Art songs of New Zealand
This may not come as a surprise but I know (or at least knew) very little about art song in New Zealand, kiwi composers or anything vaguely related. After today's recital by students from the UoT Faculty of Music I now know a great deal more.
First up was a song cycle for baritone and piano and three songs for soprano and piano by Douglas Lilburn who was a pupil of Vaughan-Williams. They were pleasant enough in a Vaughan-Williams sort of way but a bit insipid.
Next were four short songs for soprano and piano by Judith Exley. These were fairly witty but slight.
Wild Daisies was up next. This is a song cycle for mezzo and piano by Ross Harris, who is apparently very well known in New Zealand. This was a work of real substance with faint echoes of Weill about it. Worth checking out more of this guy.
The best music to my mind came in Jenny McLeod's song cycle for tenor and piano to texts by Blake; Through the World. She had studied with Messiaen, Boulez, Berio and Stockhausen while still in her twenties. This really came out in her powerful setting of Blake's Tyger, Tyger. I shall definitely look out for more music by Ms. McLeod.
The programme wound up with some fairly slight but amusing pieces for soprano and piano by Craig Utting and Anthony Ritchie.
I have no idea how much of this repertoire has been recorded but I shall certainly be looking for more works by McLeod and Harris. I love the free concerts at the FSC. Where else would I get the chance to hear this sort of music?
First up was a song cycle for baritone and piano and three songs for soprano and piano by Douglas Lilburn who was a pupil of Vaughan-Williams. They were pleasant enough in a Vaughan-Williams sort of way but a bit insipid.
Next were four short songs for soprano and piano by Judith Exley. These were fairly witty but slight.
Wild Daisies was up next. This is a song cycle for mezzo and piano by Ross Harris, who is apparently very well known in New Zealand. This was a work of real substance with faint echoes of Weill about it. Worth checking out more of this guy.
The best music to my mind came in Jenny McLeod's song cycle for tenor and piano to texts by Blake; Through the World. She had studied with Messiaen, Boulez, Berio and Stockhausen while still in her twenties. This really came out in her powerful setting of Blake's Tyger, Tyger. I shall definitely look out for more music by Ms. McLeod.
The programme wound up with some fairly slight but amusing pieces for soprano and piano by Craig Utting and Anthony Ritchie.
I have no idea how much of this repertoire has been recorded but I shall certainly be looking for more works by McLeod and Harris. I love the free concerts at the FSC. Where else would I get the chance to hear this sort of music?