Mehldau: The Folly of Desire

Pianist and composer Brad Mehldau is one of the giants of jazz, with a breathtaking catalog of albums from solo improvisation to fully orchestrated works for jazz ensemble. From time to time, Mehldau has dipped his toe in the world of classical song, notably in 2006 with Love Sublime, a collection of Rilke settings written for and performed by soprano Renée Fleming. Here Mehldau collaborates with tenor Ian Bostridge on a jazz-infused song cycle that explores elements of love, from lust to innocent devotion, through poems by Auden, Blake, Shakespeare, Yeats, Goethe, and more. It’s a beautiful collection that features all the hallmarks of Mehldau’s fascinating harmonic palette, with hints of Hanns Eisler, Kurt Weill, and Broadway.