Beim Schlafengehen is the third song in Strauss's song cycle, The Four Last Songs. Written just before his death, these songs are set to poems written by Herman Hesse, Joseph Karl Benedikt & Freiherr von Eichendorff. They are widely recognized among the most beautiful music ever written for the soprano voice. 

Vocals by Stacie Eirich, piano by Tom Jesty. Recorded in isolation in 2021, following an online masterclass lead by The Choir of the Earth & Ms. Lucy Cox. 

Thanks for listening! I’m a mom who sings & writes poetry and prose. 

*Text & Translation below. 

***

Beim Schlafengehen 

Nun der Tag mich [müd] gemacht,
Soll mein sehnliches Verlangen
Freundlich die gestirnte Nacht
Wie ein müdes Kind empfangen. 

Hände, laßt von allem Tun,
Stirn vergiß du alles Denken,
Alle meine Sinne nun
Wollen sich in Schlummer senken. 

Und die Seele unbewacht
Will in freien Flügen schweben,
Um im Zauberkreis der Nacht
Tief und tausendfach zu leben.

Authorship by Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962), "Beim Schlafengehen", written 1911.

While going to sleep

Now that the day has made me so tired,
my dearest longings shall
be accepted kindly by the starry night
like a weary child.

Hands, cease your activity,
head, forget all of your thoughts;
all my senses now
will sink into slumber.

And my soul, unobserved,
will float about on untrammeled wings
in the enchanted circle of the night,
living a thousandfold more deeply.

***

*Text & translation is from: https://www.lieder.net/

Beim Schlafengehen (While Going to Sleep): The Four Last Songs, composed by Richard Strauss

Composed, Arranged, Performed and Produced by Lefteris Matapas.
Recorded and Mixed by Lefteris Matapas.

Cloud 9

THE FALLE OF ANGEL

Music: Gebr.K
Guitars, Bass & Keys: JayKay
Lyrics: JayKay

Text:
Fortress

when the night disappeared 
the coming day was different.  
maybe it wasn't clear to you in the morning, 
but with the memory returning, 
the new day became paler and more spent.  

and where once have been green meadows 
now stands a dark fortress  
And I stand there outside, 
failed in the task of protecting you

I know, they are human beings
On the other hand 
Revenge is a human feeling

Now I'm standing here in front of your prison 
trying to convince you to swap places with them 
That they should bear the burden of their deed 
and let you go.  but you dare not do so

So all I have left is hope 
So all I have left is hope 
For you and for you and for you
For me

Fortress

A lovely bright thing on a stormy night
Entered into heaven which was not polite
"You came too soon" said the palace shade
"You flower and fruit and then you fade"

You fly too soon you fly too high
You know your life is standing by
Go work your clay and get ready for the way
Of stone and sky

Stone and sky

To be a lovely thing on slender wing
Or a horned god prowling for prey
In a thrashing fit to do the big fat "It"
While every way we go is pain

You wake to pain you wake to gray
And wonder how you came this way
You serpent bird - too low too high
For stone and sky

Stone and sky

(Too low, honey... Too high... Don't you know how to fly?)

A little bright light in a stormy sky
Scanning hell to heaven with the serpent's eye
And the bird's wing - "that's the only way
Bright young thing", said the shade

You crawl and fly you crawl and fly
You move according to the signs
You move it in the middle way
Of stone and sky

Stone and sky

Stone And Sky

Unity (MPC One, drum machine mix)

A radio edit of an old dance tune of mine from 2016.

Torn (Radio Edit)

Valium jazz - and if you are patient, on the long run, with a kind of deconstructive saxophon ;-)
photo: Jr Korpa, unsplash

falling asleep thoughts - sedative jazz

Cette année, j’ai surtout consolidé ce que j’avais fait jusqu’ici.
J’ai repris tout ce que j’ai appris en traitement du son sur ordinateur pour revenir sur les morceaux créés quand j’étais exclusivement sur synthé.
Là, c’est le second set live que je publie.
L’exercice est un peu délicat : je pars d’un enregistrement en direct, mais la prise était de qualité suffisante pour me laisser une vraie marge de travail.
L’occasion de réécouter, de revivre des émotions anciennes, avec tous les souvenirs qui vont avec… et parfois un peu de doute et de douleur aussi.
Et de les partager.

Yves Ma

Slap of Reality

DL / BUY

Wanna Dance!?

The  Riffs is on Fire (Long Play)

Buy On Bandcamp

Soprasound - The  Riffs is on Fire (Long Play)

Mk153 (Pronounced: Mark 153) is a multimedia artist that designs music, graphics and other media. He draws inspiration from dance music of all sorts including Trance, Techno, and Drum and Bass.

Unity (MPC One, drum machine mix)

mk153