JOANNA FOOTE (soprano), RICHARD MORRISON (baritone) and MICHAEL HAMPTON (piano)
FRIDAY 15th JULY 2011 at 8:00 pm
Michael Hampton
Please note that Michael, Joanne & Richard have changed the programme slightly from that originally intended, and that whilst it remains very much an evening of song with a "lighter touch" for a summer evening, it has not been possible for them to include any Gilbert & Sullivan. There is instead a strong Scottish flavour with 5 Burns songs, and five favourites from the world of opera and operetta.
The full programme is (for programme notes, see below):
Mendelssohn: Gruss Op 63/3
Ireland: Three Songs (text John Masefield)
Bernstein: I Hate Music! (5 Songs)
Debussy: Clair de Lune (piano solo)
Ravel: Chanson Romanesque
Liszt: Enfant Si J'Etais Roi
Tchaikovsky: None but the Lonely Heart
Rachmaninov: How Fair This Spot Op 21/7
INTERVAL
The Road to the Isles (MacLeod – Kennedy-Fraser)
By Yon Castle Wa (Burns – Davie)
O Whistle and I'll Come to Ye My Lad (Burns – McVicar)
Ae Fond Kiss (Burns – Nicolson)
O Wert Thou in the Cauld Blast Op 63/5 (Burns – Mendelssohn)
Rossini: Largo al Factotum from The Barber of Seville
Donizetti: O Luce di Quest' Anima from Linda di Chamounix
Richard Tauber: My Heart and I
Lehar: Meine Lippen sie Kussen so Heiss from Giuditta
Lehar: Love Unspoken from The Merry Widow
Programme Notes
Gruss Op 63/3 Felix Mendelssohn
A mature setting of Eichendorf's poem of greeting, in which the poet ends by addressing death amidst the beauty of nature, set for vocal solo or duet in simple strophic form.
Three Songs John Ireland (text John Masefield)
Heavily influenced by Debussy and Ravel, John Ireland (1879-1962) was known as the "English Impressionist". Essentially a miniaturist, he set many English poets including particularly Masefield and Hardy.
I Hate Music! ("5 Kid's Songs") Leonard Bernstein
Bernstein dedicated this song cycle to a friend with whom he shared an apartment: she would shout "I hate music" with her hands over her ears, trying to shut out Bernstein at work! The cycle explores childhood mysteries and fancies, to words by the composer.
Clair de Lune (piano solo) Claude Debussy
In perhaps the most famous of his piano works, the young Debussy is already developing impressionist techniques in his use of rippling chromatic arpeggios to depict the glint of moonlight.
Chanson Romanesque Maurice Ravel
The first of three orchestral songs "Don Quichotte à Dulcinée" reflects the humourous sincerity of Don Quixote's declaration of love to Dulcinea with a guitar-like accompaniment on the piano in a set of four variations.
Enfant Si J'Etais Roi Franz Liszt
Liszt's lieder are unjustifiably ignored, and it is a rare pleasure to hear one tonight, perhaps more virtuosic than many of the surprisingly simple but effective examples of Liszt's considerable output in this genre.
None but the Lonely Heart (Op 6) Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Much the same could be said of Tchaikovsky's major output of songs, of which this is probably the most popular, with its desolate yearning so typical of the composer.
How Fair This Spot (Op 21/7) Sergei Rachmaninov
Rachmaninov's lieder are more often performed, tonight's example dating from the period when the composer was recovering from the depression that followed the disastrous reception of his first symphony: it speaks of the joy of being alone with God in nature.
INTERVAL
The Road to the Isles Kennedy-Fraser (MacLeod)
By Yon Castle Wa Davie (Burns)
O Whistle and I'll Come to Ye My Lad McVicar (Burns)
Ae Fond Kiss Nicolson (Burns)
O Wert Thou in the Cauld Blast Mendelssohn (Burns)
Five settings of Scots poems: the three contemporary settings are framed by two nineteenth century composers.
Largo al Factotum (The Barber of Seville) Giacomo Rossini
O Luce di Quest' Anima (Linda di Chamounix) Gaetano Donizetti
Rossini and Donizetti were, with Bellini, the highest exponents of the bel canto style of singing: a gentler but highly virtuosic style which the use of smaller orchestras than those of the Romantic composers allowed.
My Heart and I Richard Tauber
The legendary tenor Richard Tauber spent much of the second world war in London, during which he composed several operettas, including "Old Chelsea" from which this aria became very popular.
Meine Lippen sie Kussen so Heiss (Giuditta) Franz Lehár
Love Unspoken (The Merry Widow) Franz Lehár
Tauber was one of Lehár's principle interpreters, and we again hear arias from his last and most ambitious work – a comedy – and from his most enduring and ever-popular operetta.
Joanna Foote, a New Zealander, graduated from UCLA California. She has appeared in Ariadne auf Naxos and in an Offenbach review with Opéra Français de New York. She has also sung in Le Nozze di Figaro, Falstaff, Dido & Aeneas, L'Enfant et les Sortileges, Weill's Threepenny Opera and Menotti's The Medium as well as in Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel. Her solo concert appearances include Handel's Messiah, Fauré's Requiem and Pergolesi's Stabat Mater. In 2009 she was a finalist in the McDonald's Aria Competition at the Sydney Opera House and won The Otago Daily Times Aria Competition in New Zealand. Last summer she was one of 12 singers chosen to attend the prestigious Solti/Te Kanawa Accademia di Bel Canto in Italy. She is currently touring with Diva Opera.
Richard Morrison graduated from the Royal College of Music. His opera repertoire in the UK has included From the House of the Dead, and Madam Butterfly, and in Germany Così fan tutte, Die Zauberflöte, Pelléas et Mélisande, Il barbiere di Siviglia, La Bohème, La Traviata, Lucia di Lammermoor and Hänsel und Gretel. He has an extensive recital repertoire, and has appeared in all the major UK concert halls, with many national orchestras. He has broadcast on BBC TV and Radio on many occasions. His recordings include Sullivan's The Rose of Persia and Edward German's Tom Jones – both world permiere recordings. He has released a solo disc of Scottish songs entitled Songs Of My Home with Corban Recordings.
Michael Hampton has enjoyed an international career as a voice and instrumental accompanist, chamber musician and solo pianist since graduating from the RCM in 1999. His extensive lieder repertoire ranges from Schubert, Schumann, Brahms and Wolff to De Falla, Jedermann and Bolcolm. He has broadcast many times on BBC Radio 3. His many acclaimed performances include Winterreise and the world premiere of Sir Richard Rodney Bennett's Songs Before Sleep. His recordings include Phantasy: British music for viola and piano, Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet whilst a disc of York Bowen is currently in production. Michael works at Trinity College of Music, London.