Gavin Roberts - artistic director of Song in the City |
Apart from Heitor Villa Lobos and Carlos Gomes, all the composers were new to me and most of the music by Villa Lobos was unfamiliar also. We had music stretching from the early 19th century through to that of Ernst Mahle (born 1929). What was amazing was the sheer variety of music on offer. We started with a romantic folk-ballad from Jayme Ovalle (1894-1955), quickly followed by Villa Lobos' Sertaneja where the soprano almost duelled with the violinist (and I think the soprano won). And then an appealingly catchy song about the Ulrapuru bird by Waldemar Henrique (1905-1995).
The singers all sang from memory and each vividly put over the songs, with some flowing directly from one song to another. All the singers were in fact Portuguese, studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and had adjusted their accent and pronunciation to give us a really Brazilian experience, and really striking it was. Even with the printed words it could be tricky to follow the songs.
A sequence of music by Villa Lobos mixed piano solos from Prole do bebe (The Baby's Family), with a remarkably varied selection of songs from the Melodia sentimental to the intriguing Nhapope which mixed rhapsodic and dance elements.
The sense of dance underlying everything was very striking,. These varied from the perky delight of Sao Joao by Ernani Braga (1868-1945), to the touching melancholy of Cantiga by Francisco Mignone (1897-1986). We had two really period items, a tradition song by Jose Francisco Leal (1792-1829) and a lovely sentimental, rather salon-like song by Carlos Gomes (1836-1896), who is best known for his opera Il Gurany.
Melancholy was also a predominant sentiment, Longe da Esposa by Rafale Coelho Machado (1814-1887), and Villa-Lobo's Nesta Rua, and the haunting waltz Valsinha do Marajo by Waldemar Henrique. The catchy popular vein returned with Villa Lobos' Modinha and the lively characterful Leilao de jardim (in fact an auction complete with soprano stood on a chair) by Ernst Mahle. We finished with Francisco Mignone's Donna Janaina which ended with the cast all dancing off, still singing. A complete delight.
I have to confess that I omitted to check which soprano was which, so I have not credited any of the performers. But there is hardly need, all were characterful and completely charming in their delivery.
There is a further chance to catch this delightful repertoire. On Tuesday 15 March 2016, at 7.30pm at St Marylebone Parish Church, Song in the City is presenting a Cantigas & Saudade evening, in a programme devised by Susan Waters and Gavin Roberts, Portuguese speaking students from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama perform a programme of songs and spoken word. Full details from the Facebook page.
Elsewhere on this blog:
- Enchanting: Mozart's Don Giovanni from English Touring Opera - Opera review
- Teeming with life: Rimsky-Korsakov's May Night - Opera review
- The transition from dark to light: Director Olivia Fuchs on Mascagni's Iris - interview
- Rare Donizetti brought to vibrant life: Pia de'Tolomei from English Touring opera - Opera review
- Joyful: Handel trio sonatas from the Brook Street Band - Cd review
- Slow burn Brahms: Clare Rutter, Stephen Gadd, City of London Choir in Brahms Requiem - Concert review
- Game of thrones: Handel Ariodante at London Handel Festival - Opera review
- Schnabel is the star: Cello music from Austria-Hungary - CD review
- Making a strong case for a neglected work: Louis Spohr's Die letzten Dinge - concert review
- Not a shooting star, but a well rooted planet: My interview with Ilona Domnich
- Highly personal Alice Coote, Christian Blackshaw in Schumann's Dichterliebe and Frauenliebe und -leben on Wigmore Hall Live - CD review
- Entrancing: Duets by Schumann, Mendelssohn, Peter Cornelius from Lucy Crowe & William Berger - CD review
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