For fans of
Edward Elgar's song cycle Sea Pictures of 1899, here is a whole disc of English songs for voice and orchestra -- plus one splendid addition. Written between 1901 and 1935, the 20 songs included here are by five different composers. There are four by Bax, seven by Ireland, five by Dyson, three by
Boughton, and two by Bainton, and the subject matter ranges from sea songs like Ireland's heart-swelling Sea Fever to Bainton's dramatic Christmas Eve, Dyson's solemn Hymn to the Stars, and Bax's rousing Viking Battle Song. Some were cast by the composers for voice and orchestra and others are arrangements by other hands of works originally for voice and piano, but in every song, the music is superbly performed by baritone
Roderick Williams with
Martin Yates leading the
BBC Concert Orchestra.
Williams has a rich, subtle voice and he's not afraid of expressing the sentimental core of songs like Ireland's "When I Am Dead, My Dearest."
Yates and the London musicians unequivocally support
Williams and give the songs here the kind of committed performances the
Wiener Philharmoniker gives Beethoven's symphonies.
But fine as the 20 songs on this disc are, the best thing here is King Arthur's Farewell from Parry's unfinished opera Guenever. Realized and orchestrated by Jeremy Dibble, the 12-minute dramatic scene is Wagnerian in its sumptuous harmonies, voluptuous scoring, and heroic vocal lines, and
Williams turns in a performance of such supreme artistry and conviction that it makes the comparison of Parry and
Wagner seem not at all absurd. With soprano
Ailish Tynan in the title role, this passionate excerpt from Guenever makes one hope Dibble will work the same magic with the rest of the opera. Dutton's digital sound is strong, deep, and honest.