Follow-the-Lieder
The Oxford Lieder Festival, 15 - 29 October 2005
The fourth annual Oxford Lieder Festival took place in the second half of October, the brainchild of the young accomplished accompanist, Artistic Director and front man Sholto Kynosh. Unlike previous years where the programme was centred around a particular composer, this year there was a wide eclectic programme contrasting the German lieder repertoire with songs from around Europe and the rest of the world. As well as conventional song recitals the programme encompassed master-classes, workshops for young singers and for adults, a new music drama, the series first commission and even a jazz concert.
This year's festival was organised even more professionally than previous years, with a lavishly produced programme with detailed notes on performers and programmes and free translations at each concert, programme notes and translations mainly the work of Richard Stokes. The Festival marked the launch of Stokes' 'The Book of Lieder' giving the texts of over a thousand lieder with his translations. The principal venue was, as usual, the incomparable Holywell Music Room, with, this year, some concerts in the slightly less sympathique Jacqueline du Pré Music Building (now made more convenient by the availability of parking at Magdalen College School). These halls are of an ideal size and intimacy for the performance of song but this does limit the size of audience and it is a miracle dependent on the generosity of many individuals, helpers and performers that the ticket prices are held so ridiculously low. Behind the scenes, Adrian Lowe and Elizabeth Burgess ensure that everything runs smoothly.
The recital programme was three- layered - 'Celebrity Recitals', 'Rising Stars' and short 'Lunchtime Recitals'. The evening recitals were preceded by pre-concert talks. I will not attempt a comprehensive review, (I was not, in any event, able to attend everything) but I select a few moments which particularly stay in my mind and which perhaps illustrate the richness of the event. A particular sub-theme of the proceedings and an interval talking point was the importance of the presentation of the songs, how operatic experience revealed through gesture and body language could enhance the interpretation beyond anything obtainable purely from the words and the sounds produced. There was also the opportunity to compare the contrasting styles of a variety of accompanists!
For the opening concert the Festival had secured the services of two winners of the Rosenblatt Recital Prize at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, Ailish Tynan (soprano, 2003) and Andrew Kennedy (tenor, 2005). These two youthful singers sang a fascinating programme contrasting Schubert and Richard Strauss with Britten, Grainger and Judith Weir. They came over with opposite styles, he self-assured and extrovert but somewhat limited in dramatic range, she demure and calm, with an incredibly beautiful voice. In the Strauss, she showed herself to be a natural born Rosenkavalier's Sophie, with the potential to mature into his other great operatic roles. The accompaniment of Iain Burnside seemed peculiarly detached; it is surprising that this did not seem to matter. This cannot be said of the pianist at Monday's concert, Clinton Cormany who formed a perfectly matched duo with the Swedish tenor Håkan Vramsmo, who together brilliantly mastered the difficulties of Poulenc's Chansons gaillardes, and gave a moving account of the edited miscellany known as Schubert's Schwanengesang.
Tuesday evening's concert was in the nature of an experiment, which was very interesting but perhaps not in the way intended. Susanna Andersson (soprano) and Norbert Meyn (tenor) sang a programme of Goethe settings. In the first half these were contemporary settings from the eighteenth century, in the second half later and well-known settings. Each song was preceded by a reading and performance of the text by the actors Sophie Roberts and Robert Cawsey, based on acting principles of Goethe himself. It is perhaps harsh to say that what came over were the third rate nature of the earlier settings (perhaps explaining Goethe's wish to jazz them up dramatically) and that the singers were the equal of the actors in dramatic presentation. As late substitutes the actors were handicapped by having to read the words.
A notable lunchtime concert beautifully performed by a regular duo, the Oxford-based Swedish soprano, Sara Johnsson, and her pianist, the organist Elizabeth Burgess, started appropriately with four rare songs by Charles-Marie Widor. These were followed by two gems by Lili and by Nadia Boulanger. The highlight of the programme was three Sibelius songs, including the dramatic Flickan kom ifrån sin älsklings möte. These came over, intentionally or not, as a battle between singer and pianist, with a narrow victory for the piano. At another lunchtime concert, Adrian Ward (tenor) substituted at less than twenty-four hours notice for an indisposed soprano, and, accompanied by Kynoch, gave an immaculate programme of Schubert, Fauré, Strauss and Britten - real professionalism.
A concert by the ensemble Sequenza was marked by the transparent texture of their playing. Their programme with the soprano Nina Bennet included the commissioned work by Martin Suckling, based on a ninth century Old Irish poem, and Schönberg's Pierrot Lunaire (where an earthier sound might have been more appropriate). But, for me, a highlight of the whole Festival was the perfectly balanced performance of Schubert's Der Hirst auf dem Felsen with Andrew Harper (clarinet) and Joseph Middleton (piano). This is one of those elusive works of the composer, like the F minor Fantasie for piano duet and the piano trio 'Notturno' where one has to search far and wide for truly satisfying performances of these truly great works. (For me, it was a long time before I could forget the first performance of Der Hirst I heard, sung in English by a soprano with a lisp: 'Thpring ith coming, thpring ith here…'.)
Although the Festival is not yet over, one can predict with some confidence that the high point was the recital by Olaf Bär, partnered by Julius Drake, on Saturday, 22 October. A great sense of occasion pervaded the packed audience at the Holywell Music Room. They were not disappointed. Bär, at the height of his powers, gave a performance in a class above anything else we had heard at the Festival. Drake is one of the few pianists worthy of the task of accompanying at this level. From the first notes of Mendelssohn's Auf Flügeln des Gesanges to the end of Strauss' Zueignung the audience was spellbound. What will stay in the memory, however, is the singing of seven of Brahms' Deutsche Volkslieder. As pointed out by Roderick Swanston in an ebullient pre-concert talk, folk-song is at the heart of art-song. Bär's performance illustrated to perfection the lightness of the folk-song within the seriousness of the lieder format.
At the time of writing, there are a few concerts to go, too late for inclusion here. An unfortunate clash has the final concert, with Sarah Connolly and Stephan Loges, coinciding with five hours of Verdi's Don Carlos at the New Theatre. But it is already clear that this Festival is an event of great musical significance, not only to Oxford but nationally. That it can attract 'celebrities' as well as 'rising stars' of this quality pressing at their heels with the opportunity to sing in the Holywell Music Room gives hope for the future. Provided the Festival can continue to produce a diverse programme, as this year, it deserves generous recognition by Arts funding bodies.
25 October 2005
The Oxford Lieder Festival, 15 - 29 October 2005
The fourth annual Oxford Lieder Festival took place in the second half of October, the brainchild of the young accomplished accompanist, Artistic Director and front man Sholto Kynosh. Unlike previous years where the programme was centred around a particular composer, this year there was a wide eclectic programme contrasting the German lieder repertoire with songs from around Europe and the rest of the world. As well as conventional song recitals the programme encompassed master-classes, workshops for young singers and for adults, a new music drama, the series first commission and even a jazz concert.
This year's festival was organised even more professionally than previous years, with a lavishly produced programme with detailed notes on performers and programmes and free translations at each concert, programme notes and translations mainly the work of Richard Stokes. The Festival marked the launch of Stokes' 'The Book of Lieder' giving the texts of over a thousand lieder with his translations. The principal venue was, as usual, the incomparable Holywell Music Room, with, this year, some concerts in the slightly less sympathique Jacqueline du Pré Music Building (now made more convenient by the availability of parking at Magdalen College School). These halls are of an ideal size and intimacy for the performance of song but this does limit the size of audience and it is a miracle dependent on the generosity of many individuals, helpers and performers that the ticket prices are held so ridiculously low. Behind the scenes, Adrian Lowe and Elizabeth Burgess ensure that everything runs smoothly.
The recital programme was three- layered - 'Celebrity Recitals', 'Rising Stars' and short 'Lunchtime Recitals'. The evening recitals were preceded by pre-concert talks. I will not attempt a comprehensive review, (I was not, in any event, able to attend everything) but I select a few moments which particularly stay in my mind and which perhaps illustrate the richness of the event. A particular sub-theme of the proceedings and an interval talking point was the importance of the presentation of the songs, how operatic experience revealed through gesture and body language could enhance the interpretation beyond anything obtainable purely from the words and the sounds produced. There was also the opportunity to compare the contrasting styles of a variety of accompanists!
For the opening concert the Festival had secured the services of two winners of the Rosenblatt Recital Prize at BBC Cardiff Singer of the World, Ailish Tynan (soprano, 2003) and Andrew Kennedy (tenor, 2005). These two youthful singers sang a fascinating programme contrasting Schubert and Richard Strauss with Britten, Grainger and Judith Weir. They came over with opposite styles, he self-assured and extrovert but somewhat limited in dramatic range, she demure and calm, with an incredibly beautiful voice. In the Strauss, she showed herself to be a natural born Rosenkavalier's Sophie, with the potential to mature into his other great operatic roles. The accompaniment of Iain Burnside seemed peculiarly detached; it is surprising that this did not seem to matter. This cannot be said of the pianist at Monday's concert, Clinton Cormany who formed a perfectly matched duo with the Swedish tenor Håkan Vramsmo, who together brilliantly mastered the difficulties of Poulenc's Chansons gaillardes, and gave a moving account of the edited miscellany known as Schubert's Schwanengesang.
Tuesday evening's concert was in the nature of an experiment, which was very interesting but perhaps not in the way intended. Susanna Andersson (soprano) and Norbert Meyn (tenor) sang a programme of Goethe settings. In the first half these were contemporary settings from the eighteenth century, in the second half later and well-known settings. Each song was preceded by a reading and performance of the text by the actors Sophie Roberts and Robert Cawsey, based on acting principles of Goethe himself. It is perhaps harsh to say that what came over were the third rate nature of the earlier settings (perhaps explaining Goethe's wish to jazz them up dramatically) and that the singers were the equal of the actors in dramatic presentation. As late substitutes the actors were handicapped by having to read the words.
A notable lunchtime concert beautifully performed by a regular duo, the Oxford-based Swedish soprano, Sara Johnsson, and her pianist, the organist Elizabeth Burgess, started appropriately with four rare songs by Charles-Marie Widor. These were followed by two gems by Lili and by Nadia Boulanger. The highlight of the programme was three Sibelius songs, including the dramatic Flickan kom ifrån sin älsklings möte. These came over, intentionally or not, as a battle between singer and pianist, with a narrow victory for the piano. At another lunchtime concert, Adrian Ward (tenor) substituted at less than twenty-four hours notice for an indisposed soprano, and, accompanied by Kynoch, gave an immaculate programme of Schubert, Fauré, Strauss and Britten - real professionalism.
A concert by the ensemble Sequenza was marked by the transparent texture of their playing. Their programme with the soprano Nina Bennet included the commissioned work by Martin Suckling, based on a ninth century Old Irish poem, and Schönberg's Pierrot Lunaire (where an earthier sound might have been more appropriate). But, for me, a highlight of the whole Festival was the perfectly balanced performance of Schubert's Der Hirst auf dem Felsen with Andrew Harper (clarinet) and Joseph Middleton (piano). This is one of those elusive works of the composer, like the F minor Fantasie for piano duet and the piano trio 'Notturno' where one has to search far and wide for truly satisfying performances of these truly great works. (For me, it was a long time before I could forget the first performance of Der Hirst I heard, sung in English by a soprano with a lisp: 'Thpring ith coming, thpring ith here…'.)
Although the Festival is not yet over, one can predict with some confidence that the high point was the recital by Olaf Bär, partnered by Julius Drake, on Saturday, 22 October. A great sense of occasion pervaded the packed audience at the Holywell Music Room. They were not disappointed. Bär, at the height of his powers, gave a performance in a class above anything else we had heard at the Festival. Drake is one of the few pianists worthy of the task of accompanying at this level. From the first notes of Mendelssohn's Auf Flügeln des Gesanges to the end of Strauss' Zueignung the audience was spellbound. What will stay in the memory, however, is the singing of seven of Brahms' Deutsche Volkslieder. As pointed out by Roderick Swanston in an ebullient pre-concert talk, folk-song is at the heart of art-song. Bär's performance illustrated to perfection the lightness of the folk-song within the seriousness of the lieder format.
At the time of writing, there are a few concerts to go, too late for inclusion here. An unfortunate clash has the final concert, with Sarah Connolly and Stephan Loges, coinciding with five hours of Verdi's Don Carlos at the New Theatre. But it is already clear that this Festival is an event of great musical significance, not only to Oxford but nationally. That it can attract 'celebrities' as well as 'rising stars' of this quality pressing at their heels with the opportunity to sing in the Holywell Music Room gives hope for the future. Provided the Festival can continue to produce a diverse programme, as this year, it deserves generous recognition by Arts funding bodies.
25 October 2005