Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (1852–1924)
Orchestral Songs
Sharon Carty (mezzo-soprano); Morgan Pearse (baritone)
BBC Singers (male voices)
BBC Concert Orchestra/John Andrews
rec. 2023, Battersea Arts Centre, London
Texts included
Resonus RES10345 [71]

With the exception of his church music, the art of Stanford is sadly underappreciated these days and one doesn’t often get a chance to experience his music except through recordings. Perhaps that explains why many of the items on this CD were new to me; I haven’t even heard them in their original versions with piano accompaniment. It’s salutary to contrast the neglect of Stanford’s music since his death with the regard in which he was held in the last decades of the nineteenth century. I knew his music had made some headway in Europe at that time, as well as in the British Isles, but I was astonished to read in Jeremy Dibble’s expert notes that in 1889 a concert devoted entirely to his music was given in Berlin’s Philharmonie. One of the pieces on that programme was the orchestral version of La belle dame sans merci, which Stanford had orchestrated for a concert at the Royal College of Music in 1888. Sadly, that score is now lost and it appears on this CD in a new orchestration by Jeremy Dibble.

In his notes, Dibble tells us that Stanford was much given to orchestrating music that he’d originally conceived for piano or organ. Whether this disc presents the composer’s compete output of orchestrated songs is not clear (I suspect it’s possibly a selection). Dibble praises Stanford’s skills as an orchestrator, suggesting that only Ravel and Respighi surpassed him in this regard. I can certainly vouch for the imagination and skill of the scoring in all of the pieces presented here.

The songs are sung by two soloists who are already experienced in Stanford’s music. The lion’s share of the repertoire is sung by the Australian baritone, Morgan Pearse; he is also one of the soloists on an important new Lyrita disc which presents premiere recordings of Stanford’s Te Deum (1898) and Elegiac Ode (1884). The Irish mezzo, Sharon Carty has recently been heard on a SOMM disc of the composer’s Irish song cycles (review).

I think it will be easiest to comment on the songs in the order in which they appear on the disc. ‘A Fairy Lough’ is one of the set entitled An Irish Idyll in Six Miniatures. Stanford scored it for performance by Harry Plunket Greene; I infer that this was the only one of the set which Stanford orchestrated. Jeremy Dibble rightly refers to the “gossamer orchestration”. The song has a charming lilt to it. It’s sung by Morgan Pearce whose firm, even and clear vocal production makes an immediately positive impression; he also sings the words with just the right degree of feeling. Pearse also performs ‘Come Away Death’. Dibble quotes a contemporary reviewer who described the song and its orchestration as “lugubrious”, though Dibble doesn’t indicate whether he agrees with that judgement; I suspect he doesn’t. I have to say that I disagree. The scoring is dark-hued, it’s true, but I think the colourings suit the music and they are not too heavy. If I’m honest, I’ve heard better settings of these words but Stanford’s response to Shakespear’s words is far from negligible and Pearse is expressive.

Is it the Wind of the Dawn? was one of the pieces which Stanford wrote for a staged production of Tennyson’s Becket. I think that unlike most of the music on this disc, this item was originally conceived for orchestra. It’s a duet between the characters of King Henry II (Morgan Pearse) and Rosamund de Clifford (Sharon Carty). The scoring is delicately light and attractive; the harp has a prominent role. As I mentioned earlier, Stanford’s orchestration of La belle dame sans merci is now lost; instead, we hear it in what strikes me as a most effective version by Jeremy Dibble. The song, which is one of the few among this selection that I already knew, is very much in the German ballad tradition. Arguably, it’s a bit long – as are so many ballad songs – but Morgan Pearse brings the story vividly to life, so one is less aware of time passing.

The Triumph of Love, Op.82 is a set of five songs, composed in 1903; three years later, Stanford orchestrated three of them, which Sharon Carty performs. In ‘I think that we were children’ the innocence of words and music is matched by the delicate scoring. By contrast, ‘O Flames of Passion’ is a big, passionate song in which words which strike me as too effusive are set. Jeremy Dibbles describes ‘When in solemn stillness’ as “a dark, mysterious, probing canvas”. He’s right; it’s an impressive scoring of a good song. Dibble says that, unlike the other two songs, there’s no trace of a performance of this last song during Stanford’s lifetime; indeed, he suggests this recording may represent the first time the orchestral version has been performed; that’s a pity, I think. Sharon Carty’s is not the richest mezzo voice I’ve heard and I don’t feel she displays as wide a range of vocal colouring as I’d expect. On the other hand, she has the virtue of clarity, both in terms of tone and diction.

Ms Carty also sings the three Cavalier Songs, for which she’s joined by the male voices of the BBC Singers. I’m going to pass quickly over these. They are, I fear, of the ‘rumpty-tum’ variety which are of their time and which, frankly, should have been left in the drawer to gather dust. That, though, is a subjective view; others may agree with Jeremy Dibble that they are “entertaining, rousing songs”. I’m genuinely puzzled, though, as to why they were allocated to Sharon Carty – unless it was in order to give her more to sing in a programme dominated by the baritone voice – because Stanford wrote the songs for baritone, male voice choir and piano. Both music and words seem much more suited to a male singer. Ms Carty characterises the songs well. but Morgan Parse might have put them across with more swagger. These songs are, musically, the weakest on the disc, though they are performed with gusto.

Fortunately, we’re back on much stronger musical ground with Songs of Faith. As originally composed, there were six of these, three of which set texts by Walt Whitman. Jeremy Dibble relates in the booklet the tale of how Stanford came to orchestrate two of the Whitman songs, ‘To the Soul’ and ‘Tears’ in 1915. The remaining Whitman song, ‘Joy, Shipmate, Joy!’ has been orchestrated by Dibble himself and I think he’s made a very convincing job of it. ‘To the Soul’ uses the same words that Vaughan Williams set in Toward the Unknown Region at around the same time that Stanford was composing his Songs of Faith. Stanford made these lines into a good song which Morgan Pearse does very well. ‘Tears’ is entrusted to Sharon Carty. She gives a likeable performance but I do wonder if she has the vocal amplitude for this ardent music, especially in the second half of the song. Ms Carty also sings ‘Joy, Shipmate, Joy!’ but I find her singing is too contained. This song needs a larger voice and, to be honest, I think that in the concert hall her voice would be overwhelmed by the orchestration.

Almost all of the rest of the programme is devoted to a few of the many Irish songs which Stanford composed or arranged over the years. Without exception, these Irish melodies are attractive and appealing and, when he came to orchestrate them, Stanford unfailingly scored them effectively. Often the orchestration is restrained, which is good since it means the melodies are not overwhelmed. One exception is ‘Battle Hymn’, a forthright, martial song which Sharon Carty delivers with strength and conviction. I must also draw attention to O Ye Dead. This is a solemn setting – the solemnity is enhanced, as Jeremy Dibble points out, by the inclusion of trombone parts; Morgan Pearse makes it a noble elegy.

The programme ends with what I think is the strongest music on the programme. ‘A Song of Hope’, a setting of Psalm 130, is one of the six Bible Songs, Op. 113. Stanford composed these in 1909; he conceived them with organ accompaniment. Subsequently, he arranged ‘A Song of Hope’ for organ and strings. I think the arrangement is very successful it’s a shame that, apparently, it has never been published. In terms of musical reach, this song stands alone within the programme. Morgan Pearse performs it eloquently.

I enjoyed this disc very much. Most of the songs are very good and the orchestrations are consistently excellent and imaginative. That said, Stanford’s scoring never draws attention to itself at the expense of the words or the vocal line. Morgan Pearse tackles a wide range of songs and is completely successful in all of them; I liked his singing very much. As I’ve said, I do have reservations about Sharon Carty’s singing; though she’s very accomplished I’m not convinced that all the songs which she was asked to sing are suitable for her voice. Both soloists are commendably clear in their diction throughout. Under the direction of John Andrews, the BBC Concert Orchestra presents Stanford’s orchestrations on the best possible light. The sound, engineered by Dave Rowell, is excellent.

The documentation is good. Jeremy Dibble writes with his customary authority and enthusiasm for Stanford’s music; it’s a pity, though, that no one at Resonus seems to have noticed that on page 6 of the booklet part of his essay appears to have gone missing. It’s unfortunate also that the texts are printed in a minuscule font, though the excellent diction of the singers acts as a mitigant.

Admirers of Stanford’s music – and, indeed, admirers of British song – will welcome this very enjoyable disc.

John Quinn

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Contents
An Irish Idyll in Six Miniatures, Op. 77, No. 2 (1901): A Fairy Lough (orch 1909)
The Clown’s Songs from Twelfth Night, Op. 65, No. 2 (1897): Come Away Death (orch 1898)
Is it the Wind of the Dawn? (1884)
La belle dame sans merci (1877, orch Jeremy Dibble)From The Triumph of Love, Op.82 (1903): I think that we were children (orch 1906); When in solemn stillness (orch 1906); O Flames of Passion (orch 1906)
Cavalier Songs, Op. 17 (1880, orch 1893)
From Songs of Faith, Op. 97 (1906): To the Soul (orch 1915); Tears (orch 1915); Joy, Shipmate, Joy! (orch Jeremy Dibble)
From Irish Songs and Ballads: Chieftain of Tyrconnell (orch 1892)
From Songs of Old Ireland: The Foggy Dew (orch 1893); When She Answered me (orch 1893?)
O Ye Dead (orch 1895)
From Songs of Old Ireland: Battle Hymn (orch 1894?); Lament for Owen Rue O’Neill (orch 1892); Emer’s Farewell to Cucullain (orch 1894?)
Songs of Erin, Op. 76, No. 22: The Alarm (1900)
Bible Songs, Op. 113, No. 3: A Song of Hope (1909)