Ashley Riches – A Musical Zoo (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

“A Musical Zoo” with Ashley Riches and Joseph Middleton is a veritable tour de force, featuring compositions spanning nearly 160 years, from Schubert’s The Trout to Shostakovich’s Once there lived a cockroach, and four languages (German, French, Russian, and English).

A strong representation of the German Lieder tradition (Schubert, Schumann, Wolf, Brahms, and Richard Strauss) is balanced by the French mélodie (Fauré, Ravel) and English lyricism (Ireland, Howells). The humans seem to have an endless fascination with the animal kingdom, and animals have proved an inspiration for artists, composers and writers alike. This recital demonstrates what a rich seam this has proved for a diverse range of composers. Ashley Riches comments: “The text [of a song] may outline to us what we see. But the flutterings of Schubert’s Birds, the flicking antennae of Shostakovich’s Cockroach, the rush of notes with which Ravel’s Peacock spreads its tail – these are movements and energies accessible to music alone”.

Tracklist:
1. Ashley Riches – Die Forelle, Op. 32, D. 550 (02:20)
2. Ashley Riches – Die Vögel, Op. 172 No. 6, D. 691 (01:13)
3. Ashley Riches – No. 1, Die Löwenbraut (08:06)
4. Ashley Riches – No. 11, Der Rattenfänger (02:37)
5. Ashley Riches – No. 4, An die Nachtigall (02:58)
6. Ashley Riches – Die Drossel, TrV 49 (02:28)
7. Ashley Riches – No. 1, Le papillon et la fleur (02:06)
8. Ashley Riches – No. 1, Le paon (04:33)
9. Ashley Riches – No. 2, Le grillon (03:08)
10. Ashley Riches – No. 3, Le cygne (02:59)
11. Ashley Riches – No. 4, Le martin-pêcheur (02:56)
12. Ashley Riches – No. 5, La pintade (03:07)
13. Ashley Riches – Mephistopheles’s Song in Auerbach’s Cellar (03:18)
14. Ashley Riches – No. 2, The Cockroach (03:44)
15. Ashley Riches – The Three Ravens (04:28)
16. Ashley Riches – King David (05:09)
17. Ashley Riches – No. 8, The Monk and His Cat (02:25)
18. Ashley Riches – No. 13, The Jelly Fish (00:26)
19. Ashley Riches – No. 17, The Fly (00:19)
20. Ashley Riches – No. 4, Our Dog (00:53)
21. Ashley Riches – No. 3, The Ant (00:23)
22. Ashley Riches – No. 9, The Pig (00:27)
23. Ashley Riches – No. 1, The Duck (00:25)
24. Ashley Riches – No. 19, The Termite (00:32)
25. Ashley Riches – No. 11, The Calf (00:58)
26. Ashley Riches – No. 7, The Turkey (00:27)
27. Ashley Riches – No. 16, The Sea Gull (00:45)
28. Ashley Riches – No. 12, The Rooster (00:24)
29. Ashley Riches – No. 14, The Germ (00:59)
30. Ashley Riches – No. 10, The Centipede (00:30)
31. Ashley Riches – No. 18, The Firefly (00:50)
32. Ashley Riches – No. 15, The Sparrow (00:30)
33. Ashley Riches – No. 2, The Cow (00:49)
34. Ashley Riches – No. 8, The Kitten (00:38)
35. Ashley Riches – No. 6, The Mouse (00:34)
36. Ashley Riches – No. 20, The Pigeon (00:45)
37. Ashley Riches – No. 5, The Frog (00:29)
38. Ashley Riches – The Crocodile (05:19)