Fredrick/Viale - Geoffrey ?lvarez: H?lderlinfenster

The German Romantic poet Friedrich H�lderlin spent most of his life in isolation in a tower on the banks of the Neckar river, following a mental illness. His poems have long fascinated composers. 2020 marks the 250th anniversary of his birth. The Nicaraguan-British composer Geoffrey �lvarez�s monumental song cycle, �H�lderlinfenster� imagines the poet through a �frame� of Schubert�s �Schwanengesang�. Poet and composer never met in real life but perhaps here their spirits do. �lvarez writes music of great intensity and intimate drama on a sometimes epic scale. His highly personal tonal language defies easy categorisation but conveys a �H�lderlin river journey� with admirable expressiveness.