06/11/2025
💔|| "Return, O mysterious night!"
🌟 Welcoming back John Scholey... 🌟
It is always a delight for me to accompany my clients on the piano, especially when they sing such gorgeous music as this... 🎹
John Scholey, a brilliantly-talented tenor, visited Carriagehouse to record three songs as he continues his vocal studies at university. Here, he performs Fauré's "Après un rêve"
The first of 'Trois Mélodies', an enduring popular set of songs for solo voice and piano, "Après un rêve" (After a dream) is a dream of a romantic flight with a lover, away from the earth and "towards the light". However, upon awakening, the dreamer longs to return to the "mysterious night" and the ecstatic falsehood of his dream.
The incredibly long lines of this piece, along with the push-and-pull of the tempo throughout, makes this a challenge for any performer. But the silkiness of John's tone, along with such assured technique, makes for a truly effortless listen. It was a true joy to accompany such an accomplished performance. Bravo, John! 💚
🇫🇷 ➡️ 🏴 Translation:
In sleep made sweet by a vision of you
I dreamed of happiness, fervent illusion,
Your eyes were softer, your voice pure and ringing,
You shone like a sky that was lit by the dawn;
You called me and I departed the earth
To flee with you toward the light,
The heavens parted their clouds for us,
We glimpsed unknown splendours, celestial fires.
Alas, alas, sad awakening from dreams!
I summon you, O night, give me back your delusions;
Return, return in radiance,
Return, O mysterious night!
