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BRITTEN CANTICLES at St John's and Purcell Room London
Britten Canticles & Songs St John's, Smith Square 23 October 2005 Reno Troilus counter-tenor Songs and Proverbs of William Blake Canticle 1 My beloved is mine Purcell songs arranged by Britten Folksongs arranged by Britten Canticle 4 The journey of the Magi Oliver Cromwell (encore)
The audience in St John's may have been a small one, but the feast of music they enjoyed in this programme of Britten's vocal music was immense.
Andrew Kennedy is well known to London audiences, and internationally following his success in the BBC Singer of the World Recital Competition, and his persuasive tenor voice and ability to characterise his singing was much in evidence throughout the evening.
James Rutherford also needs little introduction. His early operatic performances (Nick Shadow for English Touring Opera and Falstaff for British Youth Opera both some five or six years ago) marked him out and his voice has just got better and better. Powerful throughout the register, yet able to shade the quietist passages with great subtlety .
The counter tenor, Reno Troilus, was a name I had not come across before, but it is one that I shall certainly be looking out for in the future. His is a wonderfully clear voice and he attacks his notes cleanly. Still in his mid-twenties and currently a student at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama, his performance showed maturity as well as promise.
They were joined by Christopher Glynn at the piano, giving customarily studied and polished performance.
Britten wrote the five extended vocal pieces that he entitled Canticles at different period throughout his working life, and there is little to connect them other than their subject matter is religious. The first My beloved is mine set to a poem by Francis Quarles, is for tenor and piano and is reflective and hymn like in tone. Andrew Kennedy captured the mood accurately with a real sense of fulfilment in the repeated he is mine in the last line of each verse.
Abraham and Isaac is scored for tenor and counter tenor, with a rather orchestral sounding piano accompaniment. The two voices combine at beginning and end to represent the voice of God, and otherwise personify the father and son. Derived from the Chester Miracle Play it is almost an opera in miniature, built up from a number of short dramatic scenes, and the slight pauses between sections to allow the story to unfold are crucial. These were observed, and the characters of father and son clearly differentiated.
The three part The Journey of the Magi , is set to TS Elliott's poem, well known in its own right and frequently included in poetry readings. Britten's setting adds a further dimension painting a picture of the travellers' reminiscences, each one chipping in and following his own thoughts, yet maintaining a musical unity.
Reno Troilus's solo contribution was four of Britten's arrangements of songs by Purcell Music for awhile, Sweeter than Roses, An evening Hymn and I'll sail upon the dogstar . This repertoire suits his voice well, and he took full advantage of it.
James Rutherford gave an impassioned reading of Britten's powerful Songs and Proverbs of William Blake , with some wonderful dark tones emerging.
Britten's ever-popular Folksong settings were divided three each between Andrew Kennedy - who really drew full measure of pathos from Little Sir William - and James Rutherford, and Reno Troilus joined them for Oliver Cromwell , by way of an encore.
Two of Britten's Canticles had also featured in a concert heard earlier in the week on the South Bank.
Fresh: Young Musicians' Platform "The Prince Consort"
The Purcell Room 20 October 2005 Anna Leese soprano (Encore) Dudley Moore Little Miss Muffett
The Prince Consort is a group of five young singers and a pianist who are either at the Royal College of Music or have recently completed their studies there. All come with impressive CVs and their performances encompass a wide ranging repertoire in different combinations of voice and piano.
Their programme began and ended with a Britten Canticle, with the voices beautifully balanced and blended.
Between these were a generous selection of solo songs and duets by Schubert, Schumann and Strauss. The photocopied programme confined itself to listing the German titles, and the soloists could usefully have introduced each piece with a little more information. The singing however did not disappoint, and these are all names worth remembering.
I particularly noted the firm mezzo of Jennifer Johnston who demonstrated a clear affinity for Strauss, and the fine tenor of Andrew Staples, a lieder specialist and winner of the Song Prize in both the Ferrier and Tauber Competitions this year, his singing was a delight throughout, not least with his skilful performance of Dudley Moore's famous Peter Pears pastiche.
Serena Fenwick
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