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Release Date: 03 October 2025
Label: Eloquence
Packaging Type: Box Set
No of Units: 14
Barcode: 0028948421046
Composer/Series: Aafje Heynis Edition
Description
A hymn to a sublime contralto: the complete Philips recordings of Aafje Heynis, remastered and compiled together, with original jackets, for the first time.
Aafje Heynis grew up as a church singer, and her faith and modesty radiate from her performances, which began to capture the ears of Dutch audiences after the war. A momentous debut with the Concertgebouw and Eduard van Beinum produced an account of the Alto Rhapsody by Brahms - it hardly betrays her nerves on the occasion, despite her misgivings, and launched her international career.
There followed a career path not dissimilar to her recent and eminent predecessor, Kathleen Ferrier, with Philips recording her in folk song and Lieder as well as sacred and spiritual repertoire. When Bernard Haitink made his first recording of the 'Resurrection' Symphony by Mahler, Heynis was the obvious choice to sing the pivotal 'Urlicht' movement, which she did with the grace, the nobility and gravity of expression she brought to all her performances. This Mahler Second has scarcely left the catalogue since its first issue. Much less familiar now are Heynis's albums of Bach cantatas, and her contributions to Dutch-made recordings of the Dettingen Te Deum and Dixit Dominus of Handel. Rarer still are the short 'EP' albums of sacred arias, accompanied by the organists Pierre Palla and Simon C. Jansen, which were primarily issued for the local Dutch market.
A Beethoven Ninth under Igor Markevitch, and a Lieder album with Irwin Gage, hint at what might have been. Likewise, we have a single record of Heynis in opera, singing the role of Orpheus in excerpts from Gluck's opera, recorded in 1973.
Compiled and remastered from rare sources and issued as an Original Covers collection with extensive photographic illustration as well as a new and moving tribute to the life and art of Heynis by Jean-Charles Hoffele, this set will attract all collectors of great singers. Heynis could touch the heart of the listener like few others, and her voice, once heard, is never forgotten
Tracklisting
Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos; Various Orchestras
Knappertsbusch; Keilberth; Sawallisch; Various Soloists
RIAS Kammerchor; Evelyn Lear; Christa Ludwig; Teresa Stich-Randall; Anna Reynolds; Ernst Haefliger;
Boston Symphony Chamber Players
Walter Weller; Various Orchestras
Otto Gerdes; Various Orchestras
Malcolm Sargent; Kathleen Ferrier; Ruggiero Ricci; Clifford Curzon
London Sinfonietta; David Atherton
Le Concert des Nations - La Cappela Nacional de Catalunya - Jordi Savall
Truro Cathedral Choir, James Anderson-Besant
The Choir of HM Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace; The English Cornett & Sackbut Ensemble; Joshua
Vincent Dumestre; Le Poeme Harmonique; Charlotte La Thrope; Paul-Antoine Benos-Djian; Hugo Hymas; T
The Edison Singers; Noel Edison
Sumi Hwang; Denzil Delaere; Thomas Oliemans; Elena Tsallagova; Benjamin Bruns; Groot Omroepkoor; Ma
Sophie Klussmann; Josette Micheler; Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin; Rundfunkchor Berlin; Kinderc
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra; Mendellsohn Choir of Pittsburgh; Westminster Choir; F. Murray Abraha
