Download PROGRAMME PURCELL: Fairest Isle (from King Arthur

PROGRAMME
PURCELL: Fairest Isle (from King Arthur) …………………………… The Company
Sequence One
PURCELL: Two arias from Dido & Aeneas (Librettist: Nahum Tate):
Ah! Belinda, I am prest with torment (from Dido & Aeneas)……………………Hazel
Dido, Queen of Carthage, is in love with Trojan hero Aeneas, but believes this
relationship is doomed. She sings this heartbreaking aria to her servant Belinda.
When I am laid in earth (from Dido & Aeneas) …………………...………….Marilyn
Dido, in love with Aeneas, prepares for her fate. This poignant aria is constructed
on a repeated descending chromatic figure (Ground Bass).
VIRGIL: excerpt from The Aeneid (Translated by John Dryden) .Richard Digby Day
Sequence Two
HANDEL: V’adoro pupille (from Julius Caesar)……………………………. Valerie
Cleopatra sings to Caesar of Cupid’s arrows (I adore your eyes, arrows of love).
(Librettist: Nicola Francesco Haym)
HANDEL: As steals the morn (from L’Allegro) …………………Valerie & Anthony
As steals the morn upon the night and melts the shades away. This is a lovely duet
from the third part of the Ode ‘L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato’. Librettist:
Charles Jennens)
HANDEL: Two arias from Semele:
Sleep, why dost thou leave me? (Semele) ……………………………………. Hazel
William Congreve provided the lyrics for this ‘Opera in the manner of an Oratorio’.
It was first performed in 1744 at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden.
Where’er you walk (Jupiter) ……………………………………………………Bobby
Jupiter sings this well-known aria in praise of the ambitious Semele, only later to
lament his part in her destruction.
WILLIAM CONGREVE: A hue and cry after Fair Amoret …….. Richard Digby Day
Sequence Three
HAYDN: She never told her love………………………………………….…Anthony
Haydn composed two sets of six Canzonets to English texts. This one is a setting of
William Shakespeare.
BISHOP: Lo! Here the gentle lark ……………………………………………..Jessica
Henry Bishop was a prominent figure in London, particularly from 1810-1840. This
coloratura aria shares popularity with his equally well-known ‘Home Sweet Home.’
The lyrics are again by WILLIAM Shakespeare.
MOZART: Soave il Vento (from Cosí fan tutte) ……………...Valerie, Hazel & John
The story of this opera (‘Thus do all women’) centres around two sisters, Fiordiligi
and Dorabella and features a complicated piece of deception from Don Alfonso and
the sisters’ lovers in an effort to test the faithfulness of the latter. Here, with Don
Alfonso, the sisters wave goodbye to their men who are (supposedly) going off to war.
FIELD: Nocturne in B flat for Piano …………………………………………… .Julio
The Irish composer John Field is reputed to have developed the Nocturne as a form of
piano piece, later to be perfected by Chopin. This Nocturne shows Field at his best as
a melodist.
Sequence Four
Two songs by Balfe:
Then you’ll remember me (from The Bohemian Girl) ……………………………John
Sometimes known as ‘When other lips’ this melodious aria is in response to ‘I dreamt
that I dwelt in marble halls’. The Irish composer, Michael Balfe was prolific in his
output. Librettist: Alfred Bunn.
The Arrow and the Song ……………………………………………..Anthony & Chris
This is a setting of a poem by Longfellow, arranged as a duet by Brian Benedict.
WOOD: Music when soft voices die ……………………… Valerie, Hazel & Marilyn
Charles Wood was an Irish composer and teacher, counting among his pupils Ralph
Vaughan Williams. This is a lovely, mellifluous setting of Shelley’s poem, composed
about the time of the outbreak of World War One.
INTERVAL (20 minutes)
Sequence One:
Dante Gabriel Rossetti: Sudden Light ………………………….. Richard Digby Day
An aria and two duets by Mendelssohn:
It is enough (from Elijah) ……………………………………………………….. Chris
Mendelssohn was a regular and a great favourite at the court of Queen Victoria. Of
his Oratorios, Elijah is probably the most performed. Here it is sung in English
Ich wollt’ meine Lieb’ (I would that my love) (Heine) .. ………….Valerie & Marilyn
Gruss (Greeting) (Eichendorff) …………………………………………. John & Chris
These two duets were often sung by Isobel Baillie and Kathleen Ferrier. We thought it
would be a nice change to hear Gruss sung by two baritones.
Sequence Two:
A Song and a Piano Duet by Elgar:
Shepherd’s Song (Barry Pain) ………………………………………………….Bobby
One of Elgar’s charming, unassuming songs, first published in 1935.7
Salut d’Amour …………………………………………………………...Julio & Brian
Elgar’s famously haunting violin melody arranged by the composer for piano duet.
ALFRED LORD TENNYSON: Excerpt from Maud ………….. Richard Digby Day
QUILTER: Love’s Philosophy ……………………………………………….. Valerie
Roger Quilter made an impressive and valuable contribution to British Art Song.
This is a rapturous setting of Shelley’s text – a very uplifting song.
FINZI: It was a lover and his lass ……………………………………………….Chris
Gerald Finzi also made a considerable contribution to British Art Song. He was an
ardent pacifist and a great friend of the composer Howard Ferguson. This bucolic
song, one of his Shakespeare settings, comes from his cycle ‘Let us Garlands bring’.
Sequence Three:
HAYDN WOOD: Roses of Picardy ……………………………………………Bobby
The music of Haydn Wood, particularly the orchestral pieces, were primarily light in
style. Later in life he took to writing musical comedies. He had a great gift for
melody and composed about two hundred songs. This one was written for his wife.
NOEL COWARD: Nina ………………………………………………………… John
Witty, flamboyant musician, writer, director and bon viveur Noel Coward was a kind
of British Cole Porter. Amongst the many songs he wrote is this typical, wittilyrhyming number that never fails to amuse.
IVOR NOVELLO: Keep the Home Fires burning ……………………..The Company
This patriotic, 1914 song epitomised the feelings of families whose men had gone to
war, many doomed never to return. Here it is performed in a concerted arrangement
by Brian Benedict. The Lyricist is Lena Gilbert Ford.
WILFRED OWEN: The Send Off ………………………………. Richard Digby Day
BRITTEN: The Last Rose of Summer (Groves of Blarney) …………………... Hazel
A modern, haunting, iconic setting of Thomas Moore’s poem. Many composers have
set these words, but Britten always has something new to say, as here and in the
following Folk Song Arrangements.
BRITTEN: British Isles Folk Song Arrangements:
O Waly Waly (Somerset) ……………………………………………………...Marilyn
The Ploughboy (Tune: W. Shield) ……………………………………………Anthony
Oliver Cromwell (Suffolk) …………………………………………….. The Company