In Search of Ondine

For centuries, the tragic tale of the mermaid or water nymph falling in love with a human has been told around the world. On his new GENUIN album, pianist Clemens Müller interprets this story of love and death through piano works from six centuries. The oldest piece by Jan Sweelinck predates the piano itself, while the newest was completed just days before the recording. At the heart of the album is a triptych featuring three settings of the psalm “By the Waters of Babylon”: from the perspectives of three different religions, Thomaskantor Johann Sebastian Bach, Jewish piano virtuoso Charles-Valentin Alkan, and Iranian composer Shadi Kassaee each reflect on this famous hymn about longing for a lost homeland.