Sounds and Sweet Air – A Shakespeare Songbook
Carolyn Sampson (soprano)
Roderick Williams (baritone)
Joseph Middleton (piano)
rec. 2022, Wyastone Concert Hall, Monmouth, UK
Texts included
BIS BIS-2653 SACD [85]

Confession time. When I first saw the cover picture for this album on social media a couple of months ago, I thought it was a spoof. But it’s not, and since I realised that this new album was forthcoming from these artists, I’ve been itching to get my hands on a copy.

Their programme is cleverly constructed as a Shakespearian play would be: it’s divided into five Acts, preceded by a short Prelude and with one song, arranged as a duet, forming the Epilogue. As Katy Hamilton explains in her entertaining and interesting booklet essay, Act 1 is concerned with time travel. Act 2 is devoted to Shakespearian settings by Austrian and German composers. Act 3, the centrepiece of the programme, is given over to contemporary settings by two British composers. The fourth Act contains a mélange of settings, some in English, some in French, by various twentieth-century composers. The final Act has English settings, some of which are in a slightly lighter vein than the rest of the programme.

Before the curtain rises on our play, two strolling players enter from stage right and stage left to deliver the Prologue.  This consists of three duets. As Katy Hamilton observes, Ireland’s Full fathom five is “surprisingly cheerful”; both setting and performance have a delightful lightness. I can’t better Hamilton’s description of Vaughan Williams’ Dirge for Fidele, which, she says, is “gently resigned”. It’s an early piece, written when the composer was just 23, and it’s a hidden gem, especially when performed with the sensitivity which these artists bring to it. The group ends with Moeran’s part song, The Lover and his Lass. I must admit that I have an allergy to anything that includes ‘Hey, nonny no’ or variants thereon; however, this delicious, light-footed performance temporarily cured the allergy.

Act 1 opens with a song previously unknown to me. Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Arise sets the well-known text from Cymbeline, ‘Hark hark! the lark…’ I learned from the notes that it dates from the 1920s. The song, here sung by Carolyn Sampson, has an engaging vocal line underneath which the piano consistently ripples; it’s a delight. This Act also brings us Tippett’s Three Songs for Ariel, sung by Roderick Williams. These were written for a production of The Tempest in 1962. I must admit that I’m not always drawn to Tippett’s music but I really enjoyed these songs. Williams and Middleton create a fine atmosphere. In the first song, Come unto these Yellow Sands, Middleton’s sparkling playing casts its own spell, while the concluding Where the Bee Sucks is deftly done by both artists. However, it’s the second song, Full Fathom Five, which makes the strongest impression of all; Williams and Middleton give a magical performance of it. There are two settings of Under the Greenwood Tree. Carolyn Sampson gives a delightful account of Thomas Arne’s setting but Ivor Gurney’s response to the words is, I think, much more interesting as a piece of music.    

Act 2 encompasses Austro-German settings, all of which are in German with the exception of Haydn’s She never told her love. As I listened to this fine composition, I wondered how conversant Haydn was with the English language; or did someone furnish him with a particularly accurate German translation so that he had a very good understanding of the English words when he came to set them? Whatever the process may have been, Haydn was extremely successful in conveying the wistful regret of this text; Carolyn Sampson sings it exquisitely. There’s no introspection in the group of three Schubert songs. Ms Sampson gives us a sparkling, fresh account of An Silvia while Williams extends a robustly jolly invitation to party in Trinklied. He also sings the songs by Schumann and Wolf. It’s fascinating to hear how these two composers evoke the sentiments of the words of (respectively) Feste and Bottom. Williams’s imitation of a braying donkey adds a vivid touch to the Wolf song.

Act 3 brings the most challenging music in the sequence. In They Bore him Barefaced on a Bier, Cheryl Frances-Hoad weaves together words from some of Ophelia’s songs in Hamlet. I think her setting is very poignant. The music is calm to the point of detachment and I find it highly effective. Carolyn Sampson sings the hypnotic vocal line with crystalline purity while the very spare piano writing is definitely a case of ‘less is more’.

I’m afraid that, so far, Hannah Kendall’s Rosalind has defeated me. This set of five songs, in which both singers are involved, is the only work on the disc which does not use words by Shakespeare himself, or adaptations thereof. Instead, Hannah Kendall has set poems by the contemporary British-Egyptian poet, Sabrina Mahfouz in which the poet explores the character of Rosalind from As You Like It. My first difficulty with the cycle is that Ms Mahfouz’s poems are often somewhat fragmentary in nature; such poetry always causes me difficulty, whether I am reading or hearing the words. I also don’t find Kendall’s music easy to grasp. As the notes explain, it includes “audible breaths and repeated hard consonants, paper tucked into the piano strings to whisper and buzz….” In some ways, these devices reminded me of a set of songs by Nilufar Habibian which I heard Carolyn Sampson and the harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani premiere at the Three Choirs Festival just a few weeks ago (review). In addition, Hannah Kendall requires one of the singers – in this case Carolyn Sampson – to make occasional contributions playing either a music box or, once and briefly, a harmonica. I’m not convinced that the latter instrument, in particular, adds a great deal.

I found some of the music attractive; the third song, for example, is ‘…no explanation is needed’ where, with the exception of the penultimate line of the poem, the two singers are in unison. That said, so far much of the cycle has eluded me, despite the undoubted skill of the advocacy from the three performers. I should add that the poems have a certain degree of gender fluidity to them; hence Hannah Kendall’s understandable decision to use a female and a male singer. I’m insufficiently well versed in As You Like It to be able to judge how relevant this is in Sabrina Mahfouz’s exploration of Rosalind; I genuinely don’t know.

I feel on safer ground in Act 4 in which all the music is sung by Carolyn Sampson. The items by Poulenc and Britten are linked in that both composers were commissioned to set the same text (‘Tell me where is Fancy bred’) for a 1962 publication Classical Songs for Children. Poulenc’s setting is disarmingly simple. Britten’s response to the words couldn’t be more different; where Poulenc is languorous, his British colleague envisions the music in energetic terms with point-of-a-needle music. It was a very good idea to programme these contrasting items side by side. Honegger’s Deux chants d’Ariel were part of incidental music for a production of The Tempest in 1923 – they thus mirror the Tippett settings which we heard in Act 1. These two songs set French adaptations of Shakespeare’s words. I liked them very much; the music is interesting and refined.

Our play’s final Act offers a mix of songs and styles. Bridge’s Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind, sung by Roderick Williams, is robust and extrovert. Take, O Take Those Lips Away by Madeleine Dring couldn’t be more different. The song is gently melancholic and Williams demonstrates a fine command of line, while Joseph Middleton’s delicate touch points the accompaniment beautifully. Incidentally, this is a song for which Roderick Williams evidently feels a particular affinity since he has very successfully orchestrated it (review). John Dankworth’s setting of Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? was first performed by the inimitable Cleo Laine. Katy Hamilton is right on the money in describing Dankworth’s piece as “gorgeously silky and intimate”; Williams’ voice is indeed silky; he and Middleton give a sophisticated account of this excellent piece.

Carloyn Sampson is back with us for Mervyn Horder’s Under the Greenwood Tree; I find the composer’s use of the tango rhythm intriguing.  Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’ s The Willow Song is another item extracted from incidental music; this time it’s from a 1912 production of Othello. This is well suited to Ms Sampson’s voice; the vocal line is most attractive and each time the refrain ‘Sing willow, willow, willow’ appears I was particularly struck by the melismatic setting of the final word. The harp-like piano part is an appealing feature, too.

After a short song by Amy Beach, both singers combine for Roderick Williams’Sigh No More, Ladies. I’ve heard a good number of compositions by Williams but I didn’t appreciate that he got the composing ‘bug’ in his schooldays. Apparently, this duet uses the melody of a song which he wrote at the age of about 12 while studying Much Ado About Nothing. The melody was well worth reviving and the duet, here benefitting from a light touch by all three musicians, is very pleasing.

Before the curtain comes down there’s just time for an Epilogue in the form of Sullivan’s Orpheus with his lute. We hear this familiar solo song in a very effective duet arrangement by Roderick Williams; it works very well as a delightful envoi.

Though I am baffled by Hannah Kendall’s songs – which others may appreciate far more than I have so far done – I enjoyed this album very much. The programme has been constructed with discernment and the execution is as fine as you would expect from these artists. Carolyn Sampson and Roderick Williams go beyond offering singing that is excellent per se. They communicate the songs – and, crucially, the texts which the composers have set – with vivid intelligence; one consistently feels drawn into the songs. Joseph Middleton’s pianism is no less admirable. He is called upon to play music is a very wide range of styles. To each piece he brings great accomplishment, partnering his singers with sensitivity.

The recording sessions took place at the Wyastone Concert Hall. Engineer Dave Rowell and producer Robert Suff have ensured that the performers are heard clearly and in excellent balance with each other. Listening to the stereo layer of this very generously filled SACD, I thought the results were very realistic. The documentation, like the sound, is of the high standard that we have long come to take for granted with BIS.

Two final thoughts. I referred earlier to the cover picture. It’s very witty and entertaining but dare I suggest it’s also a metaphor for the album? To me, it rather sets the tone for an album in which these three artists take the repertoire with proper seriousness but don’t take themselves too seriously. Though the standard of musicianship is every bit as high as you’d expect, I bet the musicians also had lots of fun during the sessions. Secondly, right at the end of her notes Katy Hamilton quotes an observation by Roderick Williams. Referencing the fact that he’s often programmed Shakespeare recitals in the past he suggests: “I thought I knew most of the material by now. Well, I was wrong! And we’ve only just scratched the surface.” Is that an implicit hint that there might be a follow-up album one day? I do hope so.

For now, though, you’ll be entertained and enlightened by this excellent and imaginative album,

John Quinn

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Contents
Prologue
John Ireland (1879-1962)
Full fathom five
Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)
Dirge for Fidele
Ernest John Moeran (1894-1950)
The Lover and his Lass

Act 1
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (1895-1968)
Arise
John Christopher Smith (1712-1795)
You Spotted Snakes (1755)
Sir Michael Tippett (1905-1998)
Three Songs for Ariel  (1962)
1. Come unto these Yellow Sands     
2. Full Fathom Five   
3. Where the Bee Sucks         
Thomas Augustine Arne (17101778)
Under the Greenwood Tree (1740)
Ivor Gurney (1890-1937)
Under the Greenwood Tree (1913)
Sir Hubert Parry (1848-1918)
Sonnet LXXXVII
John Ireland
When Daffodils Begin to Peer (1911)
Act 2
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
She never told her love, Hob.XXVIa No. 34 
Franz Schubert (1797-1828)
An Silvia, D 106
Ständchen (Horch, horch! die Lerch), D 889
Trinklied, D 888
Robert Schumann (1810-1856)
Schlusslied des Narren, Op.127 No. 5
Hugo Wolf (1860-1903)
Lied des transferierten Zettel 
Peter Cornelius (1824-1874)
Komm herbei, Tod, Op.16 No. 3
 
Act 3
Cheryl Frances-Hoad (b 1980)
They Bore him Barefaced on a Bier
Hannah Kendall (b 1984)
Rosalind (2020)
1. Here is a space
2. all love is a lunacy
3. …no explanation is needed 
4. Take my fear take my feeling
5. You do not get to dress me anymore
 
Act 4
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963)
Fancy (1962)
Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)
Fancie (1962)
Arthur Honegger (1892-1955)
Deux chants d’Ariel (1923)    
1. Modéré (Venez jusqu’à ces sables d’or)
2. Un peu animé (Où butine l’abeille je butine aussi)
 
Act 5
Frank Bridge (1879-1941)
Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind (1903)
Madeleine Dring (1923-1977)
Take, O Take Those Lips Away (1950)
John Dankworth (1927-2010)
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? (1964)      
Mervyn Horder (1910-1997)
Under the Greenwood Tree 
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875-1912)
The Willow Song (1912)
Amy Beach (1867-1944)
Fairy Lullaby
Roderick Williams (b 1965)
Sigh No More, Ladies
 
Epilogue
Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900)
Orpheus with his lute