Junge Liebe/Swedish Romances

After her acclaimed debut at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm, playing the dream role Ocatvian, the title role in Richard Strauss’ opera “Der Rosenkvalier”, Matilda Paulsson has built her international career in parallel with appearances on the Swedish opera scenes. Already in 2007, we could see her perform the two roles Magda Goebbles and Zarah in the premiere of Anders Nilsson’s opera “Zarah” (about Swedish singer and artist Zarah Leander) at Folkoperan in Stockholm, as David in Vadstena Academy’s production of Handel’s “Saul”,as Amastre in Handel’s “Xerxes” (which was her debut at Drottningholms Slottsteater) and as Ottavia in Monteverdi’s “L’incoronazione di Poppea” (also on Drottningholms Slottsteater). During the fall of 2009 she played the role of Arsamene in the Royal Opera’s production of Xerxes.

Accompanied by pianist Bengt-Åke Lundin, Matilda takes on some highly romantic Swedish songs on this album, entitled ”Junge Liebe” (”Young Love”). Among the romances on this album we hear Wilhelm Peterson-Berger’s now seldom heard Nietzsche and Ricarda Huch songs, Emil Sjögren’s Sex sånger ur Julius Wolffs Tannhäuser, op. 12, and Wilhelm Stenhammar’s virtually unknown, and slightly sensational compositions to poems from Heinrich Heine’s famous Buch der Lieder – the song cycle “Junge Liebe”, that also has given name this album.

Bengt-Åke Lundin, piano, had a sensational debut in 1989 when he perfomred Tchaikovsky’s piano concerto in B-flat minor with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. Since then he has concertized extensively and is today an internationally active concert pianist and chamber musician. Bengt-Åke Lundin is also one of the most sought-after accompanists in Sweden. Bengt-Åke Lundin is represented on several Caprice releases, such as “Svenska pianokonserter” (“Swedish Piano Concertos”), and solo recordings with works by Godowsky resp. Åhlström and Johnsen as well as recordings with works by Bartók and von Dohnányi. The latter two, with violinist Cecilia Zilliacus, won one Swedish Grammy each, in 2000 and 2002.

This album has been released with support from the Anders Wall Foundations.