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Blessed Cecilia | Walter Hall, Toronto
Blessed Cecilia | Walter Hall, Toronto
Music in celebration of St Cecilia's Day - the saint's feast-day is November 22. She is, of course, the patron saint of music
date: November 22, 2009
This concert falling on November 22, St Cecilia’s Day, we decided to celebrate the occasion with music by our signature composer, Benjamin Britten (born on the same day) and by Henry Purcell (who died on November 21). So the first half consisted of some of Britten’s realisations of Purcell – always individualistic, and sometimes so much so as to constitute recompositions. Our second half began with a two-fold rejection of the power of music (of which Cecilia is the patron saint), first humorous, then deeply serious. Then we went on to soothe the savage breast with evocations of music’s charms and of its more important saving graces – several of Britten’s finest songs were involved here.
| SONG | ARTIST | COMPOSER | POET |
|---|---|---|---|
| I attempt from love’s sickness to fly (The Indian Queen) | Mercer, Shannon, soprano; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Purcell, Henry, real. Britten, Benjamin | Dryden, John |
| Fairest isle (King Arthur) | Tomkins, Giles, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Purcell, Henry, real. Britten, Benjamin | Dryden, John |
| Music for a while (Oedipus) | McLean, James, tenor; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Purcell, Henry, real. Britten, Benjamin | Dryden, John |
| I’ll sail upon the dog-star (A Fool’s Preferment) | Tomkins, Giles, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Purcell, Henry, real. Britten, Benjamin | D’Urfey, Thomas |
| Evening Hymn | McLean, James, tenor; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Purcell, Henry, real. Britten, Benjamin | Fuller, William |
| Sweeter than roses (Pausanias, the Betrayer of his Country) | Mercer, Shannon, soprano; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Purcell, Henry, real. Britten, Benjamin | anon. |
| If music be the food of love, 3rd setting | Tomkins, Giles, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Purcell, Henry, real. Britten, Benjamin | Heveningham, Henry |
| In the black, dismal dungeon of despair | McLean, James, tenor; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Purcell, Henry, real. Britten, Benjamin | Fuller, William |
| Mad Bess | Mercer, Shannon, soprano; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Purcell, Henry, real. Britten, Benjamin | anon. |
| Passacaglia (Peter Grimes) | Ralls, Stephen / Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Britten, Benjamin | n/a |
| Saul and the Witch at Endor | Mercer, Shannon, soprano; McLean, James, tenor; Tomkins, Giles, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Purcell, Henry, real. Britten, Benjamin | anon., after I Samuel 28 |
| A Word on my Ear | Mercer, Shannon, soprano; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Swann, Donald | Flanders, Michael |
| Ode on the Rejection of St Cecilia: Arioso | Tomkins, Giles, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Finzi, Gerald | Barker, George Granville |
| Wie Melodien zieht es mir, Op.105/1 | McLean, James, tenor; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Brahms, Johannes | Groth, Klaus |
| The Nightingale and the Rose, Op.76/4 (The Poet’s Echo) | Mercer, Shannon, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Britten, Benjamin | Pushkin, Alexander |
| Le Souvenir d’avoir chanté | McLean, James, tenor; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Hahn, Reynaldo | Mendès, Catulle |
| Dear harp of my country | Tomkins, Giles, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Irish folksong, arr. Britten, Benjamin | Moore, Thomas |
| Let the florid music praise, Op.11/1 (On This Island) | Mercer, Shannon, soprano; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Britten, Benjamin | Auden, Wystan Hugh |
| The Choirmaster’s Burial (or The Tenor Man’s Story), Op.52/5 (Winter Words) | McLean, James, tenor; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Britten, Benjamin | Hardy, Thomas |
| Bright is the ring of words (Songs of Travel) | Tomkins, Giles, baritone; Ubukata, Bruce, piano | Vaughan Williams, Ralph | Stevenson, Robert Louis |
| Alleluia | Mercer, Shannon, soprano; McLean, James, tenor; Tomkins, Giles, baritone; Ralls, Stephen, piano | Purcell, Henry, real. Britten, Benjamin | anon. |