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Songs for Sir John – A tribute to Sir John Manduell
Songs for Sir John – A tribute to Sir John Manduell
Performed by: Benedict Holland, John Turner, Keith Swallow, Laura Robinson, Lesley-Jane Rogers, Nicholas Trygstad, Richard Baker, Richard Simpson, Susie Mészáros
Total Playing Time: 72:52
Track Listing:
1) Men improve with the years (2:32) - Robin Stevens (b.1958)
2) Sonnet (5:46) - Elis Pehkonen (b.1942)
3) The Cold Heaven (4:00) - Martin Bussey (b.1958)
4) Reflection (5:41) - Geoffrey Poole (b. 1949)
5) Yeats Interlude (7:26) - Sally Beamish (b.1956)
6) Be Still (3:49) - Michael Ball (b.1946)
7) Those Images (6:09) - David Horne (b.1970)
8) Two Yeats Songs, Op. 23b – I. Lullaby (3:28) - David Matthews (b.1943)
9) Two Yeats Songs, Op. 23b – II. Sweet Dancer (1:35) - David Matthews (b.1943)
10) Zuzu’s Petals (5:21) - Kevin Malone (b.1958)
11) This Great Purple Butterfly (4:36) - Gary Carpenter (b.1951)
12) Strings in the Earth and Air (1:40) - Peter Dickinson (b.1934)
13) Three Duets for Two Recorders – I. Moderato (1:37) - Lennox Berkeley (1903-1989)
14) Three Duets for Two Recorders – II. Minuet (1:52) - Lennox Berkeley (1903-1989)
15) Three Duets for Two Recorders – III. Allegro (1:36) - Lennox Berkeley (1903-1989)
16) Four Nursery Rhymes to texts by Thomas Pitfield – 1. The Shipwrecked Sailor (1:03) - Robin Walker (b.1953)
17) Four Nursery Rhymes to texts by Thomas Pitfield – 2. Lilly Pickle (0:41) - Robin Walker (b.1953)
18) Four Nursery Rhymes to texts by Thomas Pitfield – 3. Staring Moon (1:09) - Robin Walker (b.1953)
19) Four Nursery Rhymes to texts by Thomas Pitfield – 4. Cat and Mouse (0:58) - Robin Walker (b.1953)
20) The Cat and the Moon (4:28) - Jeremy Pike (b.1955)
21) Into the Twilight (3:15) - Nicholas Marshall (b.1942)
22) The Cloths of Heaven (3:48) - Naji Hakim (b.1955)
About the Album
Sir John Manduell was a pivotal figure in British music – as composer, teacher, BBC producer, first principal of the Northern Royal College of Music and founder of the European Opera Centre. Beloved and revered by musicians, yet someone whose name is shamefully little known outside the music profession.
This album in tribute presents works by 16 composers from more than one generation, centred around settings of W.B. Yeats and principally songs with oboe, recorder, violin and cello. The music is varied, rich and wonderfully set to the texts, and yet the textures are always transparent and clear; there is nothing inherently ‘difficult’ for the listener. The performers are among the cream of the Music world of Northern England, and also, in the Robin Walker Nursery Rhymes (the only work not specially recorded for the album), feature the iconic veteran BBC presenter Richard Baker.
Even without the Manduell connection this is a wonderfully constructed program of new chamber music.
LJR Reviews:
“sung with sparkling clarity by Lesley-Jane Rogers" - Alan Cooper, British Music Society, September 2020 (full review here )
Album Reviews:
“Assembled in exemplary fashion.. The comparatively limited instrumental complement is employed skillfully by all the composers, and both the singing and the playing are very fine. A considerable number of well-thought-through settings that provide listeners who have a taste for modern British chamber music with the chance to hear quite a few interesting examples of it.” —Mark Estren, Infodad (full review here)
“Imaginative and inspiring in its concept, ethos, and stunning performance. This is an album to savour. Much that is beautiful, with each piece demanding our full attention. The liner notes are exceptional. ” —John France, Musicweb INternational (full review here)