Lieder and Art Song for Beginners/Intermediates

[Pulcinella]

Examples please!

A favourite English song of mine which I should have included in my last post is King David by Howells. The piano part is challenging, since one has to represent the sounds of a harp with both hands, whilst the right hand adds snippets of birdsong (needing a different tone-colour). It almost needs three hands, in fact. But it must sound effortless! I think I almost did justice to it last time I played it.

It's a beautiful song which I love. There must be recordings but I can't recommend one because I've never heard one.

I mentioned this and Silent Noon in post 59 on the other thread (The somewhat delayed song thread). I have the JB version in its Saga incarnation, and also the complete Chandos set of Howells songs. Both songs have a magical pivot point, I think associated with an enharmonic change.

[Roehre]

(American) English songs certainly not to be overlooked are Ned Rorem's.
a Naxos CD filled with many of these is a real gem.

[Pulcinella]

(American) English songs certainly not to be overlooked are Ned Rorem's.
a Naxos CD filled with many of these is a real gem.

Agreed, and mentioned in a PM to teamsaint a while back.
Rorem is the pianist on the Naxos CD, but I don't particularly like Carol Farley's (Mrs Jose Serebrier, I think) voice.
I have a single-CD Susan Graham collection, now part of this set, which should perhaps feature in the Bargains thread:

http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/advsearch.php?composer=Rorem&work=&performer=Graham&medium=all&label=&cat=

Rorem of course was a Boulanger student, so knows all about French art song.

[vinteuil]

... a vote for Véronique Gens -

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00003ZKR9

[gurnemanz]

A well-priced and varied selection of mélodies (and a few Lieder) from Naive. Details here and even cheaper at Amazon Market Place Harmonia Mundi where I got it.

[Beef Oven!]

Rebecca Clarke - Songs For Voice & Piano; Voice And Violin; Works For Violin & Piano.

This was on the mat when I returned on Wednesday from my late summer break - this morning is the first opportunity to listen to it.

I'm halfway through, and I am really impressed with these works. Compared to Britten & Tippett, these songs and chamber works have a dreamy, ethereal quality to them that the chaps don't seem to have. I find this, for example, in 'Down By The Salley Gardens'. Much gentler than the Britten and at 1'53, much shorter than Britten's perfect arrangement of this song.

I have now got to the last section of the CD and the Three Irish Country Songs are filling my living room some wonderful music for soprano & violin.

I'm really looking forward to listening to this CD in the coming weeks.

Patricia Wright - Soprano
Jonathan Rees - Violin
Kathron Sturrock - Piano

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Welcome back to the chill, BeefO

Stanfordian highly recommended Rebecca Clarke's songs on the BaL Viola Sonata Thread, too. Searching on youTube, I found only some very ... <ahem> ... earnestly-sung live performances which rather got in the way of what sounded like very well-written pieces. Thanks for bringing this CD to my attention - one for the "wish list"

[Beef Oven!]

Welcome back to the chill, BeefO

Stanfordian highly recommended Rebecca Clarke's songs on the BaL Viola Sonata Thread, too. Searching on youTube, I found only some very ... <ahem> ... earnestly-sung live performances which rather got in the way of what sounded like very well-written pieces. Thanks for bringing this CD to my attention - one for the "wish list"

Thanks fernie.

Yes, I recall Stanfordian's comments on these works. And with the general Bal discussion, I think I was prompted to buy this CD (although I have heard her songs before).

[Stanfordian]

Rebecca Clarke - Songs For Voice & Piano; Voice And Violin; Works For Violin & Piano.

This was on the mat when I returned on Wednesday from my late summer break - this morning is the first opportunity to listen to it.

I'm halfway through, and I am really impressed with these works. Compared to Britten & Tippett, these songs and chamber works have a dreamy, ethereal quality to them that the chaps don't seem to have. I find this, for example, in 'Down By The Salley Gardens'. Much gentler than the Britten and at 1'53, much shorter than Britten's perfect arrangement of this song.

I have now got to the last section of the CD and the Three Irish Country Songs are filling my living room some wonderful music for soprano & violin.

I'm really looking forward to listening to this CD in the coming weeks.

Patricia Wright - Soprano
Jonathan Rees - Violin
Kathron Sturrock - Piano

Hiya Beefy,


Good stuff there! Gurney's Songs are also a delight to my ears.

[Beef Oven!]

Franz Schubert - 'Winterreise'

I have long relied on and been happy with DFD's DG recording, but lately I've been almost bewitched with Bostridge's performance.

Picked up for £8.41 incl. p&p off Amazon, brand new and shrink-wrapped. 3CDs and a Winterreise DVD!!!

[teamsaint]

Franz Schubert - 'Winterreise'

I have long relied on and been happy with DFD's DG recording, but lately I've been almost bewitched with Bostridge's performance.

Picked up for £8.41 incl. p&p off Amazon, brand new and shrink-wrapped. 3CDs and a Winterreise CD!!!

that looks a splendid set indeed. Enjoy.

Currently, Ravel Songs.
Boulez/ Ensemble intercontemporain/BBCSO/ Heather Harper/Jill Gomez et al.

can't take this off my turntable at the moment. Well I can, but am choosing not to.
A simply stunning disc.

apologies to anybody inconvenienced by my deleted post about this last night.

[Lat-Literal]

Rebecca Clarke - Songs For Voice & Piano; Voice And Violin; Works For Violin & Piano.

This was on the mat when I returned on Wednesday from my late summer break - this morning is the first opportunity to listen to it.

I'm halfway through, and I am really impressed with these works. Compared to Britten & Tippett, these songs and chamber works have a dreamy, ethereal quality to them that the chaps don't seem to have. I find this, for example, in 'Down By The Salley Gardens'. Much gentler than the Britten and at 1'53, much shorter than Britten's perfect arrangement of this song.

I have now got to the last section of the CD and the Three Irish Country Songs are filling my living room some wonderful music for soprano & violin.

I'm really looking forward to listening to this CD in the coming weeks.

Patricia Wright - Soprano
Jonathan Rees - Violin
Kathron Sturrock - Piano

Like Rebecca Clarke. I'm not sure that I would want to pitch the case for women composers against the names you mention. There is history. Disgruntlement could be aimed towards those seen by them as favoured or dominant but I could cite umpteen examples where rather than whinging on their own behalves they would put up a feisty defence of less favoured males. The whole situation is complex. Arguably most of the stronger female composers were not in the avant-garde. That placed them in an even less advantageous position post war than simply being women. Actually, I am willing to accept that aspects of Britten are ethereal. But there was some indefinable hold in the upper echelons including the Third Programme. Some of it was about musical policy. But Lloyd is the one who gives the game away in that regard for he himself was hardly backward looking. There is an untold story. I feel sure - and the best approach is one of genuine curiosity rather than attack. It has several strands. One of the more obvious ones is that somehow classical music has managed to get through century on century in the totally ludicrous state of not one woman composer being considered a true great. Obviously, that defies all rationality.

Thank you, Beefy, for encouraging comment on this one!

I will tell you what I really think or at least question:

I believe Britten had some hold on the Establishment. Mainly I assign that set of events to an Establishment belief that he was head and shoulders above everyone else in that century in Britain, rightly or wrongly. I believe they thought they had one of the towering figures of all time and everything else in policy terms was dictated by that outlook.

[teamsaint]

any fans of Hindemith out there in Art Song land?

discovered this in the Avant Garde Project. Not sure what I make of it so far, but encouraged to listen further.

[EdgeleyRob]

Tuesday's lunchtime concert,first broadcast last year from the Three Choirs Festival,is worth checking out if you missed it first time and are a fan of British song.
RVW / Four Last Songs.
Elgar / Sea Pictures in a version for baritone and piano,which works well IMO.
The recital also featured the world premier of Rhian Samuel's ' A Swift Radiant Morning',amazing settings of words by the WW1 poet CH Sorley.

Interesting blog here http://classical-iconoclast.blogspot...t-morning.html

Roderick Williams and Susie Allan are brilliant.

[teamsaint]

Just to revive this thread, and share my enthusiasm, I am just listening to Dichterliebe, Pregardien/ Staier.

I know others have enthused about these recordings,( Vinny especially), but this really is utterly beautiful.

Here it is on youtube for free.