Miranda Westcott – mezzo soprano

Marc Verter – piano

Flavio Azeveedo – violin

Jorgen Skogmo - guitar

Guildhall School of Music & Drama

23 September 2005

J S Bach – Erbarme dich, mein Gott (St Matthew Passion) BWV 244

R Strauss – Wie sollten wir geheim sie halten Op 19/4

R Strauss – Llerseelen – Op 10/8

Faure – Le Papillon et la Fleur Op 1/1

Shostakovich – The Dragonfly and the Ant Op 4/1

Stravinsky – The Owl and the Pussycat

De Falla   - Siete canciones populares Espanolas

It is always interesting to hear a young singer in recital at the beginning of their career, especially when they present a programme as varied and demanding as this one. Miranda Westcott caught my attention earlier this year when she made her Wigmore Hall debut at the Guildhall Gold concert, and I welcomed the opportunity to hear her again in this full length presentation, showcasing her work on the M.Mus course at GSMD.

She opened with Bach's Erbarme dich, mein Gott accompanied by both violin (Flavio Azevedo) and piano (Marc Verter). It's a heartrending piece, forcefully delivered, and certainly got the audience sitting upright in their seats. The next two pieces were by Richard Strauss, relatively early songs, and nice ly contrasted. I felt they would perhaps be more suited to a slightly weightier voice, but these are early days and the frequent key shifts in Wie sollten wir geheim sie halten were deftly managed.

The trio of “wildlife” pieces were nothing short of delightful. Each individual creature was clearly differentiated and characterised in both voice and expression. I particularly enjoyed the bolshie ant who tells the foolish dragon fly to just “go and dance a bit”, continuing to shrug a shoulder and nudge an elbow at him in time with the final chords from the piano. Within this group it was also interesting to contrast the two songs that were teenage works of Faure and Shostakovich, with Stravinsky's late, and deceptively simple setting of The Owl and the Pussycat .

After a brief pause, and a change to a scarlet and black, Flamenco like outfit, Westcott completed her recital with Manuel de Falla's Seven popular Spanish songs in the guitar transcription by Miguel Llobet. The Spanish idiom very clearly suits her, and the songs were presented with stylish aplomb, Jorgen Skogmo made a notable contribution with his accomplished but relaxed looking guitar playing.

Serena Fenwick