Songs on Songs
Launch Concert
June 10th, 2015
Amelia Berry soprano Catherine Norton piano with Elisabeth Harris mezzo Declan Cudd tenor Jamie Henare baritone and special guests Richard Greager tenor Roger Wilson bass Terence Dennis piano |
Songbook's launch concert programme tackled the subject of song itself, as seen through the music and poetry of five centuries, with music from Josquin des Prez to David Farquhar. We heard Telemann in praise of new ideas, Mahler in sharply satirical mode on the subject of singing competitions, and William Bolcom on late nights in piano bars. We wished a happy centenary to Rachmaninov's Vocalise, and we took the chance to feature the music of two young composers whose promising careers were cut short by World War 1 in 1915: the German Rudi Stephan and the Englishman William Denis Browne. |