Benjamin Britten - Songs & Proverbs of William Blake (Gerald Finley; Julius Drake)

Information

Composer: Benjamin Britten

• Lemady
• She's like the swallow
• I wonder as I wander
• Tom Bowling
• Songs & Proverbs of William Blake, Op. 74
• Tit for Tat
• Um Mitternacht
• A Poison Tree
• This way to the tomb
• David of the White Rock
• Greensleeves
• The Crocodile
• The Deaf Woman's Courtship
• Bird Scarer's Song

Gerald Finley, baritone

Julius Drake, piano

Date: 2010

Label: Hyperion

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Review

Although not directly mentioned in the notes to this excellent recording–nor is it clear from the disc cover, the program consists of a trove of rarely-heard songs from both early and late in Britten’s career, including the delightfully humorous “The Deaf Woman’s Courtship” and “The Crocodile”. We also hear two very different but equally affecting versions of “A Poison Tree”, one as part of the Songs and Proverbs of William Blake, the other a much earlier setting from 1935 that didn’t receive its first performance until 10 years after Britten’s death. Another song whose first recording was delayed (until 1995, because of copyright issues) is “I wonder as I wander”, and the group of three songs “Evening”, “Morning”, and “Night” (with texts by Ronald Duncan) weren’t published until 1988.

Many of these songs were written or arranged for the recitals given by Britten and tenor Peter Pears, but this recording’s big work, the Songs and Proverbs of William Blake, was conceived for Britten’s friend and musical colleague, baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau; likewise, the group of five songs with texts by Walter de la Mare, Tit for Tat, was created for baritone, this time John Shirley-Quirk. Of course the measure of the Blake cycle will always be the Decca recording by Britten and Fischer-Dieskau, and certainly the German baritone’s masterful and thoroughly captivating use of vocal shading and color, his refined expressive nuances (the sighing little slides in the Proverbs), and his interpretive oneness with Britten remain unmatched. Having said that, Canadian Gerald Finely proves once again that he is among today’s finest singers and song interpreters, and here is another display of his awesome technique, commanding expression, and vocal beauty.

Finley’s baritone often is described as “golden”, and that’s absolutely true here, but the tone is also rich and full and warm, his assured technique enabling a perfect legato and exclamatory emphasis that’s invariably convincing, his interpretive instincts never letting loose a note of false drama. He’s capable of light, delicate singing that’s every bit as emotionally powerful as the more forcefully dynamic moments–compare the unaccompanied “I wonder as I wander” or the mysterious “Silver” or “The Chimney-Sweeper” with any of the more intense passages in the Blake songs, for instance. And you can’t help but be impressed with and completely charmed by Finley’s playful and stylish performance of “The Crocodile” or with the sheer fun he brings to “The Deaf Woman’s Courtship”, happily aided and abetted by his piano partner Julius Drake.

Finley and Drake have collaborated many times (Barber, Ives, Ravel–see Reviews), and it certainly shows in their knowing communication through repertoire that makes quite varied demands on both performers. Hyperion’s recording is absolutely first-rate, and so is this entire production–a well-conceived and ideally performed showcase for both composer and singer. [6/17/2010]

— David Vernier

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Benjamin Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was a leading British composer, pianist and conductor. Trained at the Royal College of Music, he gained early acclaim with Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge and achieved international prominence with the opera Peter Grimes (1945). His major stage works include Billy Budd, The Turn of the Screw, and Death in Venice, alongside innovative church parables such as Curlew River. Co-founder of the Aldeburgh Festival, he also composed celebrated song cycles, choral works including the War Requiem, and notable orchestral and chamber music.

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Gerald Finley (born 30 January 1960) is a Canadian bass-baritone. Educated at the University of Ottawa, King's College Cambridge and the Royal College of Music in London, he initially specialized in Mozart roles such as Don Giovanni and Le nozze di Figaro. His repertoire expanded to include major roles in Wagner, Verdi and contemporary opera, notably in John Adam's Doctor Atomic. Finley has performed with leading orchestras worldwide and earned numerous awards, including a Grammy and Juno Awards. He frequently collaborates with pianist Julius Drake and gives masterclasses throughout the world.

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Julius Drake (born 5 April 1959) is an English pianist who works as a song recital accompanist and chamber musician. He was educated at the Purcell School and the Royal College of Music, and now is Professor of Collaborative Piano at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and visiting professor at the Royal Northern College of Music. Drake's many recordings include a widely acclaimed series with Gerald Finley for Hyperion Records, with Ian Bostridge and Alice Coote for EMI, with Joyce DiDonato, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson and Matthew Polenzani for Wigmore Live, and with Anna Prohaska for Alpha.

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