British mezzo-soprano Helen Charlston and pianist Sholto Kynoch have released a video performance of Am leuchtenden Sommermorgen, the twelfth song from Dichterliebe by Robert Schumann. The video introduces their BIS album A Poet’s Love, released on 8 May.
Based on poems by Heinrich Heine, Dichterliebe remains one of the central works of the Romantic Lied repertoire, tracing a journey from the first awakening of love to disillusionment and sorrow. In Am leuchtenden Sommermorgen, nature itself seems to respond to the protagonist’s despair, as the flowers plead with him not to judge their “sister” too harshly.
The album expands beyond Schumann’s famous cycle, bringing together songs inspired by Heine from composers including Carl Loewe, Josephine Lang, Fanny Mendelssohn, and Felix Mendelssohn. It also includes the first recording of Knight’s Dream by Héloïse Werner, a newly commissioned companion piece conceived in dialogue with Schumann’s cycle.
Produced by Matt Jolly, the video offers an intimate glimpse into the atmosphere of the recording, centred on Charlston’s restrained, expressive delivery and the delicate interplay between voice and piano.
Stream and more information about the album hereSubscribe to our newsletter