This is where I was on Thursday evening, a recital I had looked forward to since I had booked one of the last remaining tickets back in July. A recital with piano; pianist was Julius Drake
When I sat down and looked at the programme I realised that the whole of the first half was going to be of Russian songs. It crossed my mind that it was the second week running that I would be hearing an extended Russian Programme from a world-class baritone, but didn't think any more of it.
I did come to the conclusion that an hour of mainly unfamiliar Russian songs is really quite hard work for me as an audience member. Don't misunderstand me, I adore Gerald, I love his voice, and as far as I could tell, he performed them excellently. I followed the text with my eyes while I listened to the music and I was surprised at how many words I recognised. I thought at this rate I'll end up learning Russian by osmosis like I am learning German. Not sure which is more useless - Wagnerian German or Tchaikovskian Russian. And I certainly felt that he was expressing musically and vocally what the words were saying.
I came to the conclusion that whilst I enjoy piano recitals, I prefer soloists singing with orchestra. I do like the piano as an instrument to listen to - I don't suppose there's anybody with half a musical brain who actively dislikes the piano as an instrument - and with as excellent a pianist as Julius Drake, there is no lack of variety and colour in the piano accompaniment. But, still, a piano lacks the variety of an orchestra. Also, when a singer performs solo (or with another singer) in a concert, the programme is infused with variety when the singer(s) takes a breather and the orchestra is allowed to shine. That breather is something I don't think I have ever encountered at a recital with piano. Of course, I appreciate that most of the songs on the programme were specifically written with piano accompaniment, so my observations are without substance.
I did enjoy the Tchaikovsky songs, but the Musorgsky got to be a bit much for me.
I much more enjoyed the second half. Particularly the Ives songs, from the CD that I acquired the day - nearly two years ago - I heard Gerald sing them at this same venue. I was excited to read that in due course there will be another CD of Ives songs.
I was not sure what to think of the Rorem songs before I heard them. To be honest Ned Rorem, as a composer, is barely even a name to me, and I was cautious of what a set of songs set to prose excerpts from Walt Whitman diaries, with music written in the 1960s, would actually sound like. I can confirm that I really like them. If 'like' is the right word. They were very gruesome - Whitman's graphic accounts, as a war diarist of carnage and slaughter in the American Civil War. Rorem, a Quaker and pacifist, selected them to set to music in 1969, at the Vietnam War. I found these songs to be a very powerful anti-war message. I don't suppose any singer accidentally chooses such songs for a public recital that is being recorded onto CD for the Wigmore Live label. I believe Gerald to be a highly intelligent man and I feel sure that therefore the powerful anti-war message must have been a specific choice.
I was not so taken with the Barber songs but they wouldn't stop me buying the CD. Some of them were based on texts by James Joyce.
The encores were fun, including Memories: (A) Very Pleasant (B) Rather Sad, which is one of my favourites on the CD, and also a show stopping finale of The Green Eyed Dragon.
I thought it was a thoroughly excellent recital. Gerald is just fabulous. I love his voice, it is distinctive and special. He is so musical, such an intelligent interpreter. He is an instinctive and thoughtful actor. Vocal acting, facially, a little bit of play acting when called for. It takes something to be able to sing songs about the slaughter of war and a dragon with thirteen tails in the same programme and portray each with appropriate meaning, and not make the juxtaposition seem incongruous. I can't wait until the next time I see him, which will be in March in Eugene Onegin.
For those of you not otherwise occupied a week on Sunday, I would suggest you go to the Royal College of Music's 125th Birthday. As well as Gerald, the line up includes Sarah Connolly, Liz Watts, Janis Kelly, Andrew Kennedy, Anna Leese, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Anna Grevelius, Alfie Boe, Andrew Staples, Graeme Broadbent, and James Rutherford.
No photos, unfortunately. I had my camera in my bag and I put my bag on the floor; as it happened there was an empty seat next to me. On the other side of that seat was an extremely ill-mannered woman called Belinda who immediately put her jacket on top of my bag. I told Jimmy later, he said that's what people do when they want to nick your bag. I doubted that was so in this case (I know a bit more about who she is than I am prepared to write here) but she was she one of these ghastly prematurely-aged hags from Surrey or somesuch place who think that everybody else exists for her convenience. And I just wanted to get out my camera. Actually, no one else was taking photos except the official one, so I would have stuck out like a sore thumb.
Programme:
Tchaikovsky: Don Juan's Serenade; It was in the early spring; At the ball; Whether the day reigns; No, only one who knows longing (which sounded a lot like 'Not but the lonely heart' to me); The Mild Stars Shone For Us; As over burning embers
Musorgsky: Songs and Dances of Death
Ives: Ich grolle nicht; Swimmers; The Housatonic at Stockbridge; The side show; The greatest man; tom sails away; 1,2,3
Rorem: War Scenes
Barber: There's nae lark; In the dark pinewood; Beggar's Song; three Songs Op. 10
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