This recital by soprano
Felicity Lott and pianist
Graham Johnson features a broad selection of songs, most of which have a connection with summer, most obviously
Gershwin's "Summertime," and most obscurely a carol, "The Little Road to Bethlehem" by Michael Head. The generous collection of 29 songs showcases
Lott's versatility and represents an attractive variety of styles, including works from the Baroque to the contemporary by English, French, German, Austrian, and American composers. The recording, made in 2000, doesn't fully capture the bloom and freshness in her voice that was the hallmark of her singing in the previous decades, but her nuanced, intelligent performances are lovely and full of character nonetheless. While she is at ease in all this repertoire, the songs by the British composers --
Elgar, Quilter, Arne, Bridge, Delius,
Vaughan Williams,
Warlock,
Rutter, Ireland,
Haydn Wood, Harold Fraser-Simpson, Michael Head, and the little-known Victorian Liza Lehmann -- seem to fall especially comfortably for her voice, and it's in these song that she really shines. Lehmann's unusually graceful and shapely "Ah, Moon of my Delight" is one of the revelations of the album and elicits one of
Lott's most appealing performances.
Graham Johnson, a frequent collaborator with
Lott, is a consummate accompanist playing with graceful sensitivity, but also bringing his own personality to the music; his accompaniment to "Summertime," for instance, is exceptionally swingy. Champs Hill's sound is generally clear and clean, but is not especially full.