Lively and sensual
sound documents
CD ‘Sappho and her time’ out of stock
Sony
CD ‘Melpomen – Ancient Greek Music’ out of stock
Harmonia Mundi, awarded by a ‘Diapason d’or’.
Pyr (instrumental)
played by Conrad Steinmann on a copy of the Elgin aulos from British Museum ca. 480 BC, the copy being made by Paul J. Reichlin
Mona (lyrics by Sappho, born before 600 BC.)
The moon has set
And the Pleiades; it is the middle
Of the night, time goes by:
I, though, sleep alone.
Δέδυκε μὲν ἀ σελάννα καὶ Πληίαδες,
μέσαι δὲ νυ̒κτες
παρὰ δ` ἔρχετ` ὦρα,
ἔγω δὲ μόνα κατευ̒δω
Arianna Savall, voice; Luiz Alves da Silva, voice
Dora (lyrics by Anakreon, 563–478 BC.)
The man who tells me of war and battle over a pitcher of wine,
Things that have only made us weep: that man shall never be my friend.
But rather a man who praises Aphrodite’s wonderful gifts
ὀυ φιλέω, ὃς κρητῆρι πάρα πλέω ὀινοποτάζων
Νείκεα καὶ πόλεμον δακρυόεντα λέγει,
ἀλλ‘ ὅστις Μουσέων τε καὶ ἀγλαὰ δῶρ‘ Ἀφροδίτης
συμμίσγων ἐρατῆς μνᾔσκεται ἐυφροσύνης.
Arianna Savall, voice and barbitos; Giovanni Cantarini, voice;
Massimo Cialfi, tympanon; Conrad Steinmann, aulos
Barbitos and aulos made by Paul J. Reichlin
Mater (lyrics by Sappho, born before 600 BC)
Sweet mother,
I cannot indeed weave the web;
Subdued as I am with longing for a certain young
Person on account of tender Aphrodite.
γλύκηα μᾶτερ, οὔτοι δύναμαι
κρέκην τὸν ἴστον πόθῳ
δάμεισα παῖδος βραδίναν
δι’ Ἀφροδίταν
Arianna Savall, voice and barbitos; Conrad Steinmann, aulos
Kýthera (Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite (6th century BC.)
Let me sing of Aphrodite, the chaste and beautiful,
She who wears a golden garland. The island of Cyprus
With its towers was bestowed upon her. In supple waves
She carried off the power of Zephyr, the damp west wind.
The Horae with their golden circlets
Welcomed her and wrapped her in immortal garments,
Crowning then with a wonderful garland of wrought gold
Her immortal head. Into the little holes in her earlobes
They put flowers of precious gold and brass, hanging
Golden chains round her delicate neck and shimmering breasts
Such as the Horae themselves wear when they go
To dance with the gods, or to the house of their father Zeus.
When all was done, they endowed Aphrodite in all the splendour
Of her adornments with immortal status. They cried ‘Welcome!’
When they beheld her, offering her their right hand, and each one
Of them desired to take her as his spouse. Thus did the appearance of
Kýthera, crowned with violets, elicit surprise and wonder.
Αἰδοίην χρυσοστέφανον καλὴν Ἀφροδίτην
ᾄσομαι, ἣ πάσης Κύπρου κρήδεμνα λέλογχεν
εἰναλίης, ὅθι μιν Ζεφύρου μένος ὑγρὸν ἀέντος
ἤωεικεν κατὰ κῦμα πολυφλοίσβοιο θαλάσσης
ἀφρῷ ἔνι μαλακῷˑ τὴν δὲ χρυσάμπυκες Ὧραι
δέξαντ΄ ἀσπασίως, περὶ δ΄ ἄμβροτα εἵματα ἕσσαν,
κρατὶ δ΄ ἐπ΄ ἀθανάτῳ στεφάνην ἔυτυκτον ἔθηκαν
καλὴν χρυσείην, ἐν δὲ τρητοῖσι λοβοῖσιν
ἄνθεμ΄ ὀρειχάλκου χρυσοῖό τε τιμήεντος,
δειρᾖ δ΄ ἀμφ΄ ἁπαλᾖ καὶ στήθεσιν ἀργυφέοισιν
ὅρμοισι χρυσέοισιν ἐκόσμεον οἷσί περ αὐταὶ
Ὧραι κοσμείσθην χρυσάμπυκες ὁππότ΄ ἴοιεν
ἐς χορὸν ἱμεροέντα θεῶν καἱ δώματα πατρό́ς.
αὐτὰρ ἐπεὶ δὴ πάντα περὶ χροῒ κόσμον ἔθηκεν
ἧγον ἐς ἀθανἀτους· οἱ δ΄ ἠσπάζοντο ἰδόντες
χερσί τ΄ ἐδεξιόωντο καὶ ἠρήσαντο ἕκαστος
εἶναι κουριδίην ἄλοχον καὶ οἴκαδ΄ ἄγεσθαι,
εἶδος θαυμάζοντες ἰοστεφάνου Κυθερείης.
Giovanni Cantarini, voice; Arianna Savall, barbitos; Massimo Cialfi, tympanon
Musikakademie Basel
Leonardskirche Basel