as Carmen, Amneris, Eboli, Kundry, and Brangäne, performed at major opera houses worldwide. Influential collaborations include work with Zubin Mehta and leading conductors of her generation. Equally active in concert and Lied repertoire, she has recorded extensively. Since 2020, she has served on the faculty of the Rostock University of Music and Theatre.

Berlin-born pianist Manuel Lange studied with Oleg Maisenberg and Hans Leygraf and further refined his artistry in Lied masterclasses with Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Aribert Reimann, and Wolfram Rieger. He is regarded as one of Germany’s leading Lied accompanists and has performed with prominent singers at major international concert halls and opera houses across Europe. A regular guest at renowned festivals, Lange was formerly Professor of Vocal Repertoire at the Berlin University of the Arts and has taught Lied interpretation at the Detmold University of Music since 2011. He lives in Berlin and is the twin brother of composer Marius Felix Lange.

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