Roderick Williams, Mary Bevan, Jack Liebeck, William Vann
Release Date: 11 October 2019
Label: Albion Records
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 5060158190386
Description
'Time and Space' includes fourteen world-première recordings: ten of works by Holst and four by Vaughan Williams.
2019 marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of The Ralph Vaughan Williams Society in June 1994. The Society and its recording subsidiary, Albion Records, are delighted to celebrate that with our first collaboration with the Holst Society, founded in May 2017. The two composers were not just the best of friends but also close musical colleagues; they would go off on walking holidays and 'field trips' and the cover photograph for the album records a blissful moment on a summer's day from just such an adventure.
The recording alternates the two composers, beginning with an early set of six songs by Holst, followed by Vaughan Williams's rarely recorded song cycle Along the Field for voice and violin. We contrast the two composers in settings of cradle songs (there are five lullabies on the album). A series of folk songs is followed by Holst's Four Songs for Voice and Violin. The album concludes with the 'contest' to set Darest Thou Now O Soul, Walt Whitman's famous poem from 'Sea Drift'. Vaughan Williams won that contest, but these first recordings enable us to make our own judgement.
Mary Bevan MBE is a winner of the Royal Philharmonic Society's Young Artist award and UK Critics' Circle Award for Exceptional Young Talent in music. She has performed many operatic roles at ENO and at opera houses all over the world.
Roderick Williams OBE is one of the most sought after baritones of his generation. His numerous recordings include Vaughan Williams, Berkeley and Britten operas for Chandos and an extensive repertoire of English song with pianist Iain Burnside for both Naxos and Albion Records.
Jack Liebeck possesses "flawless technical mastery" and a "beguiling silvery tone" (BBC Music Magazine). Over the past 25 years, Jack has worked with major international conductors and orchestras, and has featured in a multitude of recordings including Dvorak (Sony) which won Jack Classical Brit Young Artist of the Year 2010 and his acclaimed Bruch concerto series with BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Martyn Brabbins for Hyperion. Upcoming recordings include Brahms and Schoenberg violin concertos with BBC Symphony Orchestra, Stuart Hancock's violin concerto, and Braun's From the Shtetl with London Chamber Orchestra.
William Vann is a multiple-prize winning accompanist and conductor, He is the Director of Music at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, and the founder and Artistic Director of the London English Song Festival. In April 2019 he conducted Hubert Parry's long-neglected oratorio Judith in the Royal Festival Hall, which he has also recorded for Chandos Records.
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
".. a peach of a disc" - Andrew Achenbach, Gramophone, December 2019
"This welcome disc celebrates the friendship between Vaughan Williams and Holst by shining a light on less familiar items from their respective outputs, all of which are well worth hearing, especially in these excellent performances." - John Quinn, MusicWeb International, October 2019
"...this is altogether a fascinating and lovely programme." - Daniel Jaffe, BBC Music Magazine *****/****
Tracklisting
Tredegar Town Band, Ross Knight, Ian Porthouse, Martyn Brabbins
Alessandro Fisher, William Vann, The Navarra Quartet
Adrian Sims & Alan Rowlands
David Briggs
Chapel Choir Of The Royal Hospital, Joshua Ryan & William Vann
Various
John Gielgud, Adrian Boult
David Welton & Iain Burnside
