Roderick Williams – An English Song Winterreise

Roderick Williams – An English Song Winterreise: performed by Roderick Williams (Baritone), Christopher Glynn (Piano) playing Vaughan Williams: The Vagabond; Roger Quilter: Blow, blow, thou winter wind; Madeleine Dring: Weep you no more; Gerald Finzi: At Middle-field Gate in February; Vaughan Williams: Linden Lea; Ivor Gurney: On the Downs; Gerald Finzi: In the Mind’s Eye; Ivor Gurney: Lights Out; Ina Boyle: A Song of Enchantmen; Ivor Gurney: The folly of being comforte; Britten: Midnight on the Great Western; Judith Weir: Written on terrestrial things; Gerald Finzi: The too short time; Michael Tippett: Come unto these yellow sand; Elizabeth Maconchy: The Wind and the Rain; Doreen Carwithen: Echo; Vaughan Williams: Whither must I wander?; Gerald Finzi: Waiting Both; Errollyn Wallen: Peace on Earth at Prestonkirk Parish Church, East Linton on Wed 9 Sept 2.30pm as part of the Lammermuir Festival. An afternoon with Roderick Williams will always be a voyage of discovery, particularly here with the celebrated baritone's very personal choice of English songs inspired by Schubert's Winter's Journey. He explains it as 'an exercise in association - through mood, through key or tempo, a simple reference in the text, a turn of phrase.' Obvious links include Schubert's Gute Nacht sharing a key and a trudging piano accompaniment with Vaughan Williams's The Vagabond while his Linden Lea parallels Schubert's Der Lindenbaum. But others may think of different companion songs: 'one's own playlist could become the new parlour game!'