Absence
Posted in Classical on Apr 17th, 2009 No Comments »
From Berlioz’s song cycle ‘Les Nuits d’été’ - Summer Nights - settings of poems by Theophile Gautier. Unlike much other Berlioz, this has nothing of his bombast, or supercharged energy. These are quiet, reflective and melancholy.
The poet is separated from his lover. He feels her absence bitterly, and wishes he had wings so he may, like the dove, fly to her. So much distance between their hearts, their kisses.
‘Come back, come back, my beloved. As a flower far from the sun’s light, the flower of my life is closed, far from your golden smile.’
The singer, in this classic version, is Régine Crespin.
